In a brief Introduction, Goggins sets out the purpose of the book: to convey his life story and the lessons he has learned in acquiring the practices, habits, and mindsets needed to transform his life. By his own assessment, Goggins was once “the weakest piece of shit on the planet” (6). This story is of his transformation into a warrior, one who defies the odds and frequently achieves what most people think is impossible. Part of his success, he writes, entails ditching the “victim mentality” and accepting responsibility for his own life. Goggins writes that he had good reasons for accepting that mentality. His life was hard and filled with adversities. Yet, living as a victim held him back from his goals.

He writes that he is not providing pep talks or doing motivational work. “Motivation,” he writes, “is crap” (6). This will be a fundamental theme of the book. Goggins believes that motivation is fleeting and insubstantial. The purpose of his book is to instill drive, which is deep-seated and ingrained in the psyche of the driven individual. He writes that he “sought out pain” and “fell in love with suffering” (6). In other words, he so utterly transformed his mindset that he actively pursued the kinds of challenges that others perform only when they feel motivated.