The Goggins Effect: How Extreme Discipline Rewires The Reward System

Back during my university days, I was deeply unsatisfied with the path that was being laid out for my future. I had a desire to do something more. I wanted to create my own business; my own legacy even. I would spend hours scrolling on TikTok just to procrastinate and distract myself from the potential pain that I feared from facing challenges of the business and the struggles that would arise before success.

During this period I came across the well known influential figure David Goggins. And what he preached truly changed my mindset. He made me realize that what I had to overcome was the limitations in my mind holding me back. Just because I had an urge to watch porn, scroll on social media, cower away from my fears, doesn’t mean that’s what was best for me.

David Goggins is truly a beast when it comes to his personal feats. For example, he was able to complete a 100 mile run with both of his feet broken. On top of this, at the 70th mile, he was unable to walk 20 meters to the toilet so resulted in peeing blood down his leg. Regardless of this, he still completed the race. This embedded into my mind how minor my current problems were and how much of a mental game everything was.

I wrote this blog to explain how extreme discipline rewires our brains in many beneficial ways so that we become better in the long term and armor our mind just like David.

Modern Psyops

In Today’s society, we are bombarded left right and center with dopamine surging activities. However, the dopamine produced is shortly spiked and then falls below baseline; making us dependent and increasing our threshold for tolerance.

Some of these activities include porn, social media, smoking/vaping and general consumerism.

Due to their addictive potential, many feel uneasy when adhering to long, complex tasks instead of short bursts of attention. This is a major issue when it comes to achieving success in a given business space. You want your mind to be sharp and attentive to detail.

The good news is once we detox from these habits, our brain is able to rewire pretty quickly; especially when we utilize certain supplementation and strategies (gone over in detail within our dopamine maximization course). One example would be increasing the level of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity within the brain.

An important thing to note is while detoxing, most people give into those sharp urges that occur. Urges can only overtake you if you give into them or fight them. Simply accept the urge as if it’s a wave rising and then falling. Overtime, the waves will shrink and become flat.

Make the change today and you will see the rewards sooner.

The Science Of Discipline

When you choose to perform a task that requires willpower and delay gratification, an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is exercised; just as a muscle can be trained.

The PFC is responsible for awareness, emotional regulation, executive functions and more. Thus, from discipline, we can rewire our brain to a sharper version of itself ¹ ².

The dopamine system is also rewired well. Over time, the brain associates disciplined actions with positive feelings, creating a reward feedback loop. We can all agree that being addicted to discipline and healthy habits is far better than being addicted to pointless or unhealthy habits.

Another part of the brain, the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC), can grow throughout our lifetime when we perform tasks we do not want to do ³. This goes beyond just discipline, as there has to be an actual resistance in the mind. If you enjoy working out for example, it will not have the same benefit. 

The aMCC has actually been shown to be responsible for the ‘Will To Live' ⁴, signifying its importance.

When I was coming up with this business, I had to go against what I desired immediately; whether it was social media, partying, or just being lazy. It’s fair to say I do feel more fulfilled in life now and more resilient to everyday stressors. You can achieve the same.

Unleash Your Vigor and Conquer Your Limits,

Thomas Muldoon