Shine through the Pain: Insights from ‘Never Finished’ by David Goggins

I’m currently engrossed in the pages of ‘Never Finished’ by David Goggins, and I must say, it’s a true page-turner. Goggins’ life journey teaches us that life has an uncanny knack for throwing curveballs our way even in the most unexpected of moments (in his life probably more than most) but he makes it clear to teach us one thing: That our internal resilience, is the driving force that propels us forward giving us the capability to weather any storms. This book encourages us to realize that no matter how insurmountable the challenges, we have the intrinsic ability to persevere and conquer any fire power, as long as we don’t surrender to or wallow in self-pity.

A lot of us tend to take the easy way out by quitting when confronted with challenges, but, unless you find yourself in a situation that compromises your sanity, quitting shouldn’t be the default response. Rather, the book and his life in general advocates for unwavering perseverance by weathering the storm until the sky clears up.

However, the act of consistently showing up, especially when the going gets tough, isn’t always a walk in the park. This is where Goggins’ remarkable mindset shines through – he has got an uncanny ability to summon his inner strength, even amidst adversity. This ‘Inner Goggins’ that he talks about becomes his secret weapon to triumph over any challenges he faces.

Transitioning to the realm of professional development, there is an underlying assumption that Personal Branding is that magical pill we all need to resolve all sorts of career struggles. But this is not the case. Personal Branding is a long and arduous process filled with different varieties of ‘pain’. And like Goggins’ unrelenting pursuit of excellence, creating a personal brand demands dedication and time before we can truly establish ourselves as industry experts. This means that we must continue to work through the ‘pain’ of growing the brand to get the desired results.

So, what are some of the ‘pains’ integral to the Personal Branding journey that we must work through:

The Pain of Consistency:

This means showing up consistently, even on the toughest days. Your brand’s success requires steadfast dedication and discipline, especially on days when motivation wanes.

The Pain of Identifying and Mastering Your Expertise:

To alleviate this pain, defining the core topics that will become synonymous with your personal brand is the answer. What are the 2-3 topics that you would like your audience or the market in general to identify you by? Then, master these topics to ensure you are better than any of your peers.

The Pain of Audience Selection:

This speaks to the ability to balance the desire to reach everyone with the need to target a specific audience that will give the best value. Understanding your audience enables you to craft tailored content specific to your audience and this ensures maximum impact.

The Pain of Self-Doubt:

Self-doubt introduces imposter syndrome which creeps in to show us that we are not knowledgeable enough to share – This causes us to stay in a loop of over-analyzing, over-thinking, and eventually doing nothing. The answer to this is in pushing through the self-doubt and advocating for action over analysis paralysis.

The Pain of Trends:

Succumbing to transient trends can dilute your personal brand’s authenticity. Trends as short term fads that may not necessarily align to ones area of interest or focus and staying on trends as a means to grow your personal brand could be seen as standing for nothing! To overcome this pain, resist the allure of fleeting trends and instead, develop guiding principles that will dictate your behavior and guide your actions..

Much like a doctor administers medicine to a patient to alleviate pain, Personal Branding has the power to revitalize a stagnant career. But you must take the necessary steps and follow the prescribed path.

Just like the ‘Inner Goggins’ comes out to play when things are toughest, the ‘inner you’ must be unleashed to be able to deal past the pains that come with developing not just your personal brand, but your personal goals as well.

Is the inner you ready to shine through the pain?

Master the ‘Inner You’ and #Standout4Growth.

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