Quitting Smoking-1

Belief in your own ability to quit smoking

It's simple: belief in your own ability to quit smoking.

Studies of smokers who successfully quit smoking show that one
of the most important traits of a successful quitter is their
belief that they have the ability to quit smoking.

Do you believe that you can quit? If you don't, you will have a
much harder time trying to quit. The best action you can take
right now to start the quitting process is to fix in your mind
the belief that you have the ability to quit smoking. You might
say that you can't change your belief, but you can.

Believing you can quit is so important because your belief will
guide everything you do in your attempt to quit. The way you
think, the research you do, the steps you take, the people you
talk to, the help you seek--all these will be influenced by the
belief you have in your ability to give up cigarettes.

If you don't truly believe you can quit, you'll probably find
yourself saying, "What's one little cigarette? I've got a
headache. I just can't quit like other people." If you believe
you can quit, instead you'll be saying "My head is hurting from
withdrawal, but I can make it through this. I know the headache
and other withdrawal symptoms will go away in a few days. My
life is more important than a stupid cigarette."

Believing shapes everything you do. So does not believing. If
you believe something strongly enough your mind will give you
the correct thoughts to help your body take you in the direction
of your belief.

Can you imagine what life would be like if Thomas Edison hadn't
believed that he could invent the incandescent light bulb? If
Edison had begun his search for the solution without really
believing he could create a light bulb that worked, he would
have quit long before finding the answer. Edison tested more
than 10,000 combinations of materials before finding the right
one to create a light bulb! You must believe that you can quit
smoking, even if it takes 10,000 attempts.

Fixing in your mind a belief that you can quit smoking may sound
impossible if you now believe that you don't have the ability.
Here are some tips to help you change your beliefs:

** Realize that your old belief was founded on old ideas and
circumstances and that your new belief is based on new
information and your newfound desire to quit smoking now.

** On 3X5 cards, write out several positive statements about
your ability to quit. Read your cards three times a day:
morning, noon and bedtime. Some statements to use: "I believe
that I have the ability to quit smoking," "I am a non-smoker,"
"I no longer need cigarettes in my life," "I happily quit
smoking," "It's easy to quit smoking," "I am a powerful, self-
directed person," "I control my own life." Make up some of your
own statements. Make them positive, as if you have already
completed the task.

** Post a sign on your bathroom mirror with one of the above
statements on it.

** Repeat the above statements to yourself, whenever you have a
free moment.

** Use visualization techniques to see yourself mastering your
smoking habit and winning the fight .

** Ask your family and friends to encourage you with positive
statements about your ability to quit smoking (We'll cover this
in more detail soon).

The bottom line is this: Millions of smokers have quit. So
quitting is absolutely possible. You simply need to believe in
yourself that you can join the ranks of the quitters. You DO
have the ability to quit. Remember, there was a time in your
life when you didn't smoke, so you CAN be a non-smoker.

** Article %uFFFD Copyright Fred Kelley of QuitSmoking.com. Visit the web site at http://www.quitsmoking.com for great information and products designed to help you quit smoking.