Talking About What You Are Great at is Not a Taboo Topic
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[00:00:00] Talking about what you're really great at your superpower is not a taboo topic. My name is Wong I'm an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist and over ten years ago I started my therapy clinic and over five years ago. I started hand therapy secrets Teaching other therapists their clinical skills and business skills, right?
So If you have any inkling of wanting to go into business for yourself, this is what we're going to be talking about. If you are working for someone else, it's fine to Maybe not explore this as much, even though I think it's a really good thing to always explore, but it is essential that this is something that you think about and do if you are going into business for yourself.
Now, um, I say it's a taboo because I feel like people don't want to talk about, um, putting themselves up in a certain way that says, I'm really good at doing this. And part of it is cultural. Part of it can be, um, professional culture. So [00:01:00] This is something that I've had to learn to get past and to work on.
So I thought I'd share this with you because my best friend and I had this conversation about it. Like, how come we don't say enough what we're really good at doing? And I think part of it is because, you know, from a cultural standpoint, you know, growing up in an Asian culture or maybe as a woman or whatever it is, uh, and I'm not using it as an excuse.
I'm using as an explanation of like why we tend to have this sort of built up, um, where we don't say like, this is what I'm really good at doing. This is what I'm really good. I'm really good at, um, curating information. I'm really good at, um, like learning certain things and then making it my own. Right.
I'm actually really good at, um. So I have a knack of being able to, like, see, um, in the [00:02:00] evaluation what's going on and kind of pinpoint certain patterns. And I was telling her that I'm really good at evaluating, I'm really good at seeing that overall picture and then pinpointing what could be going on.
And for the longest time, I had a really hard time I would always lead with that. I'm an occupational therapist or that I was a certified hand therapist and using that as like the crutch. But like a lot of people don't understand exactly what that is and there's so many nuances to it in terms of like what people value like some people really value being um, you know, working with a doctor.
Some people really value. working at it from a, like, I love seeing post surgical cases type of thing, and I don't necessarily niche myself in that way, but, um, I found this really difficult to do because I was always taught to be humble. I was always taught to not brag. I was always taught, [00:03:00] like, if you say that you're really good at something, that that can be construed as bragging, or it can be construed as being arrogant.
And there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. That might be for another conversation. Um, but, you know, this happens from a culture standpoint to tell us, like, maybe we shouldn't go and talk about what we're so good at. But when you're in business, you actually That actually hurts you the thing that helps you in certain aspects of your life hurts you in the business life.
And I see it over and over from a professional culture as well. Like as as an occupational therapist, like, yeah, you can say that you're You're really good at something, but then other people can feel kind of threatened by the fact that you say that you're really good at something and start doing something.
And then people within your profession, you know, because there's this idea of [00:04:00] like, Oh, well, you know, the hand therapy world is really small. The world of occupational therapy is really small. Why are you fucking saying that to me? Why are you saying that to me? Is that, is that to, um, you know, make sure that I stay in my lane?
Are you trying to tell me that maybe I should step out of my comfort zone, my boundaries of what I should and should not be doing, right? And that can be construed in a lot of different ways. And so, um, I want to bring that to light because I think that within your profession, if you want to start a business, no matter what it is, Whether it be serving people within your community or serving people within your profession, that there might be, uh, you know, some naysayers like, Oh, you have to give credit where credit's due.
Um, There's a limit to that, right there. I think that there's a limit to that. You can say that you've learned, like I've learned a lot from a lot [00:05:00] of different people, but do I need to say that every single fucking time I don't, right? Cause at some point it was me who did the work. At some point it was you who did the work and in order to go into business and really stand out, you're the person who did the work.
You're the person that put yourself out there. You're the person who has to say. This is what I'm really good at, right? Um, so how did I sort of overcome this? Because, you know, in order to run a business and in order to be able to Attract people to come into my clinic and to say, Hey, I'm willing to spend money with you.
Even though I have insurance, even though my doctor told me this, even though this is easier to go down the street instead of driving the hour to come see you. Right. Um, that in order to overcome [00:06:00] that fear of like standing, it's like that fear of standing out. Right. So as a business, I had to overcome that to say that.
I'm really great at doing X, Y, and Z. I'm really great at doing this. And part of it is just showing up and sharing what you know. So I had to start showing up and sharing like, Hey, this is what I would do for a distal radius fracture. This is something I would do if I was working on a scar. And part of it is that self talk in order to overcome it.
Like, you know, I had to overcome, like, that I, that it was okay for me to speak out. And that even if I did things a little differently than other people might do it. Um, that, that that's okay, right? Because there are going to be people who come on, like, if you share your stuff, um, they're going to come on and, you know, I'm going to take it from the fact that they mean well from it versus like [00:07:00] thinking that they're trying to be nasty about it.
Oh, you should do this or you should do that, you know? That is neither here nor there, right? So part of it is that, you know, to overcome, it's like, you have to take certain things with a grain of salt and manage your own self talk to say, okay, I'm, I'm willing to put myself out and share this. Um, I also think one of the things that, um, helped me to overcome To overcome this barrier of like, uh, not talking about what I was really good is, I was trying to, I was listening to what my patients were saying, because maybe they're on to something.
