It Won’t Happen To Me!

I was driving the other day and I was noticing how many people were smoking. It seemed like every vehicle had someone smoking in it. It made me laugh and grateful at the same time. I was a smoker a few years ago and I remember driving my truck was one of the places I loved to smoke. I don’t know what it is about getting in my truck but I would immediately light up. I have heard other people that smoke tell me that too. I laughed when I remembered that but was grateful I am no longer a slave to nicotine. For me, nicotine was a formidable opponent. I was physically addicted to nicotine and it was very hard to quit. It is funny how our minds work. I am not a dumb person. I know smoking is bad for me but I would rationalize that I would not get cancer or I would quit soon. I told myself these lies for a long time. I would think to myself “I don’t smoke THAT much. If I smoked 3 packs a day like my dad, then I might need to worry. I only smoke 1 pack a day, I’m fine.” That is what some people call denial.

The evidence is pretty solid that smoking causes cancer and increases your chances of heart disease. There is also strong evidence that eating foods high in saturated fats and being overweight is also not good for our heart. I was doing this too. I ate fast food almost everyday and was 295 lbs. Earlier I said I am not a dumb person, so why would I live this lifestyle? Why would a fairly intelligent person make such terrible choices? Knowing what I am doing is not in my best interest, why would I do this? I did this because I thought I was special. I thought I was the one that was going to beat the system. For some reason I rationalize that I was going to be THE ONE that would have no consequences for my actions. I saw my dad die a terrible death from lung cancer. He went from a strong man to a feeble shell of the person he was but I have the absolute audacity to think that I would get away with it. Reading what I just wrote is still unbelievable to me. I can not believe I believed those lies.

The reason I quit smoking is because I was setting a terrible example for my 2 boys. They were 8 and 12 at the time. I knew that saw me light up no matter how hard I tried to hide it. They look up to me and I was basically telling them smoking was OK. I could lecture all I wanted but it is my actions not my words. Who wants their children to harm themselves? So, if it was so bad for them what made it OK for me? I will gamble with my future and quality of life, I started to understand that. About the same time I was beginning to see the “big picture” I heard someone on a motivational tape. It changed the way I thought about this. He asked what a person would do if you saw someone feeding your do a bucket of fried chicken, french fried and ice cream. To finish off the meal was a pack of cigarettes and a 12 pack of beer. I would NEVER give my dog that but I was giving it to myself! I care more about my dogs health than my own!! WOW! I quit smoking then. I started down a healthy lifestyle and have not looked back since. I am so grateful I saw the “big picture” before it was too late. Once your health goes, you can’t change it.

So, if you are like I was, you can change too before it is too late. It took about 3 weeks of pain to quit smoking. I was not easy but nothing worthwhile usually is. 3 weeks of discomfort and pain for a lifetime of better health and a longer life…. sounds like a good deal to me. Make a decision. Once the decision is made, you have done the hardest part. You can do this! Change your habits and change your life, I guarantee you that you will be so grateful you did!

I have lost over 90 lbs and have kept if off for over 3 years. I can show you how I did it through diet and exercise. I have show hundreds how to lose weight and keep it off too. I will show you some secrets I have learned and how to get into the proper mind set. My passion is helping others. Stop wishing and get back into the game of life!