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 share these in the hope that you might find value in them and have something that resonates with you in your life.
An interesting interaction. I spoke with a young man this week that reads my stuff regularly and likes to ask me about it when he sees me. His most recent question for me was, “If you were to rate one trait as being the most important to success, what would it be?” I found this to be an excellent question and, my answer was “consistency.”
My belief is that consistency is the pathway to numerous positive outcomes. When you are consistent in actions, processes, standards, etc. you allow yourself the opportunity to improve and breed results. It builds confidence, preparedness, knowledge, and so much more. Likewise, it creates trust among those around you as they see you as someone that doesn’t stop their level of commitment for any reason. If you are looking to improve your business, relationship, your body, health, or anything else; becoming consistent can make all the difference.
A good reminder. One of the showers in my home has needed a minor repair for weeks. Due to schedules and an overall lack of faith in my handyman skills, I kept putting off fixing it. Finally, on Saturday I decided that come Hell or high water, that thing was getting repaired on Sunday. Thankfully, with YouTube as my guide that was the case, and I was relieved to have it completed. This simple thing reminded me of an important concept that occurs in life.
Unless/until you address the thing that is gnawing at you, you will never have peace. You will not be able to relax, you will experience uneasiness, and you won’t be able to properly move forward. When it comes to simple plumbing issues, this is not a huge deal. However, if it relates to needing to confront someone, deal with a past issue, pursuing a specific action, or setting something right; it can be. That thing that bothers you frequently and consistently is exactly the thing you should prioritize and deal with.
An experience I had. During my senior year of high school, my basketball team was in an important and high-pressure game with only seconds left. During a timeout, we drew up a play for our best player to take the game-winning shot, but they defended him so well, we couldn’t get him the ball. I remember as this was happening, I could feel my teammates panicking and no one was moving or doing anything. There was palpable tension and after what seemed like an eternity, I ran over, yelled for the ball, and then drove in and hit the shot. I share this because of what those moments taught me and how I’ve carried them with me since.
In tense, scary, or pressure-filled situations, people can become paralyzed without realizing it. When this is the case, it may fall on you to take charge and do something. In that game, I was probably the sixth choice to take a game-winning shot, but I knew in those moments I was the only guy mentally strong enough to take action. When things are in a bad spot, inaction tends to lead to worse outcomes than anything else. As a result, we must be willing to step up when others start to shy away. I’ve been in crazy and life-threatening situations since that game and when I feel that pressure coming on, I tell myself, “Someone has to take a shot.” This relaxes me enough where I can start moving forward in some constructive fashion.
An important concept. One of my favorite sayings is “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Therefore, I like to evaluate myself (and others) based on the totality of efforts across business, personal, and physical endeavors. For example, someone that is highly successful at work that carries that over to how they care for themselves, and their family passes this test with flying colors. However, someone that is great at home but bad at work or vice versa, doesn’t.
The point here is that the effort, commitment, and attention to detail that it takes to succeed in one endeavor shows that you are capable of applying it elsewhere. When this is not the case, it becomes confusing to those around us. Having children has driven this lesson home for me because if I leave my most successful day in practice, come home and ignore my responsibilities as a father or husband, I have failed. Why should they worry about how great I did at work if I can’t find the same energy to give them as their dad? If you are reading this, I’m sure there is something in your life you would say you’re good at. Understand that what makes you good at anything, can and should be carried over into other aspects of your life.
Some quotes I Love.
“Without rain nothing grows, learn to embrace the storm of your life.”
“Don’t be the guy who shouts at his wife and kids but talks nicely to strangers.”
“If there’s one kind of person you want to avoid at all costs, it’s someone who acts like the victim in the problem they’ve created.” – Daniel Chidiac