In his new book, Never Finished, David Goggins says that the first freezing wave that hit him in Hell Week almost sent him home:
“I was a half-step from voluntarily pulling the plug on a dream that had the power to change the course of my entire life.”
Enter the power of the breath:
“In order to think clearly, I needed oxygen. I took a deep breath. And then another. … I took another breath, as the next big wave swelled … I was done showing weakness. I was finished with fear.”
He goes on to say:
“When I was teetering on the brink, I was able to physically calm myself down with a few deep breaths, and that helped me see through the adrenaline rush. My heart rate was still elevated, and panic continued to creep in, but I’d regained enough of my composure to make a conscious, one-second decision to stay in the fight.”
That’s a powerful reminder that, whatever challenging life event we’re going through, our breath is always there—not to make it go away, but to help us align with our highest self and make that one-second decision to stay in the fight.
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P.S. I’m listening to the audio version, so the quotes are my best attempt at transcription based on how it’s narrated.