Dr. Kenney’s Friday 5 Spot
On Fridays I like to share some of the experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant in some way. I like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.
An analogy I like. When I was in student clinic during chiropractic school, I had a doctor that shared a story that has always stayed with me. When he would return home at the end of the day, his dog would excitedly run and jump into his arms. This happened day after day, year after year. One night he had something in his arms and as it began to slip from his grasp, he reacted quickly to keep it from falling. As this was happening, his dog happened to be jumping toward him and because he was distracted, he dropped her. Though he’d caught her hundreds of times previously, she never jumped on him again. So, what do I draw from this story? Trust can be built over a long period of time but can be lost in seconds. We should always remember that.
Something important. “Getting soft” happens when we start to get bored and let things slide. This can happen physically, mentally, in terms of habits, individually or as a group. The effect is a loss of production, values, and a diminishing amount of “doing what got you there.” I’ve seen this close businesses, erode health and even damage large organizations and countries.
So how does this get fixed? The big picture answer I believe is twofold. First, we all need a guiding set of principles. These are promises to ourselves that we keep no matter the situation. This allows us to behave based on what we feel is right rather than emotionally. Second, I think we should all strive to never be totally comfortable. This doesn’t mean we tear the AC out of our house or sell our cars. What it does mean is that we incorporate mental and physical challenges into our lives so that we can struggle a bit. These make us stronger and give us a greater appreciation for some of the good things in our life.
An important lesson on nutrition and exercise. I’ve mentioned previously that my wife works part time for a woman with a high-end nutrition counseling business. All food is logged, habits monitored, exercise charted, you name it. Due to my experience in this field, I’m sometimes consulted so I’ve gotten familiar with some of these people and their journeys. What stands out most to me is this: when people follow sound nutrition and exercise advice it works for anyone and everyone. The people on these programs that make the effort and do the work get great results without exception – not instantly but continuous improvement occurs. Conversely, those that dip a toe in the water, defend old habits, make excuses or do only some of what they should, never get the results they want and quickly become frustrated. Getting into better eating and exercise habits can be daunting at first but when you learn the proven basics and follow them, you will progress quickly.
Something to help headaches. If you’ve ever had one of those headaches that feels like it’s pulsing throughout your temples, here is something that can help. Get a facecloth and put it under hot water – get it as hot as you can stand and then place it on your forehead. This will open blood vessels and redirect some of that pulsing blood flow toward your brain. In many instances, this will help the headaches begin to subside in severity. This isn’t a cure for headaches (there are various causes and thus different cures) but it can help in the short term with the symptoms.
Some quotes I love.
“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And weak men create hard times.” – G. Michael Hopf
“Nations do not die from invasion; they die from internal rottenness.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.” – Mike Tyson
“Rats and snitches lack courage and die with no honor.” – Roman Carson
Want more?
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- To see previous Friday 5 Spots, visit www.newbodychiro.com and go to “blog”
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