As I continue on the path of freedom, I find more and more that the mind fights itself. This in itself creates a kind of journey. It’s a journey that lives within oneself. So badly we want to be free of our addictions and as much as we want to be free, so too does our own mind play tricks on us.
It is indeed the journey of memories that so many have mentioned before. Just another facet of what must be conquered along the road to freedom. But this is the part of the journey that is really in our own control for we no longer deal so much with the physical aspects of quitting. No, instead we must deal with the memories of our past. The part of our lives where the tentacles of addiction were deep within us.
It takes time to remove those tentacles, one by one. And though it can be hard to find and remove every last tentacle, it can be achieved using the same determination and belief in ourselves that we had when we started our journey. I believe that as we gain more solid ground in our quits, each memory must pass through us in order to lose it’s strength on us.
Each memory of our past must be dealt with as we move onward to freedom. This in itself can propel us onward in our journey so long as we don’t believe that these memories hold any power over us. It’s really in the realm of the mind that the final battle for freedom must be fought I think.
If we can control our own thoughts then we can win our freedom much easier. If we can allow these memories to become more like a movie instead of reality then the journey becomes easier. It once again boils down to our perception of things. This I think is what the mind does to us during our quits. It tries to change our perception of how the world is. It tries to see the world as it was before we quit.
Changing perception is a key to a successful quit. The mind must accept the new reality before we move on. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just something to be careful of as we continue the path to freedom. This is also where I think frustration lies for those who are in the midst of a quit. This is why it seems to take so long before we really feel free.
But I take solace in the fact that others have walked this same path before me. I take solace in the fact that the journey is the same for all of us. I take solace in the fact that this journey does not have to be fought alone. There is a family of warriors standing right next to me every day. This is the reality that my mind sees right now!
And so I walk the path of freedom, gaining some wisdom with every step. Gaining a new knowledge of myself. And when I really think about it, this journey isn’t so bad. It isn’t the end of life but rather the beginning and so my perception for THIS day is indeed a good one. It’s a perception filled with a belief in myself and my ability to shut down the games that my own mind tries to play with me. I choose life over a slow death down the road and so long as I remember where my true future lies, my mind will not get me.
And so I move onward to freedom, never doubting my success. Never doubting that in the end it will all be worth it. Never doubting that the memories of the past are just that. Memories. And so long as I realize that beating my addiction is the single most important thing in my life right now, then there can be no more mind games! So long as I believe that I will win, I will!
Now onward into a new and wonderful day!!
