Find Your Why: The Key to Building a Successful Osteopathic Practice

Lesson 1: Discovering your why

The first step in building a successful osteopathic practice is to discover your why.

Your why is your purpose, your reason for being, your North Star. It’s what drives you to get out of bed in the morning and face the challenges of the day ahead.

Discovering your why involves identifying your personal values, recalling significant life experiences and analysing patterns of behaviour.

As an osteopath, discovering your why could involve reflecting on what led you to pursue osteopathy in the first place.

• Was it a desire to help others, a personal experience with osteopathy, or something else?
• What are the values that drive you to provide quality care to your patients?
• Is it a commitment to excellence, a passion for a hands-on approach to healthcare or a sense of responsibility to your community?

By answering these questions, you can begin to uncover your why and align your actions and decisions with it.

Lesson 2: Living by your why

Once you have discovered your why, the next step is to live by it. This means aligning your actions and decisions with your why in both your personal and professional life.

For example, if your why is to provide compassionate care to your patients, you may choose to spend more time with each patient, listen more attentively to their concerns, and follow up with them after their treatment.

Living by your why also involves making choices about the types of patients you want to work with or the treatment style you use to treat them.

For example, if your why is to help athletes recover from injuries and perform at their best, you may choose to specialise in sports medicine and use rehab-based techniques to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Lesson 3: Communicating your why

Finally, communicating your why can help build trust and loyalty with patients and practitioners you work with. By sharing your passion for your work and the values that drive you, you can attract patients who share those values and are more likely to return for repeat visits.

As an osteopath, you can communicate your why in a variety of ways.

For example, you can incorporate your why into your marketing materials, such as your website, leaflets, signage and more. You can also explain your why to patients during consultations, helping them understand why you do what you do and how it can benefit them.

Summary

Discovering your why is a critical step in achieving fulfilment and success in both your personal and professional life as an osteopath. As Sinek says: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Simon Sinek’s Find Your Why provides a practical framework for identifying your purpose and aligning your actions with it. By living and communicating your why, you can attract patients who share your values and build a more meaningful career.

Remember, your why is the foundation of your brand, and by incorporating it into your messaging and marketing, you can establish a deeper connection with your patients and stand out in a crowded market.