Motivational Speaker

TV Host Author

Exercise Scientist

Radio Presenter Educator

Welcome to the website of Australia's No.1 Motivational Speaker

Home
About
Motivational Speaker
Craig on TV
Consultations
Online Store
Email Craig
Article Library

Interviews with Successful People

When Craig's not Speaking...

Forum


About This Site.

This site is the website of motivational speaker Craig Harper. A constantly updated, one-stop information, inspiration, education and motivation station. Unlike many similar sites, it is a totally free resource for anyone who is serious about moving from mediocre to amazing in any area of their personal or professional life. With hundreds of articles covering a wide range of subject matter, great interviews with cool people and inspirational video posts, there's more than enough brain-food to keep you busy for hours. Okay, days!! Enjoy.


Click play above to see one of Craig's weekly segments on national television. (9AM with Kim & David - Network Ten)

Motivation - Craig Harper

Online Personal Training
Can’t always make it to the gym? With your very own Cyber-Trainer you don’t need to. Our online PT service is for people who would like to access the skill, knowledge and experience of a quality Trainer, without doing the face-to-face thing.

life coach and mentor

Life Coach
If you are interested in maximizing your potential, stepping out of that 'holding pattern' and being privately coached by Craig click here.

Business Coach
If you're a personal trainer, gym owner or studio owner who is interested in growing your business then mentoring with Craig could be a valuable part of your overall success strategy.

biological age testing

Biological Age Testing
Recently, 67 year old Jan Frazer completed one of our biological age tests only to discover she has the body of a 37 year old (in terms of fitness, strength and function). How old is your body? Find out here.

body composition analysis

Body Composition Analysis
Craig's team of experts can provide you with a complete Body Composition Analysis in just 30 minutes.

High Performance Nutrition Services

Online Nutrition
Many nutritional experts confuse people with their jargon and pseudo-science. Let Craig's Director of Nutrition cut through the dietary confusion and contradiction for you.

Craig Harper - Fattitude.

Fattitude - Craig Harper
While many books focus on food, Craig teaches that creating life-long change is more about the dieter, than the actual diet. This book is perfect for people who have a history of 'almost' getting in shape.

DVD or CD - Renovate Your Body
In this entertaining presentation, Craig discusses the notion of Renovating Your Body - once and for all. Many of us have a curious ability to be able to get in shape for events (weddings, parties, reunions and birthdays), if only we'd get in shape for life.

Craig Harper - Food, Exercise, and Lifestyle Diary

Food, Exercise and Lifestyle Diary - Craig Harper
If you're serious about your training, nutrition and lifestyle - Craig Harper's training diary is an invaluable tool


  The Web craigharper.com.au

Personal Training

Bodybuilding & Shaping Event Preparation

Pregnancy Training (pre and post)

Sport Training (specific)

Boxing Training

Martial Arts Training

Fitness Test & Sports Specific Testing

Group Training & Team Training

Remedial Massage

Injury Rehabilitation (Pre & Post Surgery)


Craig's Motivational Articles

Motivation Articles Mar 2009

Motivation Articles Feb 2009

Motivation Articles Jan 2009

Motivation Articles Dec 2008

Motivation Articles Nov 2008

Motivation Articles Oct 2008

Motivation Articles Sep 2008

Motivation Articles Aug 2008

Motivation Articles Jul 2008

Motivation Articles Jun 2008

Motivation Articles May 2008

Motivation Articles Apr 2008

Motivation Articles Mar 2008

Motivation Articles Feb 2008

Motivation Articles Jan 2008

Motivation Articles Dec 2007

Motivation Articles Nov 2007

Motivation Articles Oct 2007

Motivation Articles Sep 2007

Motivation Articles Aug 2007

Motivation Articles Jul 2007

Motivation Articles Jun 2007

Motivation Articles May 2007

Motivation Articles Apr 2007

Motivation Articles Mar 2007

Motivation Articles Feb 2007

Motivation Articles Jan 2007

Motivation Articles Dec 2006

Motivation Articles Nov 2006

Welcome to Craig's site.

Craig Harper is Australia's leading motivational speaker and educator (according to Google Australia). He is a highly sought-after corporate coach and is considered to be a leader and pioneer in the areas of personal and professional development.

Working with hundreds of teams, companies and a wide variety of organisations on numerous continents over the last twenty years has given Craig a unique insight into, and understanding of, human performance and all its variables. Craig has an ability to educate, inspire, challenge and make people laugh all at the same time!

ryl workshop

Renovate Your Life Blog


Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Dealing with Energy Vampires
They live among us.
In human form.

To the untrained eye, it is almost impossible to tell the difference.
Typically they look like you and I.
But they're not.
They're not like us at all.

They are Vampires and their modus operandi is not to steal your blood but rather, your precious energy.
Your life-force.
Your mojo.
To drain you emotionally and psychologically.
To frustrate you with their repetitious, self-indulgent, attention-seeking diatribe.

They are often bitter, angry and resentful.... and they want you to share their pain.
They don't want solutions, they want pity.
They don't want constructive feedback, they want attention.
They don't want to take responsibility, they want to blame and vent.
They seem to revel in their own misery.
Day in, day out.
They have the same conversations about the same issues with the same people and produce the same result; no change.

They major on minors.
They bring others down.
They have a gift for finding the negative.

They are emotionally exhausting to be around.

They inhabit our work places, our families, our schools and they permeate every corner of society.

