Quitting Smoking: What Are Your Real Reasons?

If you are contemplating stopping smoking then you must give some serious thought to your reasons for stopping. So let's look at how you go about it. When your reasoning with yourself, you are looking for an answer, gathering a solution by considering possible options. As you put in the effort you should be concentrating your mind on the 'moving towards' reasons for quitting smoking. You should be considering the positives. It may sound somewhat off but you should be asking: 'What's in it for me?'

There's such a lot worth living for, so it shouldn't be difficult to think up some of theadvantages of being an ex-smoker. A few common reasons fall into the categories of health, wealth and friends and family. It could help you if we examine these a little more closely under the microscope.

Health: How is quitting smoking going to alter your health? You might say that it will let you to live longer, breathe more freely and have better skin. You might expect you will find it easier to walk up the stairs or uphill, or to jog or run - if you are into that sort of fitness. It could mean that you would be able to play with the kids for longer and kick a ball around with them. They are all positive reasons to stop smoking.

Wealth: How is quitting smoking going to alter your wealth? We appreciate that extra cash is not in itself a great motivator. What counts is what you do with the savings, so you could say that it would buy you an extra holiday or a new car. The money may do something even more constructive for you. It would allow you to pay off your mortgage sooner or save for a deposit on a house. More commendable positive reasons to quit smoking.

Friends and family: How is stopping smoking going to change your friends and family? I would suggest that your children are less likely to start smoking if you don't smoke yourself. Your partner too is likely to be pleased about it.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. You will have your own thoughts on the subject. They may be quite different and they will be unique to you and your life and your reasons for stopping smoking. So how many more 'moving towards' or 'positive' reasons can you come up with when you really put your mind to it?

This, naturally, will demand a little work from you, but you are reading this article because you want to stop smoking. Get a piece of paper and write down all your reasons. I can't step inside your head and discover what stopping smoking will mean to you, but I'm sure you know, so think up as many reasons as you can. It really doesn't matter how small or big they seem right now. The best idea is to get as many legs under your table top as possible. Just get that done.

Perhaps you can appreciate better now why Oprah Winfrey said it had to begin with you, the individual.

Now ask how important every reason is to you. How much value do you place on your reason? Return to your list of reasons and ask yourself the following questions:

Why do you want to do it?

Why is it important to you?

How important to you is it?

What are you prepared to do to get it?

What would happen if you achieved it?

Next, grade your reasons, making a score of ten the highest and one the lowest. Tally up your score and anything less than a score of 46 points tells you that maybe you are not that serious about quitting smoking, until you can honestly score yourself a 49 then you will have difficulties in stopping.