“Be uncommon amongst uncommon people.” (David Goggins)

 This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2018 at 7:55 pm

I had the privilege to listen to a podcast recently in which ex-Navy Seal David Goggins was interviewed. The short version of a very long and difficult story is one of a young man that was abused, saw his mother abused, was seen as stupid, and essentially a nothing in this world with nothing to live or fight for. All David Goggins did was overcome obstacles normal people would quit easily at, to become a true savage and warrior of life. If you don’t know him, please look him up.

I have to say that hearing stories like David’s never gets old. It pumps me up, it lifts my spirits, it makes me want to do another round on the heavy bag instead of sitting on my lazy ass watching television. Shoot, honestly, the reason I became a psychotherapist was to figure out what was wrong with me, and hopefully figure out how to not continue to make the same stupid choices. Yet, that still small evil voice will pop into my head, immediately after listening to people like David and their story, to say, “you can’t do this, you’re nothing, you loser” etc. Or even better yet, excuse, after excuse, after excuse of why I cannot do something.

When I am done with this whole life, one of my biggest fears is the regret I may have that I did not persevere more. I don’t fear like I used too, but I will tell you that the possibility of that regretful thought and feeling is something like a dull ache in my torn rotator cuff. In the most obvious of ways I am uncommon, being a 6’2” redhead will alert you to that easily. I really need to CHOOSE to be uncommon every single day of my life. I have quit more things in my life than anyone will ever know but moving forward I need to choose to do the uncommon thing every single day. You see, to me and my thinking, that “common” thing takes over way too often and leads me to: sit on the couch when I know I should play with my kids; tells me to not talk to my wife when I know I should because it will simply pass and we will be actors for another day; don’t confront that friend, even though we both know they are doing wrong, because he just needs to figure it out for himself……you see where this is going. I don’t know about you, but I sure hope to be “uncommon” because “common” sounds so damn boring and full of regret.