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 do. A saying I often use is, “That would get me off the couch.” It’s my way of explaining that a particular situation, behavior, or circumstance would be enough to compel me into action. More importantly, it’s a reminder to think about where my threshold lies before I ever encounter a challenge. Too often, people drift through situations without clearly defining what they will and will not tolerate. As a result, they either overreact to minor inconveniences or underreact to issues that genuinely require their attention. Knowing what matters enough to prompt action is an important form of self-awareness.
The question is how much are you willing to take before you do something about it? This applies to finances, health, relationships, personal habits, work, and countless other areas of life. When you establish your standards ahead of time, decisions become much easier. You ignore less of the big stuff and waste less energy on trivial matters. Every person needs a set of values and boundaries that help guide their actions. Take some time to consider what would cause you to “get off the couch.” The answer will reveal a great deal about your priorities, standards, and the life you’re trying to build.
A great lesson. Around this time in 2019, I attempted my first 100-mile race. My family came with me, we rented a house for a few days, and after six months of training, I felt ready. Unfortunately, race day didn’t go as planned. I struggled early, fell behind the required pace, and was ultimately pulled from the race at mile 50. After all that preparation, time, and expense, I only made it halfway. What stung the most was that my then 12-year-old son was supposed to run the final 13 miles with me and no longer would. I felt embarrassed and disappointed. The next morning, I asked him if he would still run those miles with me, and together we headed out and completed them. It didn’t erase the disappointment, but it was my way of taking a difficult situation and making it a little more tolerable.
That experience taught me a lesson I have never forgotten. Failure is inevitable, but how we respond to it is a choice. At some point, all of us will fall short of a goal or make a mistake despite our best efforts. When that happens, people will naturally pay attention to how we handle it. We can blame circumstances, point fingers, and make excuses, or we can accept responsibility and focus on what comes next. The latter approach doesn’t change what happened, but it does build character, credibility, and self-respect. Looking back, I wasn’t proud that I failed to finish that race. What I am proud of is that I chose to face disappointment honestly and do my best to respond with integrity. Sometimes the greatest victories don’t come from succeeding but rather how we handle failure.
An important concept. Most of us understand the value of developing good habits and following sound processes. However, another piece of the puzzle that is often overlooked is removing unnecessary barriers that can affect those processes. Success is rarely just about willpower alone. It also involves creating an environment that makes the right choices easier and the wrong choices harder. The more obstacles we place between ourselves and the actions we need to take, the less likely we are to follow through consistently. By intentionally controlling as many variables as possible, we give ourselves a much greater chance of succeeding.
This requires an honest assessment of who we are and how we operate. If you want to exercise regularly, choosing a gym five minutes away is often better than choosing the perfect gym thirty minutes away. If you’re not at your best early in the morning, don’t build your entire productivity plan around getting important work done before sunrise. The principle is simple – know yourself well enough to identify the situations that tend to derail you, then plan accordingly. High performers aren’t necessarily more disciplined than everyone else but often do a better job of setting themselves up for success. When we remove barriers and simplify the path forward, productivity increases, consistency improves, and achieving our goals becomes far more attainable.
Great advice I was given. Something I was taught early in my career came from a doctor I worked for over a five-year period who became a strong professional mentor. One of his earliest lessons to me was that my job was not to be liked. Instead, he emphasized the importance of focusing on “delivering the goods”—being professional, competent, honest, and fully committed to doing the job at the highest level possible. Staying locked in on those standards gave me the best chance to help patients and produce real results. Interestingly, most people did end up liking and respecting that approach. Yet, even in the rare cases they didn’t, I still felt I had done my job the right way. That principle has served me just as well in life as it has professionally.
Over time, I’ve learned that authenticity matters far more than approval. My goal in any interaction is to be consistent in who I am, regardless of the setting or audience. I don’t try to shift my personality to fit the moment, and I’m comfortable knowing that not everyone will respond to that the same way. While I never want to be disliked, I no longer see it as something to avoid at all costs. Trying to please everyone only complicates life and often pulls us away from our values. In contrast, being true to yourself tends to simplify decisions, clarify relationships, and build deeper trust with the right people. In the end, it’s far better to be fully yourself and respected than it is to be widely liked for something you’re not.
Some quotes I Love.
“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there” – Will Rogers
“Well ya know, for me, the action is the juice. I’m in.” – Michael Cheritto, the movie Heat