So my patients usually always say for the longest time, if I was working with them, they'd be like, Oh my God, Huang, you have such great hands. Oh my God. Thank you so much. Right. Thank you. Um, cause I take a lot of pride in my work and so it took me a long, it took me like way too long and this is why I'm bringing it up so that you don't have to take as long as maybe I haven't [00:08:00] taken, um, to talk about what you're so good at doing because it is not a taboo topic.
Um, and you are not like trying to show up other people. You're just trying to say, Hey, this is what I'm really good at. Right. People who need me, people who want me will come for this particular thing. So my patients usually always tell me like, Oh my God, you're so good with your hands. You know? Um, they would also tell me things like, Oh, um, I really like how you explain things.
I really like how you explain things wrong. And I was like, you know, maybe you're onto something, maybe you're onto something, you know? So, um, the other thing I would, What I was doing is I was listening, I would listen to other professionals, right? So I would listen to other professionals, whether it be other therapists I was working with, other, um, doctors, other, when I was in acute care, working with like a lot of different nurses, nurse practitioners.
So I was listening to a lot of other healthcare professionals, case [00:09:00] managers, that type of thing. And I would listen to them. And here's the thing, you got to pick and choose what you're listening to. Right. You got to pick and choose what you're listening to. So, um, but they would, they would tell me like, Oh, Huang, you're really good at this.
You know, you're so, you're so involved with this or you, you do this really well. And so I'd pick out all the things that I did really well at. And I would say, Oh, maybe I can do something with that. Right now you can learn from the things that you're not good at doing. That's a whole nother video But you want to pick and you know, you got to pick and choose um what people say to you that can be meaningful because there's people who say stuff to you that is not meaningful and Um, they can say stuff to you that is trying to put you down so that they can level up And so you have to manage like what you're willing to do to what you're willing to pick off that table and then take on.
So it takes some, it takes judgment, right? It takes [00:10:00] a certain amount of judgment, but I want to encourage you to, you know, talk more about what you're great at doing because it's not a taboo topic. It's not taboo. Let more people know what you're really good at. I'm really good at. I'm really good at evaluations.
I'm really good at seeing this overall picture and then saying, Oh, this is, um, I describe it. This is what I tell my patients and other people too. Like I describe it as, um, you know, you, when you're inside the jar, you can't read the outside label. Right? When you're inside the jar, you can't read the outside label.
When I'm outside the jar, I can read the outside label for you. And so when patients come in and I can look at it from an outside perspective, and I can take in all the little nuances that they tell me, the little aspects of their story, whether it's past medical or Whether it's, [00:11:00] you know, what they've done in the past, and then it's from my questions that lead me into like this overall picture and say, okay, here are the exact problems.
And then this is how we can outline how to work through it. Right. So I'm, I'm actually really good at doing that. Um, that whole strategy and then prioritize the strategy is a priority, right? The order in which you do things makes a difference. Um, so it has taken me way too long to really, Share that I'm actually that's what I'm really good at doing.
So because I can do it from a clinical standpoint as well It's the same skill set that then I use to help my students whether it be they give me a Scenario and I can say okay based on what I know about you And this is what you know, and this is what you're doing. I can say, okay, like, let's do it this way.
One, two, three. And then from a business standpoint, it's the same way. Where's your starting point? Um, and then it's the questions that come from the [00:12:00] story and more questions going back and forth and, and creating that goal. So I'm really good at doing that. Um. But man, I had a really hard time, you know, starting, you know, when I started my business to do that.
And you have to, you have to tell people that you're really good at doing it. Oh, you know what, as I'm saying that, um, I did tell, I would tell certain people what I was really good at. So when I first started my business, I was really good at working with post surgical cases. So, I would tell doctors, I would tell post, patients with post surgical injuries, I would tell them that I was very specific with, you know, okay, like I, I know how, I know the problem and I know how to progress you through this particular thing.
And so I did tell certain doctors and certain patients, but I wasn't, I don't think at that time I was very confident about, like, Um, [00:13:00] being more,
I think into a certain extent, being more objective and being more broad with that particular skill set. Um, but I always did feel some kind of way about telling people. I'd always be like, Oh my God, they're going to think that I'm like, so and so. They're gonna think that I, um, think that I'm, you know, um, a know it all, you know, so there's a certain amount of like, um, kind of like shame or embarrassment about it.
But, um, I have gotten over that shit because, listen, in order to run a business, in order to get your business off the ground, in order to attract people, people who you want to work with and help. Um, you have to say what you're really good at. And so, um, from me to you, identify what you're really good at and then start saying it.
Um, and [00:14:00] start managing that talk. Um, that's inside your head that says, No, don't do it because other people are going to judge you and they're going to say you're not really that good. Uh, but in your heart and in your gut and in your brain, you know what you're really good at and you're the only person who can fully, fully identify that and go with it.
Your patients can give you some tidbits, your professional friends and people like that around you that are supportive can give you that idea of what you're really good at. And if you're not really sure. Ask them, ask them what you're really good at. Um, if they don't tell you, ask them. And then that can also kind of like help you to identify what those things are and then be more brave to share it.
So I hope that helps. Um, it's something that, you know, we all have to learn. talk about because we have great qualities as therapists and it's really the only way to um, attract more people who want to help and that we have the potential to help. All right, I hope [00:15:00] this helps. Leave me a comment below if you have any questions and I am running a free masterclass.
talking all about business skills and creating a plan for the next three to six months. So you can either start your business or make the most out of the next several months to, you know, give you a head start for the next year. So links below if you want to join me.
