|
Complete list of quit
smoking articles
"I'm not ready to quit!" - What are
you waiting for?
by Fred H. Kelley
Procrastination. I know it well. From taxes to yard work to filing papers--you
name it, I'm the expert procrastinator. I can put off doing anything,
with style and ease. I file tax return extensions at 11:59 PM on April
15 without breaking a sweat.
Am I proud of this? Well, admittedly, sometimes yes. I pat myself on
the back and say "I have the amazing ability to get things done at
the last minute."
Do I usually end up regretting my procrastination? Almost always. So
I've had to learn ways to get things done now, on time. I'm still learning
and always will be. Procrastination is a persistent thief!
Procrastination is an expensive way to spend your life. Waiting until
the last minute can even cost you your life. And when you "spend"
your life mired in procrastination, you don't truly live. You are perpetually
putting off living.
Focusing on quitting smoking, how many times have you said "I'm
not ready to quit," or "I'll quit tomorrow," or "I'll
quit when I'm not under so much stress"? What are you waiting for?
THE COSTS OF PROCRASTINATION
If you fail to file your taxes on time, you'll pay penalties and interest.
If you fail to quit smoking, you'll eventually pay with your life.
Putting off almost anything will cost you more tomorrow than it will
today. I firmly believe that one of the main costs of procrastination
is the mental anguish you experience when you know you have something
you really should be doing. But most procrastination also comes with a
direct cost, whether it be financial or health-related or otherwise.
You should take careful note of the cost of waiting "until later"
to quit smoking. Calculate how much cigarettes cost you every day, month
and year. Calculate how much of your life goes up in smoke with each cigarette.
Estimates range from three to 15 minutes of your life are lost for every
single cigarette you smoke. That's one to five hours per pack! Is the
temporary satisfaction (fix) worth that much to you? Plus smoking causes
countless fires, wastes billions of dollars in "smoking break"
time and costs billions of dollars for medical care. You pay for this
too!
CAUSES OF PROCRASTINATION
So, what causes procrastination? You do, simply put. But why? Why do
you procrastinate? Why do you put off doing something that is beneficial
to you?
Life and motivation and psychology are complex and sometimes not rational.
What causes me to put off doing my taxes? I hate dealing with forms and
complicated tax laws and hundreds of difficult decisions and paperwork
and financial information. In my mind these are all good reasons to "do
it later." (But I bet you never saw a Nike ad that said, "Just
do it later.")
There are numerous causes and explanations for procrastination, including,
but not limited to:
1. Fear of failure
2. Fear of success
3. Fear of the unknown
4. Lack of interest or motivation
5. Lack of information
6. Too much information
7. Indecision
8. Not knowing where to start
9. Too busy
10. Laziness
Whatever the supposed cause may be, most times they are simply excuses
for waiting until later to do something that needs doing now. What's your
excuse for not quitting today?
CURES FOR PROCRASTINATION
Jump in and get started! That's what I've found to be the best cure for
procrastination. Overcoming the inertia and getting moving helps me to
"keep on truckin'" through my taxes or whatever else I need
to do. If I sit and dread doing the data entry for all my bank accounts,
nothing happens. If it just sit down, take the plunge and start inputting
my financial information in my computer, before I know it I'm nearly done.
I work through it until I get it right. Getting my various bank accounts
reconciled takes time and some trial and error, but by jumping in feet
first I get the process started, and my taxes done.
Similarly, to quit smoking, just get started. Today! Don't worry if you
don't have all the information or if the time isn't perfect or if you
don't think you can quit. Just give it your best shot! There never will
be the perfect conditions for you to quit. Face it! Time waits for no
one, as they say, so quit today or face the consequences tomorrow.
Keep these thoughts in mind as you begin to quit:
DO IT TODAY! NOW! Not tomorrow or sometime soon. Seize
the moment and make it happen now. Now is the only time anyone has.
