I signed up for EX in early February of 2014. I showed up as a smoker, of course, and had only just started to work through all the new exercises and scientific lessons and reading materials that would train me how to quit. On the second day of my studies, someone chimed in: "You can't smoke 'em if you don't buy 'em."
Wow. Really? As if the entire EX program for beating nicotine addiction and cigarette dependence could actually be summed up on a one-sheet flyer: "You can't smoke 'em if you don't buy 'em."
But, listen, let's move on. The point of my blog today is to share how every smoker here (still studying to quit) can transform such a reductive statement into an expansive proclamation of power.
"Don't buy 'em.": Grab your calculator and enter the dollar amount of a pack of your smokes. Multiply that by 30. Jot down that number, and you'll see the portion of your monthly budget you dedicate solely to smoking cigarettes. Now, take that monthly dollar amount and multiply it by 12. That's the amount of cash you spend on smoking each year. So, looking at these astonishing dollar amounts, you can plainly see that: "You'd have more money if you don't buy 'em!"
"Don't buy 'em.": Think again of that extra cash you just calculated. I'm willing to bet you could apply those savings toward necessities. Maybe throw extra cash at a credit card or car loan? Climb out of debt faster? Apply cash to a college fund or 401k? Afford renters insurance? When you think about the benefits of investing that extra money in life's necessities, you can see that: "You'd be more stable and secure if you don't buy 'em!"
"Don't buy 'em.": But, what about life's comforts? Well, sure! Look again at your monthly savings, after you quit smoking. Imagine what fun you could have with that extra loot in your pocket! A new dress every month? A monthly date night at the trendiest bistros? Finally getting a subscription to a streaming service for movies and music? A monthly road-trip getaway on the motorcycle? More time fishing up at that rental cabin? Oh, so many pleasures and treats you could reward yourself with! And that's not even mentioning the incredible things you could do once a year with the thousands of dollars you'll squirrel away for your yearly milestones! "You'd have much more fun if you don't buy 'em!"
"Don't buy 'em.": This next one is easy: "You'll actually be paying yourself to quit smoking if you don't buy 'em!"
"Don't buy 'em.": Take a moment to imagine a richly-appointed executive office: lush green carpet and Persian rugs; walls paneled in teak; bookcases crowded with art pieces from around the globe; a mahogany desk the size of a VW Beetle. And, sitting at the chair behind this desk, gawking at a photo of his family on vacation in Italy, is the chairman of Big Tobacco. And, he's chuckling. Why? Because his pockets and vaults and Swiss bank accounts are bursting with billions of $10 bills...and hundreds of thousands of those are yours. But, rather than you keeping that cash for all the necessities and comforts we mentioned above, you forked over that cash to a factory that designs toxic poison, and to the Fat Cats (I bet you they don't smoke!) who know they're profiting off of addiction and suffering...but don't really seem to mind. So, yeah: "You can boycott a crooked conglomerate if you don't buy 'em."
"Don't buy 'em": Speaking of suffering, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that buying cigarettes, and smoking them, is like playing some backward Bizarro Lottery: Instead of risking a few bucks every day to possibly hit a jackpot, you're purposely investing a few bucks every day to insure you'll weaken and decline and fall ill and suffer. I mean, seriously, it's messed up how we willfully invest thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars into a scheme that has absolutely no positive payout! Just think: "You could stop investing in your own suffering if you don't buy 'em!"
So, yes, please, by all means, don't buy 'em! Not as a magical cure-all to quitting cigarettes (abracadabra!), but as a financial strategy to de-fund the cycle of self-abuse, and to bankroll a new self-awakening that will strengthen self-respect and self-determination!
Storm
(about 30 days shy of 5 years)
