Do you have a great idea and want to start working as a nursing practitioner but are afraid to take the leap? If this describes you, rest assured you are not alone.
Fear can get to the best of us. A mild dose of fear will cause us to question our ideas and abilities, make us a bit irritable and delay action (which is not necessarily a bad thing). However, severe fear can paralyze us and keep us from taking action on our dreams. Fear can rob us of sleep, can make us physically ill and just play havoc with our minds. Fear can affect our health as nurses.
The "funny" thing is around 95% of what we are afraid of does not even materialize! While it may have happened in our mind, nothing has happened in our life. I guess that's why they say that FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.
Initially, many nursing practitioners go through the experience of wanting to start their own NP business yet are afraid of letting go of the safety the job seems to provide. Aside from the fact that jobs (in all reality) aren't as secure as they appear, the truth remains that going out on your own is scary! 
The question is: "How do you deal with the fear?" How can you overcome fear (which is often due to the "unknown") in order to move forward?
Here is a five step process, applicable to nearly any issue that is causing fear that will assist you in moving forward.
- Identify. To get control of the situation, start out with identifying your fears. Things tend to have more power over us if we have not identified what make us so uncomfortable. Write down what you think and feel you're afraid of.
- Ask. Next, dig deep and ask yourself why you want to start this NP business (why you really want to do it). Are your reasons "big" enough to overcome your fears? If our reasons are solid we can overcome anything (well, almost anything).
- Compile. Create a list of the worst possible outcomes. What are the worst things that could happen and how could you overcome them? What skills and resources do you have at your disposal to deal with challenge?
- Ask. Now that you have named your fears and looked at possible solutions, have your fears decreased or disappeared?
- Repeat. If other fears come up for you and keep you from moving forward, repeat the exercise.
Read through the above 5 steps and do these powerful exercises. They are quite empowering and can move you from a place of being stuck to accomplishing what you want to do as a nurse practitioner.
