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.
A cool viewpoint. Something I recently heard from a patient stuck with me. He was describing an opportunity that came his way that would push him outside his comfort zone and require significant effort. Despite the uncertainty, he decided to accept it. What helped him make the decision was imagining how his younger self would view the choice. He told me that turning it down would have felt like an insult to the dreams and ambitions he once had. That perspective resonated with me because it reminds us that before life became complicated, most of us had a very clear vision of the type of person we wanted to become.
When I think about whether my actions align with that earlier version of myself, I ask three simple questions: Am I being strong? Am I acting with principle? Can I be proud of this decision? If the answer to all three is yes, then I know I’m moving in the right direction regardless of outcome. Those questions help remove ego, emotion, and short-term thinking from the equation, replacing them with clarity and character. Our younger selves often believed in courage, integrity, and effort before doubt and convenience crept in. If the person you once were would be proud of the way you’re living today, keep going. If not, it may be time to start making the choices that would earn their respect.
Something I’ve learned. Throughout my years in business, I have discovered that results rarely move in a straight line. As a chiropractor, there are days when my schedule is completely full and everything feels like it’s clicking, and there are others that are slower than I’d like. Early in my career, I allowed those fluctuations to control how I felt about myself. When things were busy, I felt confident and successful. When they weren’t, I questioned my value and ability. Over time, I realized that tying my self-worth to daily outcomes was neither healthy nor realistic. Business, and life, naturally moves through cycles, and expecting every day to be better than the last is setting yourself up for unnecessary frustration.
What I eventually learned to focus on instead were the things I can control such as my intentions, my effort, and my processes. If my motivations are genuine, I’m working hard, and I’m consistently doing the right things, then progress will follow over time. The outcomes of any single day, week, or season are far less predictable, but that’s simply part of the journey. Some periods will bring easy success while others may feel stagnant, but both are temporary. One quote that helps keep this perspective is, “Don’t let a win go to your head or a loss to your heart.” When we focus on becoming the best version of ourselves rather than chasing validation from short-term results, we build resilience that carries us through both the highs and the lows.
An analogy I like. I’m notoriously bad at hearing song lyrics correctly, and it’s not uncommon for me to discover that words I’ve been confidently singing for years are completely wrong. What’s funny is that once I finally learn the real lyrics, it suddenly seems obvious. I feel foolish and can’t believe I ever heard it differently. From that moment on, it’s almost impossible to go back and sing it the wrong way again. This is because once the truth becomes clear, the old misunderstanding no longer makes sense. In a strange way, that experience mirrors how learning and growth often happen in life.
Life is essentially one long learning curve. Just like misheard lyrics, most of us begin with incomplete or incorrect information about things like relationships, health, business, parenting, and countless other areas. There’s no shame in that because none of us start with perfect knowledge. What truly matters is what we do once we realize we were mistaken. The first step is humility and being willing to admit we didn’t have it right. The second is applying what we’ve learned in a constructive way. The final step is consistency in our actions and refusing to slip back into old habits once we know better. Growth requires a willingness to laugh at our former misunderstandings and move forward wiser than we were previously.
A great lesson. Early in my career I would regularly attend seminars with my boss and chiropractic mentor. I would leave those weekends energized, full of ideas, and excited about everything I had heard. One time on the drive home after a particularly inspiring seminar, I was sharing all the things I wanted to try when he stopped me and asked a simple question: “What is the one thing you will implement tomorrow?” He explained that excitement by itself doesn’t create change. Inspiration fades quickly if it isn’t followed by action. That moment stuck with me because I realized how often I had left those events feeling motivated, only to return to my normal routine a few days later without actually doing anything differently.
From that point forward, I began focusing on what I call “action steps.” Whenever I learn something new, feel inspired, or come up with an idea, I force myself to identify one small thing I can implement immediately. It might be adjusting something in my training, improving a habit in my diet, trying a new strategy in business, or approaching a challenge differently. The goal isn’t to create perfection overnight, it’s to act while motivation is still strong. Over time, I’ve found that taking even one small step often leads to another, and then another, eventually turning a moment of inspiration into real progress. If you want to grow in any area of your life, don’t wait until you have the entire plan figured out. Start with one action step and let momentum build from there.
Some quotes I Love.
“Anything worth having is worth striving for with all your might” – John C. Maxwell
“Hard times don’t last forever. There are only three outcomes: 1. You quit. 2. It gets easier. 3. You get better. But no matter what, they end.” – Alex Hormozi