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Share your quitting journey

Why WILLPOWER Can NEVER Work!

Thomas3.20.2010
0 12 56

Have you "tried your best to fight the craves and can't seem to win?" Are you sitting there scratching your head about what went wrong and feeling like you can "never win?" I'll tell you something I learned Thanks to the Elders who helped me launch the adventure of my lifetime - Smoke FREE Living! 

I came here like most of us not knowing anything about Nicotine Addiction and was told to read and I did! It really helped but there was this guy who I thought was goofy (Thank Goodness I now know that he was spot on!) His name is James and his moniker is the Happy Quitter! ....Say what? what's there to be happy about? Strong, yes! Determined, yes! Stubborn, fierce, a fighter! But happy??? As I thought about it, something really clicked and the light bulb came on! 

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I had been fighting the Nico-Demon with willpower! What could be more effective than that? But I was missing the essential...The Nico-Demon is ME!!!!!

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So when I was fighting myself, how could I win without losing??? And guess what, the loser had been the part that wanted to be FREE! You can't be FREE when you're fighting!!!! 

This fellow James had something - something I really, really wanted! he was not just Quit - He was Happy being Quit! 

So how do you handle the craves if you don't fight??? What do you do instead? 

There's a fellow here named Tommy who repeatedly told me to use Focus and Determination. Could I combine these 2 great pieces of advice? Think about Focus for a minute....

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When you focus with determination instead of fighting with determination, the whole picture changes! I had changed my perspective! The Nico-demon became more blurry, less important and the object of my Focus increased in POWER - the POWER to WIN! And what was that very important object of my FOCUS?

 

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KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE! FREEDOM!

FREEDOM from the Chains of Addiction! 

FREEDOM to be the ME that my Creator made me to be!

FREEDOM from pain, suffering, illness, devastation!

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize and ignore the Nico-Demon - but don't fight Him because HE IS ME! Just Focus on the Prize! Will He scream for attention? Oh yea! But when you ignore Him long enough, He loses energy - your Energy is on your Prize! And He gets weaker....and weaker...and weaker...and becomes a little bitty gnat that once in a great while bugs you but you easily have the POWER to swat Him back into His place ...so tiny! So worthless! 

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AND YOU WIN!

12 Comments
spbesh
Member

Thank you! How so encouraging.I really like this.

spbesh
Member

Thank you! How so encouraging.I really like this.

lois2
Member

thank you this is encouraging,

Olivia8
Member

Great Blog, thank you!!! I agree 100% with everything you said! I look at my alcoholism the same way actually. Sometimes it tries telling me "You can get drunk one more time." and when this happens, I just laugh and say "Yeah right, keep trying."  Same thing with nicotine for me. It can talk all it wants, it is not getting into my body again!

luisdeleon619
Member

thank you agree  with u like post

MrsP2
Member

Oh I get it !!!  Thank You for this post, means alot to me.... and what a Help it is !

tinkerbell23
Member
Thank you this very encouraging and it is so true . Thanks for sharing this
yardfun
Member

Praise the Lord! I like how you said "FREEDOM to be the ME that my Creator made me to be!"

 

--Thats when you killed it bro!

Love it!


Hallelujah!!!

Sootie
Member

Thanks for re-posting this Thomas----I MISS James!!! : ( 

I miss "talking" to you also, my friend...so I take this chance to say....hope all is well in your world.

Jenny78
Member

I totally get James.  You see, I am a happy quitter also.  I think that I wanted it so bad that when it actually happened (my quitting) I was bragging to everyone on the very first day "I am an EX smoker" and that was the prize.  I totally get it.

grandmashell
Member

I just love this!! Such a great piece .  I want to b a happy non smoker!! Keep them coming please!

Shelley

Stac2
Member

Oh this is just awesome.  Thank you for sending the link Thomas.  This reinforces the readings I am starting today.  No more poor ole me addiction thinking.  That can be the biggest downfall of all.  Gotta get my head around, "I am not giving up anything, instead, I'm gaining freedom."  I talked about that before I ever started but I way underestimated the fact that while willpower is important, it is not the key and you are right - battling yourself is just circular and frankly exhausting - I did not know the nico demon would be my mind much more than my physical body.  As you know, God reached out to me today to give me the will to blog on here, make new friends like you, and start the readings.  All essential.  I was trying to do a solo combo of willpower and Chantix and that is just not gonna get it.  It is a mind thing, and I am so thankful to God that He gave me that Chantix miss today, which chain reaction made me finally take the time dive into this site, and find the REAL key - the mind messages, the readings, the support.  Please keep sending this link to the newbies!  It is critical!!!  Hugs, Stacie

About the Author
63 years old. 20 year smoker. 11 Years FREE! Diagnosed with COPD. Choosing a Quality LIFE! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1