Reach Into Your Cookie Jar for Motivation
The Cookie Jar concept was introduced to me by David Goggins in his book, “Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.” Goggins is an ultramarathon runner, triathlete, motivational speaker, and retired US Navy seal. He may be one of the craziest humans on this earth and I mean that as a compliment.
Goggins developed this idea of the Cookie Jar to help remind himself of all the obstacles he overcame in the past during difficult times. He said, “Do you know what goes through your mind when your goal is to run 200 miles and you’re at mile 100? You’re at mile 100. You ran over 24 hours, and your body is broken… destroyed. You have nothing left and you have 100+ more miles to go. How do you find more?”
This is when you reach into the cookie jar. This jar is full of all the things that caused suffering or pain, but you overcame. Each one of us has a cookie jar. It gets more and more full as we get older because life isn’t easy. But you can use all these experiences as reminders for any difficult times to come. I’m sorry for all those who thought that cookies (the baked good) were somehow involved in this.
REACHING INTO MY OWN COOKIE JAR
I applied this technique (before I knew about it) when I was climbing Cotopaxi, one of the world’s highest active volcanoes standing at 19,347 ft. It was September 4, 2018 around 11pm and I got my wake up call to gear up. When the clock turned to midnight, the guide and I began our climb from 15,960 ft to 19,347 ft on this glacier for a painful seven hours. We were faced with harsh conditions, including sub zero temperatures that made any exposed skin vulnerable and 30-40 mph wind gusts that would knock me down to my knees a couple feet away from deep crevasses. Some other groups had to turn around due to the tough conditions, but we kept going.
As we climbed closer to the summit, the oxygen got thinner and thinner. All physical challenges turned into mental challenges as each step became more demanding. This is when I reached into my cookie jar and remembered that I climbed Kilimanjaro (19,342 ft) in 2017 under worse conditions.
Kilimanjaro was a different story. The weather was actually picture perfect on the summit. It was my physical body that was really beat up. About 10 hours before starting our Kilimanjaro summit, I was hit with a stomach bug. I had diarrhea, nausea, chills, and body aches. As we approached midnight (the start of our summit climb) I was able to move, but my body had zero energy. Despite this, I proceeded to endure a grueling nine hour climb to the summit. It was the hardest physical and mental thing I ever had to do.
Thinking about Kilimanjaro helped me climb Cotopaxi. These sort of hardships become a mental game. So next time you are face with some obstacle or challenge, just reach into your cookie jar.
Hi there!
My name is Freddy Aguero and I’m the Founder & President of Zero Boundaries LLC. I started this company with a mission to guide individuals towards a healthier lifestyle of the body and mind through personalized coaching in movement, nutrition, and recovery. I absolutely love having a positive impact on people’s lives and I hope I’ve been able to make at least a small contribution to yours.
I work with driven and committed individuals who are looking to decrease body fat, increase muscle mass, or increase endurance/energy levels. If you fall into this category and want to get results then contact me to brainstorm how I can help.
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