Quitting smoking isn't a one-legged task!
By: Darren Warmuth..
Weird title, eh! But it caught your attention and that's what's important.
The stool or more correctly, the legs of the stool are a metaphor for what I feel is one of the most important aspects of quitting smoking - SUPPORT. Picture if you will sitting down at the computer to write a letter on a stool with only one leg and how difficult it would be to remain on it. Sure, you can say 'If the leg is in the middle of the stool, balancing shouldn't be too hard.' True, but what say the one leg is attached to the outer perimeter as normal? Do you think it would be much harder to concentrate on finishing your letter if most of your attention is spent trying not to fall over? Probably very difficult, I would think.
Now let's add a leg to the stool. Does it become any easier to sit on? Of course it does. Now you only have to worry about the stool moving side-to-side or front-to-back, but not both so you only have to give it half as much attention. Much easier to concentrate on the task at hand.
How about a third leg? Is that any better? You bet - perfect stability. With this surefootedness we can focus all our attention on our task as we no longer have to worry about ending up on the floor if our concentration slips.
So what's the point I am trying to make? A very simple one actually. By enlisting the help of support friends (legs) the efforts of quitting smoking won't fall solely on you. There will be a couple of other friends there to assist you. Even four or five buddies to call on would not be excessive.
Here's the thing though. When asking for support from these friends, it is of utmost importance that you also ask that they don't repetively question you about 'how it's going'. We want your support system to be approachable when you need them, not have the people in it grilling you all the time. It is also a good idea to make a pact within your support group, if you have the courage, in that if you ever come to think that 'just one' won't hurt, you MUST get on the phone and call each and every one of your 'legs' and let them know you've decided to continue smoking. Make it through all of those phone calls and still think smoking is a good idea and I'd be very surprised.
Get the right support and you will be free.
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