Good morning EXER’S!! Me, I’m doing well and loving the freedom! I hope this day finds you feeling as good as you can as you tackle what could be one of the monumental tasks of your life. But the main thing is that it’s a task well worth the trouble. There’s so much waiting for you in your future and because you’ve made a decision to quit smoking, you might actually see that future!
Though the battle may seem hard at first, it is a battle that can be won so long as you keep your focus. I remember the fear that I felt at the mere thought of quitting. My addiction started screaming at me as soon as that part of my brain realized that I was serious. An internal battle began within me that many of you may be feeling right now. My addicted brain was telling me that I must be insane! How could I even consider changing something that’s so interwoven ion my life? Why would I even consider casting aside my old friend? Why go through all that trouble when I don’t have to?
And so began the internal conflict with myself. After I made my quit plan and the reality of what I was about to do set in, I began to feel a confidence and a belief that yes, I can do this. I started pushing the fear out of my mind for I knew that fear could easily cripple my attempt on those first hard days. I even changed my quit date four times, trying to find the best possible time to begin, although the reality is that there’s never going to be that "perfect" time to quit. But when I at last reached that final quit date, I never looked back!
From information I’d gathered from the EXperts here and other information that I’d gathered elsewhere, I made it through the first week in far better shape then I ever thought I would. And I was prepared to continue the fight for a while.
The night before I quit I was smoking that last cigarette and I noticed something for the first time. The fear of quitting was gone! At that moment I knew in my heart and soul that I was ready and at that moment I also believed that I would never smoke again. I only smoked half of that last cigarette and when I put it out I was surprised for you see, at that moment many of the deceptions that we create for ourselves in order to fuel the addiction were gone! I knew I wasn’t losing an old friend. Instead I was losing one of my biggest enemies. I was losing something that was slowly killing me. I was losing something that was disgusting and filthy.
And then I thought about all that I was gaining. Freedom from addiction. A chance to live a future that might not otherwise be there. And then there’s the pride that goes with showing yourself that yes, you really want to see that future. And over and over, I thought of the freedom. This became my mantra. This gave me the will to fight no matter how bad it got and this is what made the fear fade away. My love for freedom!
So hang in there my friends. Look to that future of freedom. It’s right there beckoning to you. Forget about how hard today might be and instead look to those days ahead that your creating now. Realize that soon you’ll wonder what the big deal was in the first place. Spend each day ripping those tentacles of addiction out of yourself and never believe for even a single minute that you cannot do this. That you cannot win.
Right now and especially on that first day that you put those nasty cigarettes down once and for all is not a day for mourning. No, it’s a day of celebration!
So get out there and get started! Today’s as good a day as any and it brings you one day closer to your own personal freedom. Take it from me and so many others, it’s worth the effort. The freedom is wonderful. Soon you too will be experiencing it for yourself. Soon you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back and sooner then you think, the whole experience will be but a memory . . .
