“SITUATION: Your horizons have been limited by societal and self-imposed barriers. MISSION: Fight through resistance. Seek unknown territory. Redefine what’s possible.”

The book opens with a mock Warning Order, a military notice of an impending action, which frames the reader’s experience with Never Finished as a mission—one requiring hard work but promising big results. The use of military terminology highlights Goggins’s decorated military service, which lends him credibility as an instructor in self-improvement. Likewise, he signs the order with his name and rank.

“My voice cracked again. I couldn’t hold back the flood any longer. I closed my eyes and sobbed. Like a dream that only lasts seconds yet feels like hours, time stretched out and scenes from the ultimate turning point in my life—the last time I ever saw my father—colonized my mind. If I hadn’t taken that trip, you’d never have heard of me.”

In Chapter 1, Goggins receives the VFW’s Americanism Award for his patriotism. During his speech, he recalls the moment that sparked his transformation from an overweight, depressed 24-year-old to the honored military veteran behind the podium. Though occurring later in time, his sobbing narratively foreshadows the flashback that follows, creating intrigue. Likewise, his choice of words underscores the coming episode’s significance; he calls the event “the ultimate turning point” and says it is the only reason he is renowned (22).

“I’d been hoping that everything I’d believed all those years was true because if Trunnis was indeed the Devil in disguise, that gave me someone to blame, and I was looking for a cop-out. I needed Trunnis to be the flaw in my existence in order to claim the lifetime warranty on my get-out-of-jail-free card.”

At age 24, Goggins was miserable and reached a breaking point. He went to visit his abusive father for the first time in 12 years. During the visit, Goggins realized that although his violent childhood was unjust, he could take responsibility for his own future and address his own flaws. His memory of Trunnis as the devil underscores the heinousness of the abuse and thus the magnitude of Goggins’s choice.