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 great lesson. When I played football in high school and college, our coaches constantly reminded us that once the season started, we probably wouldn’t feel 100% healthy again until it was over. There would be bumps, bruises, nagging injuries, and fatigue but we still had to find a way to play our best. Life works the same way. The days when you feel completely rested, motivated, prepared, and free of problems are unfortunately few and far between. That is why “your best” doesn’t require you to feel your best.
Things will break, plans will change, problems will catch you off guard, and opportunities will arrive when you don’t feel ready. If something truly matters, you must learn to make progress anyway. Maybe that means getting up earlier, putting in more time, adjusting the plan, or simply doing the best you can with what you have that day. Waiting for ideal conditions is usually just another way of stalling. Life, just like football, will sometimes require you to play at a high level even when you don’t feel your best.
Something important. A “proof of concept” is simply evidence that something can work. An example would be a business that has created a product or service that is attractive to the general public. I think we all have this in our own lives. We all have something we’re really good at such as a career, sport, hobby, relationship, or skill. Furthermore, the chances are that we’re good at it for a reason. We care, we show up, we work hard, we keep learning, and we don’t quit when life gets difficult. Our success is proof of what we’re capable of.
The challenge is applying those same principles to the areas where we struggle. That’s where we procrastinate, make excuses, lower our standards, or tell ourselves we’re just “not good at it.” However, you don’t need a new personality or some magical burst of motivation to make strides in those areas. You already know how to be disciplined, focused, and persistent because you’ve proven it somewhere else. Take the formula that works in one area of your life and then apply it to another because it is your personal proof of concept.
Something I do. I’ve been coaching football for over a decade now and have added soccer as well. Though I am fully aware that these are youth sports, I take my role seriously. I spend a lot of time designing plays, creating strategies, figuring out how to use each player’s strengths, and thinking about how I can be a better leader. I prepare far more than I probably need to, but I love it. This reminds me of something that applies far beyond coaching – when something matters to you, go the extra mile.
Could I get away with doing less? Absolutely. However, that’s not the standard I want to live by. Whether I’m coaching, being a husband and father, caring for patients, or running my business, I want to know I gave it my best. Going the extra mile doesn’t guarantee success, but over time, that extra effort compounds into confidence, competence, trust, and results. That’s why it’s crucial to ask yourself where you might be able to do a little more. Sometimes the difference between good and great isn’t talent, it’s simply being willing to do what others aren’t.
A great reminder. Over the last few weeks, I’ve gotten back into riding my trail bike, but I noticed myself avoiding some of the bigger hills. These are trails I used to run in every kind of weather while training for ultramarathons, yet suddenly I was choosing the easier route because of their difficulty. That’s when my “inner wimp alarm” went off. We all have this voice which is the one that says we’re too tired to exercise, study, play with our kids, tackle the hill, or do the hard thing. The problem is, every time we listen to it, we make it a little easier to do so again.
When I hear that voice telling me to do less, I try to answer it with decisive action. In this case, I did multiple 30-mile rides loaded with hills, and pretty quickly the climbs I’d been avoiding didn’t seem so intimidating anymore. The important lesson is that what feels difficult is often relative to what we’ve recently been willing to do. Sometimes the best way to reset your standard is to deliberately do something harder. If your inner wimp has been getting a little too loud lately, don’t debate with it, give yourself some evidence that you’re capable of more.
Some quotes I Love.
“A leader is great not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others.” – John Maxwell
“How you do anything is how you do everything.”
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