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Share your quitting journey

Perceptions

Chuck-2-20-2011
0 2 0

Good morning Exer’s!!

 

I hope everyone is well. You know, when we quit, we have to create a kind of new world to live in. One that’s still the same and yet different. In this new world, so many things change. The way we look at others changes. The way we look at smokers changes and yes, we even have to see a change in ourselves.

 

When this happens, we tend to look more closely at that world around us and our new perceptions can seem kind of strange to say the least. The thing to remember is that the world hasn’t really changed at all. It’s us that have changed and as such, we have the power to perceive those changes any way we’d like to.

 

When we see a person smoking, it’s a good time to actually think of what we’re seeing because one can learn a lot about one’s self by this kind of reflection. If we feel envious of the person that “gets” to smoke when we can’t then we’ve identified a problem. Something that can be built upon. You see, so long as the smoker is seen as having something that we don’t, then it can cause us to think twice about our quits.

 

Me, when I see a smoker these days I feel a kind of sadness for them. The reason being that they live under the cloud of their own addiction and can’t yet see past it to the truth. They have no concept of the freedom that they’re missing simply because to comtemplate that is to take away the power from the addiction. I know this because that person was once me, confident in the fact that everything is fine. That smoking can’t harm me.

 

But I also know that somewhere in every smokers heart is a constant nagging because we all know that smoking isn’t right. Some embrace those thoughts and actually go on the path to freedom. Others choose to continue to feed the addiction because it’s just easier that way, as the addicted mind rationalizes these things at least.

 

But for us, the key is to see through our addictions to the realities. To know that we’re not losing anything and gaining everything! To understand that we’ve made a commitment to ourselves and that commitment is life! It really doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. They can’t make us smoke. What does matter is the path that we’ve chosen. What matters is what we want our own lives to look like. Down the road if we’d like, we can worry about those who still smoke.

 

For me, I understand that the decision to quit has to come from deep inside of ourselves. This is why I don’t harass smokers much, other than little digs perhaps. But for those that I know that made that internal commitment, I’m there to help if they desire it.

 

I guess the main thing I’m trying to say here is that before we can really be free, we have to understand ourselves and the things that motivate us. Seeing another smoke for example reminds us of a time that was different. A time when we were enslaved. A time before we made one of the most important decisions in our lives.

 

So keep that head held high! Be proud of the decision you’ve made and don’t fear that decision. Embrace it! Do whatever you have to to get past those first hard weeks. Take every crave and trigger as a learning experience. Find solace in the fact that this little trip is only temporary. The hard fight becomes easier with each passing day. With each passing month and before long all of this hardship that you’re feeling now will only be a memory, and I can tell you that if you stick to the path then you’ll feel it. The peace. The calming mind. The freedom!!

 

ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!

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