When I decided to Quit Smoking I told myself, “Buck up, Thomas! You’re going to be miserable but you have to do this no matter what!” I was doing the white knuckle quit! And guess what? I was miserable!
Then I joined BecomeanEX and started to read the Blogs by a guy named James, The Happy Quitter! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Happy? Quitting? Isn’t that an oxymoron?
James said that he decided to be a Happy Quitter and behold, his cravings were easier, didn’t last as long and his whole Quit was much more doable!
So who wouldn’t want that?
I began to realize with practice that thoughts are just thoughts. We have between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts a day. And as so many of us have pointed out -
“Thoughts are not Commands!”
I also learned that feelings are a choice. We can make choices about how to feel when we know why we feel our feelings. I had unwittingly decided to be miserable because I was told that I would be miserable!
Could I decide to be happy?
So where do you get started?
I chose to “fake it till you make it!”
I stopped being miserable long enough to imagine what it might be like to be a Happy Quitter.
Then a put a smile on my face even when I didn’t feel like smiling!
I read more inspirational Blogs from Dale’s unique jokes to Marilyn's inspirational stories.
I simply made happiness a goal and tried!
Then I looked for glimmers of happiness throughout each day, paid attention and acknowledged that it was happening with gratitude!
I practiced!
And not right off but soon, I became a Happy Quitter!
I believe it made my whole Quit Journey more doable, I know it was more fun!
Being a Quitter isn’t about self-sacrifice and deprivation! It’s about becoming a New You and best of all, you get to decide who that person is!
I choose to be a Happy Quitter!
