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 utilize. As a coach calling plays in football, my job is to adjust to what the other team is doing. However, when I sense my players becoming overwhelmed, I’ll sometimes call what I refer to as “reset plays.” These are simple, familiar plays we’ve executed successfully countless times. In those moments, I’m less concerned with strategy and more focused on restoring confidence. It gives the team a chance to take a breath, settle down, and reconnect with what they know how to do well. Time and again, I’ve seen how returning to the basics can shift momentum, rebuild belief, improve morale, and get everyone moving forward again. I coach this way because I’ve found that same approach is just as valuable in everyday life.
When things feel overwhelming whether in work, family, or personal challenges, I rely on my own reset plays to regain focus. These might be a workout, a walk or run, time with my kids, a conversation with my wife, writing out a plan, or simply taking a moment to reflect and reset mentally. They’re not complicated, but they are effective because they reconnect me to habits and actions that have consistently served me well. When stress starts to build, don’t overcomplicate the solution. Go back to what works for you. A simple, intentional reset can restore clarity, confidence, and momentum when you need it most.
A memory that helps me. I remember sitting in a high-end steakhouse in my twenties and witnessing something I’ve never forgotten. A waiter had just served a couple beautifully prepared, expensive steaks when they casually asked for ketchup. You could see the reaction on his face was one of confusion, and disbelief. It was as if he couldn’t understand why someone would mask something as expensive and carefully crafted with a cheap condiment. As odd as it seemed in the moment, it stuck with me as a powerful reminder: it’s possible to take something done well and diminish it with a poor follow-up decision. That same principle shows up everywhere in life.
A great workout can be undone by careless nutrition, strong relationships can be damaged by dishonest choices, and solid progress in any area can be derailed by a lapse in judgment. Success isn’t just about doing the big things right, it’s about protecting those efforts with consistent, aligned actions thereafter. When you take a step in the right direction, that’s not the time to relax your standards. Rather, that is precisely the time to reinforce them. Build on good decisions with more good decisions. Momentum is fragile, and how you follow up matters just as much as how you start. Do not ruin something great with something careless, or as I like to remind myself, “don’t put ketchup on steak.”
Something I notice. One thing I’ve consistently noticed is the difference between how successful and less successful people evaluate their own effort. In my experience, those who struggle to make progress often convince themselves that a small attempt represents their full capacity and that they’ve done all they can. On the other hand, high performers tend to operate with a very different lens. Even when they are putting in significant effort and seeing solid results, they continue to look for ways to improve. It’s not that they’re never satisfied, it’s that they understand growth comes from honest self-assessment, not comfort. That gap in mindset creates massive differences in long-term outcomes.
No matter the goal or the person, there is almost always another level available if we’re willing to pursue it. Reaching it requires humility, consistency, and a willingness to experiment, adjust, and refine. When we tell ourselves we’ve done everything possible, it’s often more about protecting our ego than it is a realistic assessment. Real progress begins when we acknowledge there is always more we can do. This could entail a better approach, a stronger effort, more disciplined processes, or any number of things. The path forward isn’t about perfection; it’s about a commitment to continually raise our own standard and push beyond what we once believed was our best.
Something I believe. A new parent recently asked if I had any “secrets” to fatherhood. After thinking about it, I told them one of my primary goals is to raise confident children. To do that, I try to consistently put them in situations that challenge them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whether it’s encouraging effort in hikes or workouts or sports, teaching discipline through daily tasks, or helping them push a little further in school, the goal remains the same. I want to help them see what they are capable of. True confidence doesn’t come from being told you’re great, it comes from doing hard things and realizing you can handle them. When kids begin to trust their own abilities and judgment, they are far less likely to seek validation in unhealthy places or make decisions based on pressure from others.
In my own life I have lived on both sides of this coin. In my younger years, my confidence depended on external factors such as relationships, athletic performance, or how I felt physically. When those things were going well, I felt strong. When they weren’t, my decisions often suffered, and I found myself heading in the wrong direction. What changed everything was learning to build confidence through action — by challenging myself, raising my standards, and holding myself accountable. It’s a reminder that the future is built by what we do today. Whether we’re raising children or working on ourselves, the focus should be on developing self-respect through effort and growth. When that foundation is strong, the choices we make and the life we create naturally begin to improve.
Some quotes I Love.
“Don’t forget to overthink the best-case scenario too.”
“You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your habits.” – James Clear