INCH BY INCH, IT'S A CINCH. If someone told you to smoke
7,300 cigarettes today, you'd call them crazy. But if they told you to
smoke a pack a day for one year, then you'd say "no problem."
Likewise, if you worry about not being able to smoke tomorrow because
you quit today, you may find yourself panicked and unable to quit. Deal
with today, and let tomorrow take care of itself.
BEGIN WITH AN ENDING. Before you start a trip you'd
better know where you're going. In Stephen Covey's book "The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People", one of the seven habits is "begin
with the end in mind." In other words, get a clear vision in your
mind (and on paper) of what you want, and where you want to be. This may
seem contradictory to what I said about not worrying about tomorrow, but
these two principles work hand-in-hand. By knowing clearly what you want
to achieve, you can relax in the day-to-day details of accomplishing your
goal.
THERE'S NEVER A "PERFECT" TIME OR SITUATION TO DO ANYTHING.
Don't wait for "perfect" because it will never come.
Do the best you can with what you know today. Great achievers don't magically
know all the answers when they begin some new undertaking. The process,
the action, the investigation that they experience brings the answers
and the achievement. You need to begin the process of quitting today whether
or not you know how. You'll learn by doing. You may not quit permanently
the first time you try to quit. That's okay! You will learn what YOU need
to know to quit permanently next time. Great achievers take massive action.
Take action!
Quitting smoking now, today, is difficult, but the rewards are immense.
Throw out your excuses and get started. Excuses are the currency of failure
and the destitute.
Tomorrow never comes. Quit smoking today!
About the author
** Article © Copyright Fred H. Kelley of QuitSmoking.com. Visit
their web site at http://www.quitsmoking.com
for great information and products designed to help smokers quit.
Be sure to sign up for their FREE, twice-monthly email newsletter,
which provides informative articles on how to quit, and stay quit,
plus stories from other smokers.
Just mailto:startsub@quitsmoking.com |
| » How
to choose a home coffee maker
There are two main considerations when buying a coffee maker
for your home or small office: type of brewer and features.
» Remodeling
your bathroom on a budget
When you want to give your bathroom a facelift, you may
not have the available funds that you want to create the best space
possible. If you are on a tight budget, there are some ways to update
your bathrooms look and do it for less.
» Obesity
and weight loss - Muscle and the importance of low body fat!
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or becoming
obese or both. And if you do, then chances are you will be in for
a long life filled with pain, discomfort and little quality in your
life. However, it does not have to come to that.
» Student
travel - Backpacking in Europe
For the fortunate few, life isn’t complete without
a backpacking trip through Europe.
» Cambodian
taxi chaos - a leaf, a radiator and a MacGyver moment
The roads in Cambodia are vicious, angry slabs of asphalt
filled with potholes that would qualify as valleys in some countries.
» Alternative
therapies for acid reflux disease
Acid Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common disease which
affects approximately 5-7% of the population.
» Smart
kids: Use it or lose it this summer
The brain is like a muscle -- you use it or lose it.
During summer vacation is your child "losing it"?
» Weight
loss - The importance of low body fat
Most people will always have a love – hate relationship
with the scale in their bathroom.
» Parents
- Create an emotionally healthy connection with your child
Creating a loving emotional connection with your child
starts when the mother becomes pregnant.
» Planning
stress management
Deadlines at work, demanding bosses, bills to be paid
at home, kids demanding for time and attention, changes in the environment,
etc. AAARRRRGH.
» Infidelity
discovered? 10 ways to calm your powerful feelings
When you find out about the affair, the first few hours,
days and weeks can be emotionally wrenching to say the least.
» 5
reasons to organize your home today
Home organization isn't just for neat-nicks or those
drawn toward organized living.
» The
hidden truth about diets
Quick, what's the first thought that pops into your head
when you hear the word "diet?" Probably that when you're
on one, you feel like you're going to "d-i-e" right?!
» Exercising
- How do you sustain momentum
The number one reason people say they do not exercise
is lack of time.
