You just finished a phone call with a potential client. You didn't close the business, but he did say he would get back to you this week.

As soon as you hang up, you remember something you should have said that may have closed the deal.

Then you remember something else that you didn't say.

Then the one really DUMB thing you did say that probably blew the whole thing.

Before you know it, a whole flood of memories, ideas and just plain negative thoughts are flooding your mind. The time you messed things up two years ago. The person who you think doesn't believe you'll succeed (even though this person isn't even thinking about you). The ways you've always been a screw-up ever since you were little.

These ANTs - Automatic Negative Thoughts - have infested your brain. And when you see one ANT, its never alone. Stepping on them ("I am better than this!") may feel good, but we have to get to the source, the nest.

ANTs don't just pop up out of nowhere from one occurrence. They're delivered to you from your subconscious mind. The subconscious contains the thoughts, memories and ideas that have been repeated so often, or are so emotionally charged (or both) that they stick with you until or unless they're removed. These can be either positive (your parents telling you you're the Greatest Child Ever, for example) or negative (an abusive parent who you never felt good enough for).

Once these ideas and thoughts are let into the subconscious, they leak out into your life in ways you may not even notice. Trust issues, insecurity, high sensitivity, and lack of self-worth are just a few ANT symptoms. The real challenge with ANTs, or anything else in the subconscious mind, is that most people never become aware that it even exists.

[shareable cite="@DreAllDay" text="Most people never become aware that the subconscious mind even exists. "]The real challenge with ANTs, or anything else in the subconscious mind is that most people never become aware that it even exists. [/shareable]

Tell me if you or anyone you know experiences the following cycle.

Something does not go as expected. The ANT attack happens almost instantly. Followed by a pick-me-up in the form of a conversation, motivational speaker, or fortuitous circumstance. Then you're OK for awhile, until something else happens. Around and around we go.

Sound familiar? Here's how to kill the ANTs at their nest.

Recognize your ANTs when they happen. Awareness is 80% of the job. Knowing what needs to be fixed is just as important as being able to fix it.
DO NOT beat yourself up about it. When you first start recognizing your ANTs, you'll be alarmed to see that you have a lot of them! The good thing is that now at least you know about them and can start making changes.
Kill the ANTs with a double-dose: 2 positive thoughts about the exact situation the ANTs came from. If you lived to tell about it, there is a positive to every outcome in life. Even if the positive is that you can now see what triggers your ANTs. Finding one positive thought, much less to of them, will be a challenge when you have 5-30 years of ANT practice in you. But this is the work you need to do to change your mindset for the better. So do it.

Undoing this mental conditioning will not happen overnight. But as long as you stick to the script, it will happen. Trust me. The Bulletproof Mindset Course will help instill these new habits deeper and faster.