You say you have enough willpower to achieve many things in your life. But when it comes to cigarettes, it’s not the same..
Please read what follows. You’ll see that willpower alone isn’t enough to quit smoking and to free yourself from tobacco and cigarettes once and for all.
Why are there things that you REALLY want in life ("falling in love", landing the right job, starting a family, choosing the car you drive, the house you buy, the clothes you wear, etc)?
Obviously, it’s because you feel that experiencing those relationships or owning those things will contribute to, or are essential to, your well-being.
And so, to get what you want, you’re ready to overcome problems, accept compromise, and even make sacrifices for a time.
You’ll continue to work as hard as you need to until you get what you want. This is an example of WILLPOWER. As you can see, though, it all depends on A STRONG DESIRE for something.
So you can say that your desire (and the reasons that sparked it) is what motivates you to act. In other words, this is your MOTIVATOR.
Your willpower therefore depends on your motivation. The higher your motivation, the greater your will to overcome the obstacles you’ll meet along the way.
Freeing yourself from tobacco and quitting smoking works in the same way! Start by forming your motivation, and willpower will follow!
Because of your motivators, you’ll have the willpower to implement the methods that will allow you to reach your goal: to stop smoking
Putting theory into practice
To increase your motivation to quit smoking and get rid of cigarettes, you must:
1) Be convinced of the many downsides of smoking;
2) Identify the benefits TO YOU of living without cigarettes;
3) Know that the benefits and aid you get from cigarettes can be obtained in other ways; and
4) Understand that the problems of quitting are temporary, but the benefits will last for a lifetime.
Quitting is not just a matter of stubbing out a cigarette butt. It’s a process that involves changing your habits and the way you look at things.
Maybe you thought it was enough to stub out your last cigarette and face the ensuing problems on a day-by-day basis? In reality, very few smokers manage to quit this way; most will end up lighting yet another cigarette in front of the convenience store. They can’t cope with the withdrawal from the nicotine their body craves so insistently, or with the psychological unease of experiencing a given situation without their usual crutch. As a result, they end up with a demoralizing sense of failure.
You need to understand this: Getting rid of cigarettes is like preparing for a trip. You need to set a date and make all the necessary preparations. If you pack up at the last minute and don’t bother to learn about your destination, you probably won’t enjoy the trip very much, and it might even be a complete disaster.
Therefore, without good preparation, even if you have solid reasons to quit smoking (your motivators) and if, as a result, your determination to quit is strong, you’re still likely to fail.
So, your success doesn’t depend on your willpower! It’s easy to understand why you didn’t make it in previous attempts. But now, you certainly have better a chance of making it this time!
