~~Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't.~~ Rikki Rogers
Have you been on the quitting merry-go-round for a while? You quit for a few days, slip for a day or two, quit, slip....you know. Or did you quit for 180 days (like me) and then give it all up because of stress? Or maybe your quit date comes and goes without you stopping at all.
So what's it gonna take for you to stop smoking?
Maybe you are waiting until the stress in your life is over....or at least better. Most stress is how we respond to situations, events, and things in our lives, it isn't life itself. Stress will always be there when you quit smoking because your addicted brain is pushing that lie.
Maybe you are fearful of that bad news....COPD, emphysema, cancer. Yep, you'll surely have to quit once you get that diagnosis. Sorry to tell you that I know too many people who have that diagnosis...and are still smoking. It's again addiction that will keep you tied to that cigarette, not events around you.
Maybe you are too depressed right now. Too lonely. Just not feeling like you can do it. Maybe you are waiting for that one cure or those magic words or that one thing that will make quitting a bit easier to do.
The one and only thing standing in between you and your quit is....you. While you are waiting for that miracle cure, you are really just chained to your addiction. That's all. Because the miracle of your quit is you. You are the cure, you are the magic.
Quitting comes from you and only you. And when you truly realize and recognize that fact, you will be better able to do it. No one can do it for you. No one can hand it to you. No one can take away any struggles or pains or stress that comes from quitting.
But you can. So what's it gonna take for you to quit? How long are you going to continue to think....one day? How many more days will you long for freedom but continue to smoke? How much longer are you going to damage your lungs, your heart, your arteries, your gums, your brain?
Understanding that you alone are responsible for your quit will help you take that next step. Realizing that there is no easy way to quit except to just do it will help you take that next step. Accepting that you can if you truly want to will help you take that next step. In short, everything you need to quit is right there in you.
Strength does indeed come from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't. So go ahead...what's it gonna take?
