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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 I believe.  One of the things I am known for when I coach is being a “hype man.”  I have a unique way of pumping up my team and by the time we take the field, we’re like William Wallace in Braveheart ready to battle.  “Hype” is fun and can raise the level of passion and excitement in any endeavor.  While this is something I love, I am far more passionate about preparation. 

Preparation involves hard work, repetition, practice, discipline, habits, and more.  Done properly, this will accelerate the development of abilities which in turn builds confidence.  Without preparation, no amount of hype or motivation can compensate for it.  That said, when someone has prepared well, hype can go a long way.  Just that little bit extra excitement can make you feel even more certain of your abilities, especially if things become challenging.   Prepare yourself each day as best you can but add in a little hype to fuel your fire as well.

Something to be aware of.  When people get hungry, they often instinctively seek out the quickest forms of food to provide them energy.  These tend to be high in sugar and fat instead of nutrients and solid ingredients.  So rather than healthy proteins and salads for example, your mind tells you to go for candy.  My belief is that this premise applies to more than just food.

Undisciplined minds will always seek out “mental candy.”  These are paths of least resistance and include laziness, poor habits, morally questionable behavior, reduced quality standards, etc.  My method for avoiding mental candy is to shift my focus from how a decision will make me feel in the moment to how it will make me feel later.  For example, eating unhealthy meals, skipping workouts, or quitting activities will only make me feel horrible down the line so I don’t allow myself to do that.   Simply shifting your focus from instant gratification to how it will feel later can give you the power to make far better decisions. 

A great reminder.  My wife and I went out for brunch last weekend.  As we ate, a couple came to the table next to us and told an elderly couple that they paid for their meal.  They said some really nice things, wished them well, and left.  It was very nice to hear.  Later in the weekend, my wife was at a store when a woman told the young man behind the counter that his tattoos would cause him to get cancer.  He was a young kid and my wife said he became visibly upset and hurt by that ridiculous comment.

We all have the potential to be a person that either uplifts or brings down those around us.  Personally, I see no value in being someone who makes people feel terrible.  You never know where someone is at in their journey or what they’re going through.  Sometimes, a simple extra word of praise or support can make a difference.  These interactions over the weekend reminded me that I never want to be the person that leaves somewhere with people feeling worse about themselves because of me.  Instead, my desire is to somehow uplift those around me whenever possible. 

Something I strive for.  One of my favorite feelings in the world is what I like to call an “empty tank.”  To me, this is where I feel like I have exhausted myself as much as possible within a single day.  It involves challenging myself physically, work performance, and the quality of the interactions I have with those I care for most.  If I can maximize those three areas, by the time I go to bed I feel exhausted and satisfied that I did my absolute best that day.  There is no better feeling for me than having an empty tank. 

I would estimate that in each month, I hit this goal only once or twice.  Most days, I must be honest with myself and admit I could have done a bit better in one or multiple areas.  When that is the case, I use it as motivation for the following day.  The point is to set forth a high personal standard.  Doing everything I can each day to empty the tank has truly helped transform the quality of my life over what it once was.

Some quotes I Love.

“There are three solutions to every problem; accept it, change it, or leave it.  If you can’t accept it, change it.  If you can’t change it, leave it.”

“Old keys don’t unlock new doors.”

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 helps me.  I talk often in these 5 Spots about habits I utilize physically, nutritionally, and mentally based on my successes and failures.  One thing that helps me tremendously that I have neglected to ever mention is prayer.  Prayer has become a crucial part of my daily routine, whereas for much of my life that was not the case. 

I pray somewhat formally at times but usually it’s informally as I run, drive, go through my day, or with my wife and children.  I like to talk about what I’m grateful for, request blessings for myself and others, and ask for guidance on issues both large and small.  This gives me comfort and peace more than anything else I do.  It allows me to remain hopeful and positive, keeps me grounded, and gives me strength in my best and worst times. I have no idea what your beliefs are, but I can tell you that especially over the last several years, prayer has evolved into my greatest weapon.

A story I’d like to share with you.  In my last 100-mile race, I suffered multiple injuries to one of my ankles.  At about mile 35, I tripped, twisted it badly for the third time, and fell hard to the ground.  I was dejected, lying in mud with intense pain, and still had 65 miles left to go.  I had an excuse to quit but decided to get up and try to start moving again.  When I did so, I did not feel triumphant and over the next 65 miles I never felt particularly strong or confident.  Many times, I felt embarrassed at how slow I had to go after all the training I’d invested.  After I finished the race, it took 2 weeks for the swelling in my feet and legs to subside, I couldn’t run for over a month, and it took 3 months to regain sensation in two of my toes.    

I share this story because this is what I believe success looks like.  It’s often not pretty, is incredibly difficult, and will be painful at times.  It will boil down to how badly you want it, whether you can keep believing in yourself when things are dire, and your ability to keep moving forward after countless setbacks.  Furthermore, the path to success often will not feel successful.  It will be frustrating and slow going.  However, when you look back, you will understand that what you achieved was earned over time with small victories you hadn’t realized or appreciated in the moment.    

Something I recommend trying.  In weight training, doing one extra repetition that your body is unaccustomed to when muscles are fatigued can create a small amount of muscle growth.  That single extra rep under stress forces the muscle to adapt by becoming stronger.  Done repeatedly, this increases the size, density, and strength of the muscles.  This same premise can be used in any aspect of life. 

If you ate better than you normally do, could you do that for one more meal?  What if you gave your best effort at work and did it again tomorrow?  Maybe you could wake up early, study an hour longer, spend extra time with a loved one, or do something positive one more time?  Deciding to go/try one more time is a simple goal but an important one.  If you can stack “one mores” they cumulatively become something greater.  They have the potential to increase the quality and strength of any aspect of your life.    

Something I believe.  Last Saturday, I took my middle son to the football field, and we did a challenging workout together.  It included lunges for a half mile, running stairs, sprinting hills, and dragging a weighted sled.  When I got home, my wife asked me to do the same workout, so I went right back to the fields and did it again with her.  The next day, my wife and middle son could barely walk and though I was also very sore, I did a couple additional workouts for myself.  This may all sound odd, but there is a method to my madness.

I believe that it is important to regularly show the flesh, who is in charge.  In fact, sometimes you must drop the hammer on yourself.  Physically challenging the body above and beyond what it expects will not only strengthen the body physically but mentally as well.  You do not need to drag weighted sleds or sprint hills to accomplish this either.  If you normally walk 1 mile, try doing 2 or add in hills.  Perhaps you do yoga for 30 minutes, try doing it for 60 or more instead.  If you challenge yourself to do substantially more than you thought you could/should even once, it expands your potential more than you can imagine.

Some quotes I Love.

“You can’t complain about what’s on your plate when your whole goal was to eat.” – Steve Harvey

“Dogs bark at what they don’t understand.” – Heraclitus

“Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis