Good morning,
When we first quit, it’s a brand new experience for us and one that can seem unpleasant at best. We find ourselves wondering if this discomfort is really worth it. And day after day as we trudge along on our journey we at times doubt ourselves and our ability to complete this monumental task. And doubt can indeed be the hairline crack that could eventually become the shattering of our quits.
And yet it’s human nature to wonder. To fear that which we haven’t yet experienced. Thing is, in order to gain confidence we have to actually embark on the journey. There’s just no real way to learn what the smoke free future will bring until we decide to live it. That’s when it all starts. This is where confidence begins.
It starts with that first day and builds from there. Still, for some reason doubt will remain. Even while we’re taking those first steps to freedom and know that we don’t smoke anymore, the mind still tries to rebel. And this creates a doubt within us. We start to wonder just how long we’ll have to go through this private hell that we have created for ourselves. We wonder if we CAN go through this much longer.
Why won’t this stop? Well, first of all we have to consider just how long we played with this horrible addiction. We have to think about the deception that allowed us to continue. We have to think about how the mind created our addiction in the first place. Sure, there’s the physical or chemical aspect of withdrawal to think about but that only lasts about three days after our last intake of nicotine.
When our minds start to doubt then it’s time to do something about that. As many of you know, I always kept my focus on the future and the summit of Mt. Freedom. Rather then looking at my current situation, I instead found more value in longing for that prize of freedom. This in itself sets up a place in the mind that really is new for you see by focusing on the future and fighting for that future we tell ourselves what that future will look like.
The main thing to remember is that doubt in itself cannot derail a quit. However, if you dwell on your doubts then this will give those doubts a kind of platform to grow on. And one thing we never want to do is allow this to happen.
What really needs to happen is a focus on what has already been achieved whether it be an hour, a day, a month or a year. To me this removes doubt simply by proving to ourselves that of course we can continue to do what we’ve done all along. Of course we’re really not going to give in, so why think about it? Of course we believe in ourselves and what we’re doing.
The freedom that we seek is a prize like no other and so long as we focus on what we’re gaining rather then the illusion of what we’re losing then we will win. So long as we enjoy a breath of fresh air more then the thought of that nasty smoke then we win. So long as we can say that we will no longer be a slave to something that will kill us then we will win. And so long as we believe all of the above then how could there ever be doubt?
Onward to freedom!!
Chuck
