Drive a Stake through the Heart of Your Vampire Thinking

This is the third in a series of articles that focuses on a new concept I recently conceived of called Vampire Thinking©. In a nutshell, Vampire Thinking© is the thinking we do that short circuits our growth when we second guess ourselves and rationalize ourselves out of great opportunities and steps forward in our lives. I am happy that this concept and phrase that describes what seems to be plaguing so many of us – is resonating out there. Many of you have e mailed me to say how important this concept has been to your understanding of why you’re unhappy with your life and the results you’re getting. Some of you have committed to making certain changes that will begin the process of eliminating the vampire thinking from various aspects of your life. I applaud you for that and wish you a good outcome. This article is written to assist those of you who want to eliminate Vampire Thinking© habits. What it really comes down to, luckily for us, are habitual behaviors of which we are no longer conscious. So why is that good news? It’s good news because we can create good thinking habits in the same way we created the bad thinking ones. The following is the way to do that: The Four Steps to Creating Positive and Self Affirming Thinking Habits - First we build awareness of how often and in what manner our Vampire Thinking© habits occur. - Then we ask ourselves to admit the impact this draining thinking has had on our lives. - Next we ask how long we are willing to tolerate the losses we experience due to Vampire Thinking© habits. - Finally we come to the crossroads where we decide what we are willing to do to move from vampire thinking to creative thinking – personally designing our lives in contrast to sucking the life out of them. The Four Necessary Ingredients to Ensure your Success - Support from one person or mastermind group to hold you accountable - Written list of goals that are quantitatively measurable with due dates - Consistent application and repetition of a written statement of purpose - Faith and self confidence that nothing can defeat you unless you let it The essential ingredient needed to succeed in overcoming Vampire Thinking© is replacing old negative thinking patterns with expansive, open to possibility thinking. Your life unfolds according to the perspective you hold and the beliefs you act out of. As you are able to replace negative vampire thoughts with positive creative ones and insist on having faith that you will succeed, you change your beliefs and perspective. As your beliefs and perspective change, so does your life as you begin to see the opportunities you have been missing and learn there is more you are capable of than you ever knew. Remember to keep something in mind: how you do anything - is how you do everything. If you practice the Four Steps above and include the Four Necessary Ingredients in your practice, you will be driving the stake through the heart of Vampire Thinking© and your life will begin to change for the better. You may even consider forming a support group, where members meet with the intention of helping each other identify and overcome Vampire Thinking tendencies with an eye toward achieving important life goals. Remember that it will be support from other(s) and consistently applied daily practices that will create the best chance of success with replacing old negative “it won’t work” thinking patterns with new “I’m willing to find out” thinking patterns. You can do it if you apply your best effort and don’t give up until you achieve the level of success you are looking for. You will know when it arrives. You wake up one morning and your life will not be the same.