I read a lot on this site. It helps me stay focused and connected, for sure; but I also have heard some great advice and just some words of wisdom.
I can remember clearly reading somewhere that "in order to be a non-smoker; you have to quit smoking". I was thunderstruck at that one. As if it had never actually occured to me that I would have to actually stop inhaling smoke in order to become a non-smoker. It's okay to laugh at that. I am still amazed that I had never equated the two (probably from years of being a closet smoker). Denial can be amusing.
There was another one. "Keep quitting until you're quit". Quitting smoking is a process, and in my case, not a very smooth one. This was a reminder to me to keep working at my quit until it didn't take work anymore. Not there yet, but I have hope.
"You set yourself up for success when you admit that failure is an option." This one really hit me. This is when I finally (finally!) realized that I really did need an actual plan for dealing with cravings. Until I got real about why I failed, I couldn't create a path for success.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Everybody has heard this one. But one day, when I was feeling depressed and aggeved because another quit had failed; I read this and had an "Aha!" moment.
Maybe the reason this quit didn't last any longer than the others is because I hadn't done anything different.
They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I guess I had to be ready to hear the words of wisdom for them to have an affact on me.
PT
