Overweight and depressed at age 24, Goggins transformed his life (and got ready for Navy SEAL training) by taking control of his future despite the wrongs done to him in the past. Becoming personally accountable and reframing abuses became the foundation of his “Mental Lab,” his metaphor for the mental training he advocates to the reader. Early influences on the concept appear in his childhood memories, and he continues applying the process throughout the post-military projects the memoir details.

In Chapter 1, Goggins reveals that his personal metamorphosis, military career, racing feats, and literary success are rooted in personal accountability. Without it, he would have continued to use his childhood traumas as a “get-out-of-jail-free card” (30). Goggins explains that being hurt by others’ actions can lead to a sense of entitlement, the feeling of deserving ease in life because of underserved past suffering. This type of thinking, he argues, breeds laziness and weakness. Realizing this at age 24, Goggins decided that although the abuse and racism of his childhood were not his fault, only he could take responsibility for his future. He calls this choosing resilience.

Goggins sees the pitfalls of entitlement in parenting styles that shield children from discomfort.