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.
A mantra I’ve used for years. As a kid, I remember watching boxing with my dad and seeing many of the greatest matchups ever. As the fighters arrived in the ring, the announcers would often comment on whether a guy looked as if he trained hard and showed up in great shape or hadn’t. Even at a youthful age, I remember wondering why someone fighting for money in front of millions of people wouldn’t want to get in great shape. I read comic books and watched He-Man and that was enough for me to want to be in good shape, why wouldn’t these grown men want to as well?
Whenever I have a race, a goal, a milestone in business, or anything else I want to reach, I tell myself as I prepare, “Show up in shape.” This is how I remind myself to pursue whatever I must physically, mentally, or organizationally to be ready to capitalize on an opportunity. Does it guarantee my success? Of course not, but at least I won’t ever feel embarrassed or regretful that I could have done more to help myself but didn’t. There is great honor in this for me. I don’t know what goal you may have in mind, but whatever it is, show up in shape for it.
An analogy I heard and loved. Recently, I heard someone use an analogy of cutting down a large tree. If you strike it with an axe one thousand times in various places, nothing will happen. However, if you were to hit it in the same spot one thousand times, you could chop it down. This exact principle has major application to life.
Your greatest successes in life are not going to be random actions that somehow produce amazing results. Rather, they are likely to be solid behaviors that you repeat time and again. Eating well, exercising frequently, sound business practices, good behavior, and more, can all transform your life for example. If you were to do those things only sporadically, the same could not be said. When it comes to attaining a goal, consistency is your greatest ally.
Something I like to do. Before I see my first patient each day, I make a notation of how many people are on my schedule. Each time someone calls in or stops by for an appointment that was not on my schedule, I keep track of it on a piece of paper at my desk. There are days when my schedule grows by 10, 20 or 30 people above what my day began with. This makes for some exhausting days, but I love and welcome it.
The reason I still track these appointments as I do after nineteen years of chiropractic practice is gratitude. Early in my career, I can recall questioning if I could even make it in chiropractic. There were countless days where I’d see only a handful of people, or even none. I had much to give but no one to give it to, and wished so badly that the phone would ring, or people would see me. Those were tough times that affected my confidence and sense of worth. Recording call-in appointments is my uncomplicated way of being thankful that so many people now trust me to help them. It also serves as a reminder of how far I have come and to always remain humble over the blessings I’ve received. I recommend finding something similar you can do each day to remind yourself of how far you’ve come and to be thankful.
Something I believe. We all have things in life we want to attain and achieve. It could be in our careers, personal lives, relationships, athletics, finances, or any number of others. Life is certain to have a way of challenging you as you try to attain those goals. My personal belief is that not only will you be tested, but you will be tested early and often. Things will go wrong, crazy stuff will occur, all the haters will come out, and you will develop serious doubts.
When you are beginning a journey toward anything meaningful, the first roadblocks are often the worst. You haven’t yet come that far so it’s easy to give up and use the excuse that you tried but it wasn’t meant to be. That is why I believe overcoming the first hurdles in any endeavor is crucial. No one wants to quit a race when the finish line is close. Thus, the trick is to remain steadfast and hang in long enough to be able to at least glimpse the fulfillment of your goal. My belief is that this is a process for weeding out quitters and those who say they want something but aren’t willing to pay the price.
Some quotes I Love.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen.” – Alan Watts
“No one rises to low expectations.” – Les Brown
“Don’t say, ‘If I could, l would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’” – Jim Rohn