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 share these in the hope that you might find value in them and have something that resonates with you in your life.
Something that helps. If you have a goal, it is helpful to begin by contemplating and writing down the things you feel will make attaining it difficult. These can be activities that may be tough for you to start or habits/comforts that are challenging to give up or stay consistent with. It could also be trepidation about trying something new, perceived lack of resources, or any number of other things. Once you have created that list, however, understand that it represents your personal barriers to success.
A saying I love is, “the best way to deal with demons that haunt you at night is to turn around and face them.” This applies well here. The things that seem the most daunting and worrisome to you must be faced at some point. If you choose not to do so, you are halfheartedly pursuing whatever you say you wanted. However, if you have the courage to deal with those barriers, you will find that they held much less power over you than you imagined. Once you overcome even a single obstacle that concerns you, you will gain more confidence and drive to keep pushing forward.
Something I’m grateful for. Someone asked me recently if I preferred to work out/train with others or on my own. While many derive great benefit from having a partner to keep them accountable, my preference is to go solo. I began working out at age 15 and since that time have trained alone most of the time for college football, bodybuilding, ultramarathons, and overall health. The reason I prefer to be alone with my training is not because I don’t enjoy being around other people because as an extrovert, I certainly do. Rather, it is what it developed within me over time.
Being responsible for setting forth and achieving certain physical goals taught me structure, accountability, and to rely on discipline rather than feelings. I’ve trained in the middle of the night, early in the morning, in snow, freezing cold, heat, rain, dehydrated, hungry, tired, in pain, and anything else you can imagine. It became a game for me to understand that while I could quit at anytime and no one would know, I could never lie or make excuses to myself. Being my own coach, critic, and motivator gave me confidence that I could overcome anything with the right mindset. This training has also translated well into a greater resilience and ability to deal with tragedies and hardships in my personal life. When you learn to rely upon yourself, you slowly tap into strengths and power you never knew you possessed.
An important concept. I was speaking to a fellow chiropractor recently about a friend within our profession that is incredibly successful. While I really admire this person, the person to whom I was speaking said, “he’s so lucky, that must be nice.” Upon hearing this, I pointed out that our friend started from nothing, worked harder than anyone, spends countless hours working on/for his business, and shows no decrease in work ethic even upon achieving remarkable success. This entire conversation represents a concept I feel is important.
When we see people that have achieved wonderful things, there is a tendency to believe that it has come easy. This is rarely or ever the case, however. When we see a fancy car, thriving business, wonderful relationship, etc., it is the result of what has gone on behind the scenes. We see the trophies but not the sacrifices and work it took to attain them. Having guts, overcoming obstacles, perseverance, critical thinking, and more are what create the successes we desire. Rather than fooling ourselves into thinking others have it better than us, we should simply begin working harder and focusing on what we can do. Contrary to widespread belief, no one has it easy and it is always within our control to create amazing outcomes for ourselves.
Something I notice. As a doctor, coach, and volunteer at church, I speak to many people on a daily and weekly basis. Something that I encounter often are people who can be rattled easily. The weather, things on the news, social media posts, or the smallest negative interaction is enough to get them off track. This happens because they began talking, complaining, and/or focusing on something that is out of their control and unimportant.
It is vital that we be protective of where we direct our time and energy. If we waste it on trivial matters, we are emptying our tank before it can be utilized on more productive areas. The key is to become diligent by maintaining proper perspectives. Anything involving my family, health, faith, or business, I view as worthy of my time and effort. However, if it’s something over which I have no control, I tend to say, “that’s not my fight” and move on to something toward which I can have an impact. By focusing on what matters rather than what doesn’t, you’ll see amazing changes in your quality of life.
Some quotes I Love.
“What you’re not changing, you’re choosing.”
“Anything less than everything is nothing.” – Timothy Loyal Tingelstad