Well put. Our internal language means a lot. Perception is everything, and the way you percieve things has a lot to do with the way you talk to yourself. It's important to remember that "I am responsible for my thoughts, which change my emotions, which guide my behavior." And everyone's self talk brings about different feelings - We're all different - Nature and Nurture come together in different forms for all of us. So, if your self talk is different than the next guy's, but the end result is the same, then it's all good! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/17/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 544 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 40,800 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $10,200.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 48 [B]Hrs:[/B] 13 [B]Mins:[/B] 53 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33

There is no doubt that quitting the addiction is a struggle. There is much evidence of that fact in the posts we read here. Change is never easy and change coupled with the addictive nature of nicotine makes altering ones behavior a bit more challenging. That is why we must use all of the tools available to us. You know about distraction, you know about deep breathing, you know about identifying triggers. All of these things are essential and when used in concert and according to a plan are the bedrock of a successful quit. There is another tool that is available to us that may not seem so obvious as the others. It is not obvious because it is very close to us. What I am referring to is the story that you tell yourself about the quit. It may be said that our very reality is shaped by this internal conversation. If we speak to ourselves about being deprived of cigarettes, we will feel deprivation. If we speak to ourselves about a cigarette being the only instrument in the whole wide world that will calm us when we become unsettled. We will never learn to alter our perceptions in a way that avoids the necessity of smoking. I could give you more examples, but I think you understand my meaning. On this subject, I am put in mind of the story "Of Mice and Men"...If you take the way back machine to your high school English class you will recall studying this classic. It is the story of two characters, George and Lenny who travel through the travails of depression era America. The book describes the desperate straits of men like these and the seemingly hopelessness that pervaded an entire nation. And in truth that was the external reality in which lived Lenny and George. If you recall Lenny was a huge man who had a mental defect and George was a rather wily, intelligent man who was Lenny's friend and protector. The significance of this for us is that even though all external reality told these two that life was hopeless and that they where born to lose, they kept going. And what was the engine that spirited them forward? IT WAS THE STORY THEY TOLD THEMSELVES. When things would become difficult, Lenny would say "Tell me about the rabbits George" and George would do just that. He would tell Lenny that once they got their stake they would by a small farm and live off the fat of the land. And yes they would raise rabbits and everything would be all right. In short this was the story that negated all of the unpleasantness that was their day to day existence. Sadly George in the end had to use the story to end Lenny's life, but that is not the point here. The point is that we must get way down inside of ourselves and find the story we will tell ourselves about quitting that will allow us to move through the travails of this journey. Just as George and Lenny blunted the meanness of their time with the rabbit story, so too must we create a hero's tale that will project us out of the moments of desperation and into the sun light of success. nonic [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]12/25/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 383 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 11,490 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $4,021.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 71 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 6