You know, when I first decided to quit smoking I never really thought about the freedom. I never really thought about my overall health. About the only thing I DID think about was that I had this horrible cough in the morning. I thought about the fact that maybe it’s to late to quit. I mean after all, I was already exhibiting some pretty scary lung symptoms.
I have to be honest. Even though this made no real sense, I continued smoking; the addiction telling me that there was no real reason to worry. After all, isn’t the comfort in the present way more important then caring about a future? Isn’t it so much more important to let the old cigarette hold you by it’s string? Well the reality is that it wasn’t more important but by using this rationality it was the easy way out. It was the easy way to continue to feed an addiction that was obviously killing me.
Well, that insanity only lasted about a month before I saw the deception in my own mind. Before I realized that we all have to die sometime but we can still dictate to a point exactly what that death will be like. We can manipulate our future by the actions that we take right now! My addiction didn’t appreciate this kind of thinking very much. And I sure didn’t want to go through those nasty withdrawals. I didn’t want to take the fight to the next level.
But then I thought of something. Perhaps this wasn’t necessarily all about me. You know? I have those who love me. I have those who would love to be with me in the future and I know that those same people would really rather have me in their future in one piece or at least as healthy as I could be. My children. My wife. All these people who wanted to be in that future with me. But more importantly I realized that I wanted to be there with them as well.
Hell! Now I realized that in a way my addiction was about more then I thought. I realized that in a way I was being selfish. I was more concerned with my personal pleasure in the present then I was concerned with those who loved me. In my own mind, this changed things a bit. After quite a bit of reflection, I suddenly realized that I was no longer THINKING about quitting. No, it was going to become a reality. And I never waited even a moment before I called the quit line in our state because I knew that if I did wait that I wouldn’t do it.
This is what it takes my friends. An honest belief in our futures. A desire to live. A longing for a different kind of life. A belief in ourselves and from there grows the desire for freedom! From there grows the confidence that we need. From there grows the very essence of what we desire, and it’s so attainable! The only one who can stop us is ourselves!
For those who don’t know me I will say that it’s been eighteen months and counting since my last cigarette. And yes, there’s a wonderful freedom just waiting for you starting with the very first day that you put out that last cigarette, even though it doesn’t feel like it then.
And in case anyone’s wondering, that scary cough that I had. It just doesn’t exist any more. So you see? When I convinced myself that it was probably to late to quit well, OOPS! I guess I was wrong about that. I feel healthier then I have in countless years. I have a confidence in myself and my ability to master myself like I’ve never had before!
The life without cigarettes is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever experienced. So if you haven’t got started yet then why? If you have and your wondering if the stress is really worth it, understand that it is. Understand that what you do today is what determines your future.
So let’s get on that horse and ride into the future that we want so very badly! You know, the one without cigarettes in it . . .