» Survival
China travel tips and tricks
These China Travel Tips, Survival Techniques, will help
you get around and make your trip to China easier, so you will be
able to experience the real China with a little less stress.
» Losing
weight is not about numbers - It's about perspectives!
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of it
that works, but the basic principle of any good eating program,
no matter how sugarcoated, centers around calories IN— calories
OUT.
» The
weight loss key to success - Are you a sell out?
The only way you will follow through on an exercise program
is to be sold out.
» Weight
loss, fitness, and a peace of mind for life!
I am Greg Ryan, a high profile fitness expert with 50,000
hours of paid personal training under my belt, and twenty years
of consulting health clubs.
» Weight
loss - The soft drink diet
In the early ninety’s doctors were beginning to
see the growing trend in American’s waist lines.
» Parenting
- Roots and wings
I’m sure many of you have heard that old Hallmark
card adage that goes something like this: Parents give their children
two great gifts---one is roots, the other is wings. This is what
I address in this article.
» The
wonderful benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the
healthiest in the world consisting as it does of large amounts of
fresh fruit and vegetables, salads,nuts,seeds, omega-3 rich oily
fish, olives and olive oil and being comparitively low in dairy
products and red meats.
» The
Costa del Sol - Europe's premier holidaty destination
Since the 1960's and the advent of package holidays the
Costa del Sol has always been one of the premier holiday destinations
in Europe, and with good reason.
» Get
out and play: Top 7 outdoor exercises
Do you remember when our parents used to yell at us to
go outside and play? They would get so tired of us running around
the house munching junk food and fighting with our siblings that
they would practically kick us out of the house!
» Spoiled
rotten: The big 3 reasons for fitness failure
Read below to learn how this mistaken philosophy is applied
on a frequent basis when people practice the 3 basic tools of fitness:
Cardiovascular Training, Resistance Training, and Nutrition
» Backpacking
trips - Ten essential items
I've had backpacking trips that included rain, snow,
lightning, rockslides, altitude sickness, and twenty-mile days -
all in a summer weekend. Wilderness trips can be dangerous, but
you can make then less so, by having the following ten essentials
in your backpack.
» Picky
eater kid nutritional guidelines
Although many children are picky eaters at some stage
in their lives, the experts say not to worry.
» Fitness
goal secrets revealed here for the first time
Everybody finds it hard to arrange time to do various
day to day chores or tasks, including your muscle and fitness training.
» Adult
ear infection
Though adults are not affected as frequently as children,
it is important for adults to be aware of how adult ear infection
can affect them.
» Do
you have an acid reflux problem?
Most people have digestive problems that create a variety
of illnesses that we see as they age.
» Granada
Spain - Glorious city of southern Spain
Situated at the foot of the southerly Sierra Nevada ski
resort, Granada is one of the most splendid cities of eastern Andalucia.
» How
to think clearly
Does your mind sometimes feel like a television station you can't
quite tune in?
» How
to remember things
What's the biggest problem with memory tricks?
» Relationship
tips: 16 practical dramatic ways to know if he/she is really changing
Every relationship hits a snag, or worse, a major crisis
(such as infidelity), that demands significant change if the relationship
is to survive.
» Backpacking
with sand, snow and coyotes
I was backpacking in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was
March, so when I made it through the woods and over the dunes, I'd
have miles of beach to myself.
» How
to know if you are in the right career
Ever wonder if you are in the right career? If you are like most
people you have.
» Arthritis
- The pain and the reasons
Many fear the pain of arthritis as they age. But, it
can attack anyone at any time.
» Easy
steps to weight loss
It can be intimidating to follow a weight loss plan,
right?
» How
to save money on air fares
Unless you are a frequent business flyer and have your
air fares paid for by a company you will need to consider how to
save money on air fares.
» Treat
your anexiety disorder effectively
If you find symptoms of anxiety disorder in any of your
near and dear ones then the best way is to visit your physician
as soon as possible.
|
|
|
|
