Anyways...one of the songs on the CD is called "Back to You," and I always liked it for the message just like I do with a lot of other music that I've listened to in the past. The last line of the song says, 'Doesn't it scare you, your will is not as strong as it used to be?'
That line has resonated with me for the last few years in a couple of categories of my life, mainly because I feel like my 18 year old self would beat the heck out of my 30 year old self for some of the things that I let my self get away with now (and almost justify). One of those categories is how I treat my body, and I recently decided that it was high time to quit smoking. I'm definitely doing it for myself, because I shouldn't have ever started in the first place and have always been pretty darn healthy otherwise, but another big reason I'm doing it is for the people in my life that I care about. There's the one's that hate that I smoke (and still can't understand how I ever started), the one's that don't know what that means yet (because they still can't quite say my name), and the one's that are probably a few years away from arriving.
Insert pictures of people I'm talking about here:
Since I've been talking to a lot of people about the fact that I'm quitting lately, as I'm a bartender in a smoking establishment, I was interested the last few days in doing a bit of research about how long it really takes to break/establish a habit. I've found some research that says that it takes about two weeks, but there is also some out there that says that the average time is about 66 days/2 months.
I haven't smoked an actual cigarette for a week, so I guess I have a ways to go to making sure that I have acually broken a habit that will lead to managing my life more effectively. I guess right now I have to take it the same way Bill Murray did in "What About Bob?" Baby steps...
I have to agree with baby steps. We say it all the time at work. For you to never smoke again you have to go an hour, a day, a week etc you get the point. It starts somewhere. I know that I too should treat my body better but I must applaud you on your steps to quit smoking. Good luck with the next week and keep us updated.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with quitting smoking! That's a great decision to make. I was once told by a leader of mine that it takes 21 days to establish a routine. Using the same logic I would say it would take the same amount of time to effectively break a habit as well.
ReplyDeleteAt work, we are begining a new "wellness" kick. We have leadership statuses each month where we reflect on previous months activities. Now, we are including a personal wellness activity as well. I chose to improve my 5k run time since I don't smoke, but I am also trying to get one of my coworkers to quit smoking. Each day I am putting a new note in his mailbox. I have put in pictures of smokers lungs, and facts about the amount of money he will have saved for his new baby's college fund if he quits smoking now.
There is no set amount of time to break a habit or establish a routine. It all depends on the individual and their patterns of behavior. A compulsive person with an addictive personality can get set in routine or habit in a matter of hours. And it's not about self control, it's about self realization. you have to realize your weaknesses (if you have an addictive personality, cave in to pressure easily, etc.), and working around them.
ReplyDeleteBut baby steps IS the key. Set a goal and map out a way to achieve it. Realize where your weaknesses are and find a way to combat them. And trust me, if I quit, anyone can...