Note: I will point out that Energy Vampires are not to be confused with the vast majority of people who simply need help, support, direction and care... and are serious about working on themselves and their situation. They are also not to be confused with people who are genuinely looking for answers (not attention or sympathy) and are prepared to accept responsibility, be accountable and be proactive.

No, the people I'm talking about here are relentless in their negativity and their 'woe-is-me' ness (a Craigism).

As most of you know, I am serious about helping people create their best life and I choose to spend much of my life working with a wide range of people to help them confront and deal with their issues and create their own version of amazing... but I'm not about letting people monopolise (or waste) my time and energy and I won't buy into their crap attitude or their negativity. I don't care how messed up someone's life or situation is, if they have a good attitude, I'll help them.
Gladly.

If they're a Vampire, I'm outa there.

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya.

It's great to be a giver, a carer and a feeler (sometimes), but now and then we need to take a stand with certain people.. because if we don't, we begin to suffer and then nobody wins.

So here are my tried and proven tips for dealing with Energy Vampires.
(Not every tip is appropriate for every person and situation but you might find some of them useful)

1. Identify the Vampires in your life, acknowledge the impact they have on you and make a resolution to change the way you communicate (interact with, exist with) those people.

2. Don't buy into their life's-not-fair-and-nobody-understands-me monologues. Feed it and you'll create a monster.

3. Be straight with them and tell them that you will not have the same conversations about the same issues any more (yes this takes courage).

4. This sounds harsh, but some Vampires need to be avoided.

5. Don't give them too much time. When a Vampire walks into my office I stand as if I'm about to go somewhere. I'll give them a few minutes and if I feel we're heading down the same old path, I'll start walking and shut the conversation down.

6. Ask them questions like "so you've identified the issues, tell me how you can change things for the better?"

7. If you have a Vampire who is in your life to stay (family perhaps), create some rules of engagement... "I will not talk about 'these' issues again until I see you doing XYZ."

8. Choose your friends and acquaintances wisely. Make sure you spend (lots of) time with people who will drag you up, not down. You need to keep your tank full.
Spending lots of time with Vampires is draining and unenjoyable.


Footnote: Sometimes I struggle with some subject matter.
I often wonder whether or not I should cover some topics, or let them slide. I have had this weird kind of internal, cerebral tug-of-war about writing this particular post... but lately I have been working with lots of people who are struggling with Energy Vampires in their world and it just seemed to be timely and for many people, relevant.

Even though I am a professional motivational speaker and a personal development writer, I don't feel compelled to write what people (necessarily) want to hear.
I do feel compelled to be honest, helpful, practical and realistic and to write what (I believe) people need to hear. The truth is that creating positive change in our life is not only an amazing, enlightening, educational and rewarding growth process... but it also often a messy, impractical, difficult, lumpy, bumpy and (at times) painful journey.
But it's all worth it.

I know that sometimes what I write is not the 'typical' personal development message and not necessarily embraced by everyone.
I'm okay with that.

I'm not interested in making people feel warm and fuzzy (for ten minutes), I'm interested in cutting through the BS and dealing with real issues in a real and practical way so that you, the reader, might create your best life.
If all my writing does for you is entertain you, push a few buttons every now and then, and periodically make you chuckle, then I'm failing at my job.

Reading my posts ain't enough.
Thinking about it ain't enough.
Talking about it ain't enough.
And even planning... ain't enough.

It's always about doing.

I know my message is not always 'nice', comfortable or universally embraced, but it's the truth.
So that's what you'll get.

Let us know your thoughts on Energy Vampires.. and also where you are from.
If you've never left a message (scaredy cat), why don't you make your craigharper.com debut today!!

PS. Was that the world's longest footnote or what?

Labels: , ,


50 comments 

Receive Craig's new articles automatically here.

More articles like these >>

Click play above to see motivational speaker Craig Harper in action.

'Suck It Up Princess' T-Shirts

We don’t know why, but people go crazy for these shirts. Perhaps it’s because they allow us to tell people what we really think without wasting our breath! Order your shirt here.

'You're Not the Boss of Me' T-Shirts

Are you sick of the bossy people in your world? Well, this T-shirt could solve all of your problems and change your life. But then again, probably not. Order your shirt here.

Craig's Most Popular Articles

How to Operate a Bloke
The Over-Thinker
Six Hundred Articles Later...
A Report From the Tropics
Bullies and Dickheads
A Shove with Love - A Kickstart to Change
Accountability Partners are Us!
How to Lose Weight Watching TV
The Fifty Success Habits
Toughness
Eight Steps to Getting out of that Rut
The Sixty One Year-Old Skater Dude
Low Fat Meals that Aren't.
A Dog's Life
Craig Meets Lance Armstrong
Smells Like Team Spirit
The Value of Criticism
Single? What's WRONG with Him?
Celebrate the Weirdo
Weight Loss Bullshit
The Muffin-Top Pioneer
The Thief of Time
Living in Fat City
Sure, girls are cool.. but I so don't wanna be one
More articles like these...
 

Recent Life Lessons by Craig

Learning to be Proactive not Reactive
Mastering Motivation (lessons in creating forever ...
Breakfast with Craig and Johnnie.
From Couch Potato to Olympian
Ten Ways to be More Attractive
Stumbling into the Future.
Lessons in Pain
Do It Yourself Prison
The No Diet, Diet.
Exercise Adherence (staying on track)

More articles like these...
Recent Comments on Craig's Blog

 

Motivation: 101+ Ways to get it Today|Terms of Use | Privacy | Copyright 2008 craigharper.com|