Far too many nurse practitioners say “I can’t.” You know what? This absolutely boils my blood. Why? BECAUSE YES YOU CAN!

“I can’t find a job.”

“I can’t start my own business.”

“I can’t pay off all my student loan debt.”

“I can’t save enough to start my own business.”

“I can’t even fathom the idea of financial independence.”

“I can’t do (insert niche service) because I don’t have a certification or experience.”

“I can’t open my own practice because I need a collaborator.”

I can’t, I can’t, and I can’t…

No, it is not that you can’t, it is just that you are in trouble and need to get out of it.

Never say “I can’t.” Instead say “I am in trouble.”

When I was a teenager, I couldn’t drive my Jeep because the brakes were going out and I had no money.

My grandfather called one day and asked if I could come over to help him with some yard work, I said “I can’t grandpa, my brakes are going out and I can’t fix them.”

Do you know what he said? “Don’t give me that. It is not that you can’t, it is because you won’t fix your own brakes yourself. You are in trouble, and I am here to help.”

Guess what grandpa did? He came over and SHOWED me how to change out my own brake pads and drums. We proceeded to spend the afternoon putting new brakes on that old Jeep.

I was in trouble, and I had someone GUIDE me to the solution. I was giving up on the situation and was going to wait to get those brakes fixed until I had saved enough to pay someone else to do it for me. I said “I can’t”, but I was in fact just “in trouble.”

The same went with starting my own practice. When I was on the East Coast, I told myself “I can’t start my own practice. It is too expensive and I need a supervisor.” My limiting beliefs prevented me from pursuing nurse practitioner entrepreneurship. I gave up. I said “I can’t.”

Let me tell you, if I could go back and slap the old Justin across the head, I would! It wasn’t because I couldn’t start my own practice, it was just because I was in trouble. I didn’t know where to start. I wasn’t spending my money responsibly. I was not taking the appropriate steps necessary to pursue my dreams. I was in trouble!

I pulled myself out of that trouble by reading business book after business book, connecting with other like-minded entrepreneurs, and looking for a job in a full practice authority state. I no longer said “I can’t!” Instead, I looked at all the troubling circumstances occurring in my life that were preventing me from moving forward.

I identified 3:

1. Living in a restrictive state.
2. Being in too much debt and not being responsible with my money.
3. Lacking the knowledge necessary to start a practice.

This was the “trouble” I was in. Guess what happened?

I found a job in a full practice authority state in a rural location out west.

I began to aggressively pay down my debt and save my money.

I learned the knowledge necessary to start my own business through mentorship and books

I GOT OUT OF THE TROUBLE. I took action to get myself out of it. Getting out of trouble just doesn’t magically happen. It happens when YOU do something about it.

When you say “I can’t”, you are just giving up. When the word “can’t” comes out of your mouth, you have failed before you even got started.

Successful people who make an impact on this world don’t say “I can’t.” Instead, they take ACTION to change the world around them.

Do you think Bill Gates said “I can’t” when he was starting Microsoft?

Do you think Jeff Bezos said “I can’t” when he was running into problems with Amazon?

Do you think the folks over at Virgin Galactic said “We can’t” when their spaceship wasn’t operating right?

No, they did not. If they had, you would never have even heard about them.

If your life as a nurse practitioner is not going as planned, don’t give up. Don’t say that you “can’t do” whatever needs to be done to fix your situation. Don’t be the victim and the prey to the sharks in this world. YOU NEED TO BE THE SHARK.

It is 2021 now guys. If you are still being paid the rock bottom amount as a nurse practitioner, then you need to take the appropriate steps to get out of that situation. If you are still living a submissive professional life where no one takes you serious as a medical professional, then you need to change that. If you are bogged down by debt, then you need to get out of it. The number one way to lift yourself up as a nurse practitioner is by starting your own niche side practice. I am 100% serious on this. It is the ONLY way to experience TRUE professional freedom as a nurse practitioner.

Don’t you dare say “I can’t start my own practice” and let limiting beliefs prevent you from doing so. What you need to be telling yourself is “I am in trouble and need some guidance on how to get out of that trouble.” The Elite NP website and all the articles are here to guide you. The courses are here to guide you. The Facebook Group is here to help and support you. The upcoming private membership program called The Elite NP Inner Circle will be there to guide and support you.

As soon as the words “I can’t” creep into your mind, then you immediately need to stop those negative demeaning thoughts and say “I am in trouble. So, what is the next step to fix the issue?” If you do this, you will become a successful nurse practitioner. You will separate yourself from the herd and truly become an “elite” nurse practitioner.