Learn, Share, Grow - How to Build Extreme Willpower

Below is a lesson from Dr. Andrew Huberman on building willpower from discomfort, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

How to Build Extreme Willpower

David Goggins & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Watch on YouTube Here.

Key Learnings:

• Willpower is a physical brain capacity.
  The anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) is a real brain structure linked to willpower, persistence, and possibly the “will to live.”

• Doing what you don’t want to do grows willpower.
  The aMCC grows specifically when you do hard things you actively resist—not just effort, but unwanted effort.

• Enjoyable effort does not build willpower.
  If you like the activity (e.g., exercise you enjoy, cold exposure you look forward to), the aMCC does not grow.

• Friction is the key ingredient.
  Discomfort, resistance, and “the suck” are the mechanisms that strengthen this brain area—not hacks, optimization, or motivation tricks.

• Willpower must be renewed daily.
  The aMCC can grow quickly but also shrinks if you stop doing difficult, unwanted tasks. Consistency matters more than intensity.

• Athletes, long-lived people, and those who overcome adversity tend to have larger or preserved aMCCs.
  This suggests a strong link between sustained challenge, resilience, and longevity.

• Avoidance weakens the will.
  Completing something hard once does not confer lasting strength if you avoid similar challenges afterward.

• There are no shortcuts or hacks.
  Saunas, protocols, and optimization tools are secondary; real growth comes from repeated exposure to difficulty.

• Identity is built through repeated self-confrontation.
  Purpose, confidence, and peace emerge from repeatedly facing discomfort and choosing action anyway.

• It is always “you vs. you.”
  The core work is internal—engaging the daily mental conversation and choosing effort despite resistance.