I smoked a box of Marlboro Reds everyday for a long time. I quit many times and always found myself back in the store like a kid buying a new bicycle: “I’ll take that shiny red one” – referring to my best friend – that box of Marlboros.
If you are seeking weight loss, perhaps you will find a good parallel between good weight loss tips and quit smoking tips. Perhaps the ideal body image can come from both phases.
Fortunately, I live in California which (unless you are talking about weed) is the easiest place to quit smoking on the planet.
First of all, there is so much activity. Secondly, there is a lot of peer pressure in California which is not always a bad thing.
Getting back to what worked for me and my secret was a little trick that I played on my mind. I looked forward to the day! Simple as that. Please bear with me for a moment while I explain what I mean.
I joined an American Red Cross Smoking Cessation Program – they probably have them all over the country and they probably succeed 10-20% of the time like most programs. This one was good as over 6 weeks they weaned you off of cigarettes slowly using simple changes such as: no more smoking while driving, no more smoking inside, changing to lower and lower nicotine brands, only smoking 3-4 hits per cigarette, only smoking a certain number per day.
These changes went on and on until the end of the 6 weeks, you were only smoking 1 cigarette per day, outside, standing up and only about 3-4 hits of it. Boom, it was easier.
But back to my secret. I looked forward to the day. You see, part of the program included the meeting once per week where we sat in a room and talked about everything – there were maybe 15 of us when we started. Part of the discussion was about the day of finally stopping to smoke and your feelings around it. It became obvious to me that everyone (except for one other person) DREADED the day as if they were going to shoot their best friend.
Frankly, and honestly, deep down, I DREADED it too and was afraid that I maybe could never quit. But I fooled myself by pretending that I was looking forward to it. By the end of the 6 weeks, I actually had convinced myself that I was looking forward to it. Look, smoking sucks; virtually everyone wants to quit. I still think about smoking on a regular basis, but I also recognize that thinking about it does NOT mean I want a cigarette; it is just a TRIGGER that was reinforced in me for many, many years. And it will take many, many years for that trigger to go away.
But, nonetheless, I still have not smoked a cigarette since 1998 and it was all because I looked forward to the day – even if I did have to ‘fake it ’til I made it’.
Embrace today! Get moving! Stay moving! Life is living!
We encourage you to get a compelling view of your future self – whether that is quitting smoking or losing weight. If you strive for an ideal body image or if you are just looking for quit smoking tips or weight loss tips, nothing is more powerful than seeing what you will be like as the new you. It brings confidence, certainty and empowerment.
Let The Vision Empower You!