Weird title, eh! But it caught your attention and that’s what’s important.
What I’m alluding to here is a metaphor for what is one of the most effective tools you can use when quitting smoking. And that’s SUPPORT. What would you do if you had a stool with only one leg? Could you even use it? Suppose you tried. Do you really think that you would be able to concentrate on the job at hand if all you were thinking about is if the stool would fall over? Not very likely.
Now what would happen if we added a second leg? Would it be easier to maintain balance. Sure it would. You would only have to give it half the attention for with two legs it would only move back and forth or side to side. And this would make it far easier to maintain balance and keep your attention on the task at hand.
What if we brought the leg count up to three? Is it any more stable? Without a doubt. It has been stated that three legs is the minimum to attain perfect stability. And with this stability, we are free to focus our attention on the task at hand.
So what does this have to do with quitting smoking? Everything! Why make it difficult on yourself by trying to quit completely on your own when there are people out there who would be more than happy to be on your support team. Having a couple of friends to call on would certainly add to your stability, but having four or five wouldn’t hurt either.
Although having five legs of support on a stool may look funny, having this number of support people at your disposal when quitting smoking is smart. But be sure to inform whomever you ask to help you that they don’t harp on or badger you about quitting, only to be there when you need their valued assistance. And if you are courageous enough, and I hope you are, make a pact with yourself that if at any time after you quit you are tempted by yourself or someone else that having ‘just one’ wouldn’t hurt, you must call all your ‘legs’ and say “Hi, it’s me. I’ve decided to start smoking again.” If you can make it through all of these phone calls and still believe that ‘one’ won’t hurt, I’d be very surprised.
Get the right support and you will be free.
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