Hi Creative Friends,
I finally got sucked into reading a vampire book. (Please pardon the pun. I couldn’t resist! They make me laugh.) I didn’t read the whole thing. About half-way through, it was too much for me, so I skipped to the end to find out what happened, but I really didn’t care much.
However the book got me to thinking about Energy Vampires.
Here is a quick primmer on EV’s:
- An EV can be a person, place or thing: (Your negative sister-in-law who never shuts up at family dinners) (Driving in rush hour traffic) (The Internet)
- EV’s are relentless: Conscious or unconscious behavior, Energy Vampires never give up taking, taking, taking.
- They are restless: They are always seeking new ways to steal your energy, your ideas, your good will.
- They will waste your time. Time you will never get back.
- EV’s are demanding, self-centered and self-serving. They never have your best interest at heart.
- They are all around you. They can spot the young vulnerable ingénue in you wearing a low cut dress when you should have on your garlic necklace.
- Energy Vampires restore their energy from sapping yours.
You already know what you need to do to un-hook from these life-suckers but here are a few ideas:
- Make a decision to eliminate the Energy Vampires in your life.
- Name them. Shed some light on the ones that give you the most trouble and acknowledge what is going on.
- Pick your battles. Unless your middle name is Buffy, you should do this elimination one battle at a time. Energy Vampires don’t go away without a fight. They are used to getting their way with you and want things to continue.
- Get support. Ask for help if you need it. Safety in numbers at functions that drain you can help. Limit your time around the ones you can’t avoid completely.
- Know that you are in a fight for your life, your time, your feelings and your priorities and your creativity.
Ultimately how much energy you have dictates how much you can allocate to your creativity. No energy, no creativity.
Now start sharpening that wooden stake!
Have a creative week!
Hugs, Diana