That’s where it all starts. If we can believe that we can quit smoking and I mean really believe it, the rest simply starts to fall into place. When I first decided that it was time for me to lose my addiction, I was terrified at the thought of it. This caused me to look at what the heck was the matter. After all, what I was thinking of doing couldn’t be a bad thing could it?
This was when I realized what the fear really was. It was not a fear of quitting. No, it was fear of failure. A fear that I would not succeed! But until I realized this, I assumed I was scared of the actual quit. I didn’t believe that I could do it. And a doubt in one’s self can be a devastating thing when one is trying to change a lifestyle. When one is trying to change a future.
This led me to the proper mindset to achieve what I needed most. A belief in myself. A belief that I indeed intended to choose life over death. A belief that I can beat an addiction that was ingrained into every part of my being.
Once I believed that I really could beat this addiction. Once I believed that I was going to take control of my world and be free. This was when I was able to move on. This was when I knew that not only was I going to quit but that in the end I was going to love that new life.
This was when I could honestly see myself as a non smoker. I could see in my minds eye that I was going to win this thing and that the only one who could stop me was myself!
From that belief came the confidence to continue building my quit plan. My fear turned to an incredible excitement as my quit date grew ever closer. And when that day came, I was more then ready. To me, the moment I put out that last cigarette was the moment that I won my fight because I believed that I would win!
And so far I have. So far this experience though a unique one has been as expected. Sure, the first few days were hard and sure there have been hard moments along the way but I never lost my belief in myself and I will never allow my addiction to take that belief away. This belief is as ingrained into my being as my addiction was.
And as I remove each tentacle of my addiction from myself, I also will replace it with the belief in myself. The belief that I will never smoke again and because of this I do not see my quit as some monumental burden. I see it simply as proof that if we believe it, we can be it!!
