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.
Something that I found important. Eric Thomas is one of my favorite speakers and I heard him use an analogy this week about roots, branches, and leaves. Roots are the most important part of any tree and the hardest to grow. For people, our roots are our principles, behaviors, and actions. Branches and leaves on the other hand are noticed more, easier to grow, but far less important to the overall integrity of a tree. His belief is that our society puts a premium on worrying about our own leaves and branches while ignoring the roots. I have found this to be true as well.
When we are not grounded properly, we squander opportunities. We ruin relationships, finances, and anything we touch. Often, this is a result of paying attention to trivial or superficial things. The work it takes to grow strong roots is often difficult and not glamorous but vital to a good life. When I was younger, I focused only on my leaves and branches, was insecure, and my life was often in turmoil. Later, my roots were grown by facing my insecurities, doubling down on my strengths, addressing my weaknesses, accepting failures that occurred, and being brutally honest with who I was. That created a much happier and more consistent life for me. Build your roots, and the leaves and branches will take care of themselves.
A great reminder. I was speaking to a fellow chiropractor recently that is struggling to build their practice. They mentioned it was “inconvenient” for them to see multiple new patients in a day and that they sometimes didn’t like to see too many people in a certain window of time. This was confusing to me. I asked how they ever expected to see the amount of people necessary to grow a business if it was “inconvenient” for them to do so. I pointed out that if their goal really is to build a thriving practice, they would have to make the time to see those patients regardless of whether it was the perfect time or not.
This type of attitude is common. We want the big goal, but not the discomfort that comes with it. Whether it’s business, weight loss, improved fitness, better finances, or anything else, you will have to grind for it. The path to success is never going to feel perfect, comfortable, or easy. Much of it will require our best efforts at a time when we least feel like giving them. The litmus test of how badly you want to achieve a goal is whether you are willing to go the extra mile when it’s most challenging and least convenient to do so.
Something I believe. My family and I stopped at Smash Burger a couple of weeks ago after a football game. It’s a fast casual place, and the young man bringing the orders to the tables looked barely old enough to work there. As we waited for our food, I was impressed with how he operated in such a busy environment. He was hustling and working extremely hard, all while remaining calm and being nice to everyone he encountered.
I told my family that if I had a business that needed it, I would hire him in a second and they asked why. My thinking is that work ethic and grace under pressure while in a busy or stressful environment are rare qualities. If you possess those simple traits, you can handle anything. I’m certain that kid was not getting rich doing that job, but he was giving it all he had regardless. I am someone that believes how you do anything is how you’ll do everything, and it was great to see someone exemplifying that.
Something sports has taught me. There is a common phrase in sports that states “You want to maximize your minutes.” The meaning is that whether you are a starter or bench player receiving three plays per game, you want to show your best when called upon. By doing so, the hope is that those minutes will turn into more playing time, an expanded role, and greater chance for success. I believe this to be true in life as well.
We only get so many opportunities in business, relationships, and everything else. Thus, we need to be ready when our chances arise. I believe the best way to prepare for those times is through a combination of hard work, discipline, routine, commitment to processes, and a positive attitude. If we faithfully pursue those areas, we are creating a better version of ourselves daily. Then, when we can “get some minutes”, we are able to take full advantage.
Some quotes I Love.
“Kindness is loaning someone your strength rather than reminding them of their weakness.” – Mark Mero
“One of the few things that can’t be recycled is wasted time.” – Sean Covey
“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and act without asking questions.” – Primo Levi
“Empathy without boundaries is self-destruction.” – Silvy Khoucasian