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 important lesson. I’ve been involved in sports my whole life either as a player, coach, or spectator. Something I was always taught and believed in was to never root for injuries (that you caused or otherwise) and always play as hard as possible within the rules. In other words, you never want to win just because the opposing team lost a talented player due to injury. Likewise, you don’t want to win because you cheated. Violating either of these precepts means you are acting in a way you shouldn’t and are subject to bad karma as a result. This applies to more than just sports too.
Whether politically, in business, with those that don’t share your beliefs, etc., all you should desire is a fair shot to present your case and/or compete. You want to win based solely on merit, rather than another person being struck by unfortunate or intentional circumstances. Not only does this make for a clear conscience and sound morals, but it also creates a greater feeling of satisfaction if/when you do win.
An analogy I like. As a chiropractor, people visit me daily with back or neck pain, headaches, migraines, sciatica, shooting pains, and more. These are common conditions that a chiropractor can treat so people feel confident that I can assist them. Would they also want my help to fix a transmission, repair their roof, or tend to a plumbing emergency? Trust me, they would not. It seems foolish in this context to even consider turning to someone that specializes in spines to assist with home repairs, yet we do this sort of thing all the time.
When things go wrong in our life, as humans we often seek the incorrect things. For example, we pursue alcohol, drugs, food, distractions, inappropriate relationships, seek attention, and more. What we should turn to are our most trusted friends/loved ones, therapy, church, exercise, better habits, and other positive avenues. There is a tendency to overcomplicate things within our minds and that causes us to drift away from what would be effective. The most legitimate solutions are always those that directly address the issues rather than masking them or making them worse.
Something being a chiropractor has taught me. As a chiropractor in solo practice, I am personally responsible for helping my patients get well. Though there are variables that can affect outcomes such as type of injury, severity, previous damage, etc.; people hold me accountable for whether I help them. To deal with that pressure, I have had to learn quite a bit.
Specifically, my career has taught me the importance of being attentive, maintaining focus, doing my best at each interaction, and then letting the results speak for themselves. When it goes well and as expected, I am pleased but don’t let it go to my head. In cases where I am unable to help as desired, it bums me out, but I take solace in the fact that I did all I could to help someone. Being personally responsible for outcomes at work has also made me bolder in life. I am unafraid to attempt new and/or challenging things knowing that if I give it my best, I can live with success or failure.
Something to work on. I am the father of four children, two teenagers and two kids six and under. As a result, I have seen kids growing up and changing for many years now. Something that always interests me is that children will be very into things for a long time, then suddenly give them up forever. For example, toys can be all they care about for years, then one day, they’ll never pick them up again. This is expected as we discover things that are more age appropriate and require our time and attention. What struck me recently is that while we have no trouble giving up our childhood hobbies and interests, it can often be challenging to let go of some of our childhood behaviors and habits.
I am a grown, married man that runs businesses, coaches, raises children, and much more. That said, I am not immune to having my feelings hurt or getting mad and then going off by myself to pout and get all up in my head like I did as a kid. Most times, I am initially unaware I’m doing this until I catch myself and realize I’m being a baby. Now, if this happens, I make myself do something more constructive such as exercise, listen to something motivational, read my Bible, or just suck it up and move on. It’s easy to lose our childhood forms of fun but takes more work to leave behind old behaviors. Consider whether some of your actions may be child-like and should be given up like old toys.
Some quotes I Love.
“The common people want hope. Men want the truth.” – Jake Zweig
“People love the feeling of being motivated, but they don’t like putting in the work to do something about the feeling.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
“You only need 3 things to win. The balls to start. The brain to learn. The heart to never quit. Good news, you already have all three.” – Alex Hormozi
“Don’t cry about having a lot on your plate, when your goal was to eat.” – Steven Mandac