Luna----ry to not let yourself believe that smoking keeps the 'devil"
away, OR that stopping begs for disaster. It was coincidence---nothing
more!
Also, perhaps the "bad" things that seem to happen when you stop
smoking, not only would have happened, anyway, but just wouldnt have
SEEMED so traumatic IF not for the extra stress of having to deal with
the bad thing PLUS stressing over wanting a cigarette. That extra bit of
stress tips the balance.
I take my hat off to you---quitting smoking IS DAMN HARD. I've heard
ex-coke heads say quitting cocaine wasnt as hard as quitting smoking.
I did quit, for three whole years once---and all it took was ONE "Hey,
gimme one of those!" to start me back.
I know I will have to quit again. I did it before...so, I can do it
again. (I keep telling myself) I want to lose my weight first---THEN
tackle that last addiction.
One thing I remember that helped me a LOT was, whenever I wanted a cig,
I'd take a deep breath, then force it out very slowly thru partially
closed lips. In other words, let your lips create some pressure so your
diaphragm has to really PUSH the air out.
This seems to relax the diaphragm and releases the immediate urge to
smoke.
LOL, another trick I just remembered was, whenever I wanted to smoke, I
would say out loud, "How strange! that a NON smoker like ME would think
I want a cigarette!"
I found it VERY empowering to remind myself that I was a NON smoker, not
just a poor smoker trying desperately to BECOME a non smoker. In other
words, making that switch in your mind, immediately when you quit ,
from, "Im trying to quit", to "I AM a non smoker" made a huge difference
for me and may for you, as well.
All the many new-age books about creating this or that change in our
lives stress the importance of visualizing the desired event AS IF it
has ALREADY happened. I heard Jim Carey say that for years, before he
became rich and famous, he would sit on the hood of his car, staring at
the Hollywood sign, holding a check he had written to himself for a
million dollars---thinking over and over, "Im RICH!...and everybody
knows me!".
Certainly there is something to be said for creating reality thru our
thoughts. I personally believe that virtually ALL reality follows
thought. For this reason alone, it's important for you to NOT allow the
thought, "Quitting smoking makes bad things happen" to set up
housekeeping in your mind---or in your life. Just thinking it sets
events into motion.
You might even consider deliberately changing that thought to, "Being a
non-smoker brings incredible GOOD luck into my life, every day."
In other words, say this AS IF it were already true--that you ARE a non
smoker and your luck IS fantasatic.
Im a big believer in affirmations. I use them all the time!
My spiritual guide and Master, a man named Brad Brown, told me once,
There are no more powerful words than, "I AM". He went on to say, "When
we say, "I AM" and mean it....the entire Universe bends to support our
quest."
I firmly believe that this is true. The Great Truth, in fact, the One
Truth that changes everything.
Im not a Christian, myself, but I find MUCH Universal Truth wthin the
Bible. One of them is, "In the Beginning, there was the Word."
I take this to mean that, preceeding any real event, there is, first,
the word, the idea, the thought---THEN the thought (word) is made
manifest into reality. For instance, before you can build a house, there
must first be the thought, "I think I'll build a house." The actual
building of the house FOLLOWS the "word". You could say the reality of
the actual house was made manifest THRU the Word.
From the Christian perspective, I think we're supposed to glean from the
passage, "In the Beginning, there was the Word", that, just as God
created the Universe from His Word, WE, TOO, (being made in His image)
can and do create our universe from our word, whether conscioulsly or
unconsciously.
Im sure we've all known people who say, "If it wasnt for bad luck...Id
have no luck at all." Or, "Life is just SO hard...seems like nothing
ever goes right for me." or some variation of this. And, sure
enough...one stroke of "bad" luck after another seems to happen in their
lives.
They have NO idea they are manifesting bad luck FROM their Word!
Callling for it, in fact, every time they form the thought in their
minds. LOL...Im starting to think the Universe is always
listening....and hurries to bring us whatever we "ask" for----even "bad"
luck. In other words...IT doesnt judge our thoughts as "good" or
"bad"---it just brings us whatever we "call" for.
IF Im right about this, then we need to be very aware of negativity in
our thought patterns. What I mean is, spending five minutes a day
CONSCIOUSLY saying positive affirmations doesnt make up for a hundred
hours of UNconscious habitual negativity.
LOL, I just had this mental image of us all as cowboys....and our
thoughts are the cattle. We have to keep an eye out....watch for those
wandering strays....go after them and rope em back in.
Head em up! Move em out! Rawhide......
LassChance
Start LC~5-16-05
202-193-165
(i usually weigh on Sunday)