Or more accurately, how?

Whenever you talk to people about quitting smoking, they usually sound like some kind of self-righteous broken record. “You’ll save lots of money,” they’ll say. “You’ll feel healthier,” they’ll harp. “Your clothes won’t smell like smoke any more!” they’ll blather.

I know that these reasons (and many more) might be motivation enough for some people, but personally they don’t make a lick of difference. Ten bucks a day is an amount I can comfortably afford, I feel absolutely fine and healthy (unless I have to do some incredibly strenuous exercise, then I get a bit wheezy), and I don’t generally care that my clothes are a bit whiffy because as a smoker you don’t really smell that.

As a result, when I’ve tried to quit in the past and have tried to use the standard money, health, social status reasons to focus on while quitting, I’ve failed miserably. Why? Because the pain and disruption of quitting massively outweighed the so called benefits I was keeping in my mind, and I’d end up firing one up. Saving money is nowhere near as important as avoiding discomfort.

But today I had a bit of an epiphany. I finally realised the motivation I need to quit smoking. The thing to keep in my mind to see me through the dark times when all I can think of is lighting up and filling my lungs with delicious smoke.

Quitting Smoking is Hard.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before, but that’s all there is to it. It’s so simple! Quitting smoking is an incredibly difficult thing to do, and it requires a massive amount of willpower and concentration to make it happen. And if there’s one thing that I love doing, it’s challenging my mind.

So I think this is the reason I’ve been waiting for, and I’m determined to make it work. Wish me luck!