We all have full plates these days. Sometimes, the plates seem to be overflowing to the point that we are simply overwhelmed. We can't see the end of it all, and we get paralyzed to the point of not being able to accomplish anything. From that, it's a short trip to feeling powerless, almost as if something – or someone – was draining our blood.
Meet your psychic vampires. That's right, I said vampires. They are those people, places, and things that keep us from being all we can be. We tolerate them because we don’t know what to do about them. Even if we know what to do, we are afraid of what will happen. The fears and doubts work to keep us from making changes in our lives. Fortunately, you don't need to wear garlic or carry a stake of holly with you. To free yourself from psychic vampires all you need is that zapping equipment you already own – your mind and your hands.
Think about how your personal psychic vampires get in the way of accomplishment. They are the ones that have you thinking, "I'm too old to do that," or "I'll never understand this social networking stuff – it's way too confusing for me." You look at something you want to do, but can only see the mountain of learning and doing involved. So you give up before you even start. Score one for the vampire.
Because vampires are happiest when you see only mountains ahead, you can zap them by taking specific steps to carve those mountains into little pieces that you can easily pick up and toss away. The secret is baby steps.
Suppose you have a new puppy in your life. He's soft and cuddly and full of bad habits. You are going to train him to walk on a leash, sit, stay, come when he's called, not jump on people, and not chew on your shoes. Yikes, that's a lot! Do you try to teach him all that at once? Of course not – you take it step by step. And how do you help him learn? You reward him every time he learns a new behavior, even every time he tries a new behavior even if he doesn't get it right at first. Before long you have a grown dog who is a wonderful companion with good manners.
But we're not puppies, are we? Well…think about how you help your child or grandchild with potty training. Don't you praise good behavior, and reward each small learning step? You don't give her a puppy biscuit when she gets it right, but I'll bet you give her a sticker or some other tangible reward. And when you do, doesn't she do better, step by step? She knows what success feels like and wants more. Do you see her confidence grow with each sticker reward?
That's the power of small steps, or what I call nano-steps. Each success, no matter how small, brings with it a power surge that makes you want to do more. Combine that with a reward, a celebration of that step, and that particular vampire is history.
I can hear you thinking, "Yeah, that all sounds fine, but I have a long list of things I need to do for my real estate business and not enough time to do them."
My response is that if you have a list you have taken the first important step to checking those things off your list. The next thing you do is take each item on that list and start a separate list of the steps it will take to accomplish just that item. Now ask what's holding you back from moving ahead? That's your first vampire to zap.
To help you, I've created a step-by-step checklist, 8 Essential Steps to Zap Your Psychic Vampires (you'll see the link it at the end of this article.) Now's the time pull it out and work the 8 steps.
When you take a nano-step and complete it you get a rush of good feeling. Now reward yourself. Did you notice that little extra boost that comes from success? You're ready to take the next step…and the next…and with each one, another little vampire bites the dust.
Not everyone can do every step themselves, and that's fine. Nothing says that you can't outsource some work. Most real estate professionals probably do not design their own blog or website. Sometimes what you want is handholding and talking about the process; that's the time to work with a coach either one-on-one or in a group like The Real Estate Game. The key is to take the step and zap another vampire along the way.
After you've taken all those nano-steps you'll look up one day and realize that the mountain that used to block your way is gone, and in its place is a clear path and not a vampire in sight.
Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations!
P.S. I'd really like to hear what you have to say, what your experiences have been, and whether you think this will help you. Please take a minute to leave a comment.
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8 Essential Steps to Zap Your Psychic Vampires
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