Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays I like to share experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant. I like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.
An analogy I like. I remember playing a football game in college in terrible weather. It was pouring rain, and the field was complete mud. As a backup, I spent a sizable portion of the game standing and shivering on the sideline wearing a rain jacket. Finally, I got put in the game and entered the huddle wearing a pristinely white uniform while my fellow teammates were covered in grime. They laughed at me, used my jersey to wipe their hands, and suggested I make sure to give it all I had and get as dirty as possible for the rest of the game. I remember doing just that and thinking how much more fun it was to be filthy and playing than clean and not. When I think of this story, it reminds me of an important principle of life.
When you are engaged in the battle of life and striving to improve, it will not always be pretty. It’s likely to be difficult, uncomfortable, painful, and ugly at times. As unappealing as that may seem, it is a far greater option than the alternative. To me, there is nothing worse than standing on the sideline of life, doing nothing, and watching others do things of which I am capable. I’ll take hardships, failure, and embarrassment that eventually makes my life better over comfortable times that lead me nowhere any day. If your life is in a difficult place, take comfort in the fact that you are still in the fight with a chance to succeed.
Something that helps me. For over a week, I have been doing ice baths again (after a long hiatus). I have a portable tank that I leave covered outside, and this time of year it stays at about 33 degrees. In fact, I must break the ice each morning to even get into it. The baths help me in terms of inflammation, hormone function, and more but that’s not why I do it. The reason I put myself into that frigid water each morning is that I hate it, and it scares me. In fact, I had a couple instances this week where I wimped out multiple times before finally taking the plunge.
My goal with these ice baths is to purposely make myself uncomfortable and present a mental and physical challenge to overcome. When it’s pitch black, the temperature is in the teens, and I am standing in front of a tub of frigid ice water wearing only shorts, going in is the last thing I want to do in the world. However, forcing myself to do it has a way of callousing my mind. The shock of the cold gets slightly easier to endure each day and I find myself feeling stronger, more energetic, and ready to take on whatever the day holds. Whether spending time in freezing water, running great distances, building a business, or doing other hard things; it won’t be fun. However, getting comfortable being uncomfortable repeatedly (whatever they may be for you) leaves us stronger, more resilient, and motivated.
Something I heard and loved. I was listening to a motivational video this week and heard something that struck me. The speaker used the phrase, “rest at the end, not in the middle.” Though this is an incredibly simple statement, I find it to be vital.
Pursuing our best efforts in anything requires dedication and consistency. This is true in our jobs, relationships, fitness, and everything else. As we set out on the path to greater achievement, we are certain to face challenges and hardships. When this occurs, we tend to want to stop. We tell ourselves we’re overwhelmed, exhausted, and/or need to rest. However, these breaks tend to halt our progress rather than promote it. For this reason, I feel that when we are going through our toughest times and want to stop, that is precisely when we should press forward even harder. Doing so leads to the greatest periods of growth and empowers us to go past our previous sticking points and see things through to their successful completion. Resting once we have accomplished our goals is more effective, satisfying, and beneficial than stopping and resting could ever be.
Something I believe. With it being January and the time for resolutions, I’ve seen lots of “New year, new me” posts on social media. While I am by no means a hater, always positive, and hopeful this will be the case, my experience tells me this is unlikely.
When people talk a lot about what they want to do, they tend to do extraordinarily little. For some, declaring their intentions can be motivational, but for most it’s only false bravado. I’ve encountered lots of people talking a big game in business, fitness, etc. only to never hear from them again. What I have found to be effective is what I call the “quiet professional approach.” This is for people who decide to make changes and then very quietly and humbly begin taking steps to make them reality. They are motivated more by the process and benefits than adulation or attention. You will not hear much from people like this but at some point, you may encounter them and be astounded at their progress. If you want to be a new you in this new year, I recommend just getting to work focusing on daily progress rather than worrying about who knows it.
Some quotes I Love.
“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried but you’ve actually been planted.” – Christine Caine
“That’s the power of genuinely good men. Their goodness and bravery make demands of other men, unequivocal demands that tolerate no excuses.” – John Deacon, from the book “Kip”
“Farmers don’t wait for perfect weather before they plant. Writers don’t wait for the perfect words before they write. Entrepreneurs don’t wait for the perfect business plan before they start. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Fire. Ready. Aim.” – Joe De Sena
“Perception is how we see and understand what occurs around us and what we decide these events will mean. Our perception can be a source of strength or great weakness.” – Inky Johnson