Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays I like to share some of the experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant in some way. 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 question. Whether for my businesses, upcoming races, fatherhood, or life in general, a question I find valuable is “How do I not want to lose?” There is no way to control every variable in anything, so this question helps me control what I can.
For example, when it comes to an upcoming race, the way I never want to lose, is to show up out of shape wishing I’d put more time and effort into my training. Therefore, I make sure to train hard and consistently. As a chiropractor, the way I don’t want to lose is through poor business practices and/or not giving my patients my full energy and focus on every visit. To avoid these, I run the business of my office well, while being present and focusing on each individual patient and giving them my full attention. Decide how you don’t want to lose, and it’ll help you make the right decisions.
A valuable lesson I’ve learned. When I’ve run many of my tougher races, I am often exerting myself for over 24 hours straight. As you can imagine, this means that my body takes a pounding and as the race progresses, my body regresses. Over time, this has taught me a great deal of critical thinking skills.
What I have learned, is to assess where I’m at, and make plans accordingly. As an example, if I’m running a 100-mile race and can no longer run straight through without stopping I might opt to power hike hills, run downhills, and do a mixture of walk/run on flat ground. Rather than feel sorry for myself and start generating excuses, I ask myself what is still working for me and accentuate that positive. I know this is an effective strategy because it has gotten me through many tough spots. In addition, there are often instances where I adopt a strategy like this and rally and get stronger later. Whatever goal you’re after, assessing what things are still producing satisfactory results and relying upon them is helpful.
A thought on principles. I’ve had several recent conversations with people about principles. The common theme among these conversations was that each person explained to me one principle they had. After discussing the principle, they explained how had to change their principle based on a current situation. This was interesting to me.
I believe principles should be followed regardless of a current situation. Feelings are variable and can change by the minute, but a principle is meant to be set in stone. A principle is a guiding light to guide your behavior in the toughest of times. It is a map of where you will or will not allow yourself to go. If it changes based on circumstances, I will argue it is not actually a principle. I have heard it said that behind your feelings is nothing, but behind every principle is a promise.
Something I believe. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, we will not all get the same outcomes in a certain endeavor. What we can control is our effort.
I believe strongly that a lack of effort is an insult. This pertains to business practices, sports teams, marriages, personal goals, or any number of things. Lack of effort is a signal that you do not care. It is also dangerous because it can become a habit and permeate into other areas. Always seek to put forth as much as you can. This is how you honor yourself and those around you.
Some quotes I love.
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” – Frederick M. Alexander
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” – George Washington
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” – Confucius
“God doesn’t call us to be successful; he calls us to be significant.” – Tom Ziglar
Want more?
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