Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays, I like to share experiences from my week—both with patients and in my personal life—that have left a meaningful impact. My hope is that these reflections offer you something of value, a bit of insight or encouragement that resonates with your own journey and inspires you in some way.
Something I’ve noticed. Through years of endurance races and grueling physical challenges, I can tell you that the body is rarely the first thing to fail, the mind is. I’ve spent hours and sometimes days pushing through fatigue, discomfort, and moments that would make most people want to stop. In those situations, one pattern becomes clear. The people who give in are not always the least prepared or least talented. They are often the ones who convince themselves that the pain they feel right now is permanent. When a tough stretch is viewed as endless, it becomes overwhelming. The mind magnifies discomfort, hope disappears, and quitting feels like relief.
On the other hand, the people who persevere share a different trait. They believe the moment will pass and search for the smallest wins to keep them going. A steady breath, a short downhill, a quick sip of water, or any small positive is sufficient to fuel the next step. Not obsessing over how far remains, only what is right in front of them is crucial. This mindset is powerful far beyond racing. In life, business, athletics, and relationships, circumstances are temporary far more often than they feel. In my younger years, I was wired to want out when things got hard. However, learning to find gratitude in the middle of discomfort transformed my outlook on races and life. When you believe the struggle is temporary and choose to see even a sliver of good, quitting ceases to ever be an option.
A good reminder. My five-year-old daughter has always tagged along on her seven-year-old brother’s flag football teams, just wanting to be a part of his world. This season, though, she asked me to step into hers and coach her soccer team. The only problem? I don’t follow soccer. Nor do I know the rules, teams, or the leagues. Thus, it would be easy to say, “That’s not really my thing.” Instead, I’m channeling my inner Ted Lasso and giving it a shot. There’s a powerful lesson here in this simple scenario – sometimes leadership is more about presence than expertise.
When it comes to your own interests, it’s perfectly fine to be selective. You don’t have to love every hobby, sport, or style of music. However, that equation changes when it involves the handful of people who matter most to you. If something is important to them, it should matter to you. Supporting the positive passions of your spouse, child, or close friend may stretch you or even make you uncomfortable. That’s okay. Showing up isn’t about convenience; it’s about commitment. The strongest relationships aren’t built on shared preferences alone, they’re solidified when we step into someone else’s world and say, “If it matters to you then it matters to me.”
An important concept. Think about the last time you plugged a long road trip into your phone’s map app. You were probably given a few route options — maybe one that saved five minutes or another that avoided traffic. However, have you ever seen one that magically cut three hours off the drive? Of course not. Shortcuts can make you more efficient, but they don’t eliminate the distance between where you are and where you’re going. The same principle applies to life. There are better routes, smarter strategies, and ways to avoid unnecessary detours — but there is no road that removes the miles altogether.
The culture in which we live is obsessed with overnight success. We want wealth without years of financial discipline, fitness without consistent training, and confidence without becoming competent. As a result, we search for “hacks” and expect them to be miracles. The truth is that improvement can be optimized but not bypassed. Whether your goal is a bigger bank account, a stronger body, deeper relationships, or greater impact, the formula still requires time, effort, and consistency. Choose the smartest route you can and one that allows you to learn, adjust, and improve more easily. Hopefully, you’ll find a few small shortcuts on your journey, but realize success still requires the drive.
A great lesson. When I played college football as a wide receiver, our position coach had one rule he enforced louder than any other: never take a play off. If we didn’t hustle downfield to block when the ball went elsewhere, he would scream at us. However, if we sprinted to help a teammate spring a big gain, he praised us just as loudly. His message was that just because you’re not catching the ball doesn’t mean you’re not part of the play. At the time, it felt like a football lesson. Looking back, it was a life lesson. You don’t have to be in the spotlight or have everything revolve around you to make an impact, but you do have to choose to engage.
It’s easy to become self-absorbed when things aren’t going our way. We pout, complain, and focus inward. The fastest way I’ve found to break that cycle is to help someone else. A small act of service, a word of encouragement, or stepping in where you’re needed shifts your perspective immediately. When you contribute, others benefit and you do as well. It pulls you out of your own head and reminds you that the world is bigger than your current frustration. My old receivers coach had it right: don’t stand around waiting for the ball. Start hustling and find someone to help. That’s a strong recipe to succeed in football but even more so in life.
Some quotes I Love.
“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great” – Les Brown
“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today”. – Jordan Peterson