Some people are reluctant to make a decision to stop smoking for good. It seems so permanent. It may be difficult to imagine ‘forever’ without a cigarette. You are not alone in this, others feel the same way. But many of the things that people do accomplish don’t require 100% motivation from the start. Often people try to make a temporary change, learn they can make that change then go for longer than they expected.
If you are motivated to stop smoking at 50% + 1%, you can tip the scale towards success. Use a positive attitude to fuel your decision and begin to stop. You might try thoughts like these: “I’m just not smoking today, and I’ll worry about tomorrow when it comes”; “I’m choosing not to smoke, no one is making me quit”; “I’m doing an experiment to see how my life feels different without smoking.”; “I always have the freedom to go back smoking if I decide to, but now I don’t have any freedom because the addiction compels me to have to smoke”; “I’m not giving up something, I’m gaining my health (or money or energy or any other reason that you might want to stop smoking” or “I am getting rid of something I don’t want around for now”).
Remember we can make our attitude work for us. Don’t let thoughts of an unknown future keep you from doing something healthy today. Trying doesn’t take 100% commitment; it just takes a decision to try.
