Sunday, December 31, 2006
its the final countdown
developing capacity for self-evaluation is #1;
stopping smoking is a by product of #1;
therefore, the goal becomes secondary and much easier to achieve.
not that this is a post about new years resolutions, but i have to post this anyway.
i've decided to quit smoking. yeah, well, health/annoyances/whiners blah blah. the point is, i figure that there should probably be a time, and 30 is as good a round number as any. so, come my 30th birthday, i am ceasing my habit for good.
obviously, i don't know how its going to go. these days, if i want a cigarette, i have one, if i don't want one, i don't. i just don't care about it all that much. and this is the part that you say "yeah, sure". but really. i'm not really addicted to smoking so much as its something to do and its just been something that i've gotten used to over the years. i know that a lot of people are addicted to smoking, so i'm not trying to trivialize their experience (both smoking and trying to quit same), i'm just saying that i smoke not b/c i need to so much as (stupidly) i want to.
and now you say, well, if that's true, why don't you just quit? just stop and never smoke again? well, i know myself. my mind doesn't work like that. i have to want to stop something. if i just say i don't care either way, then i smoke. and i'll prove it. i haven't had a cigarette since last saturday, which is exactly 7 days ago, and i haven't even really wanted one. oh, i thought about it 3 times, but never wanted it bad enough to actually go buy a pack.
so, what's my point? my point is this. with the end of the year coming, and new year's resolutions just around the corner, people all around are deciding to quit smoking. and they've been bombarded with commentary about how hard it is. and i'm not saying that its not. i'm just saying that before embarking on the task, and then rushing out and getting all the nicotine gums in the city, consider some self reflection first. what kind of person are you? do you get addicted to things quickly? or not at all? do you smoke b/c you're addicted or b/c you just haven't really bothered to quit b/c it was never the right time. i've set a date b/c i know what kind of personality type i am, and that's that. i need to set deadlines or goals for myself. for me, it's more about the date then the smoking, if that makes any sense.
before you can do anything, you have to know who you are and why it is you do what you do. then you can worry about figuring out how to solve whatever habit/addiction/conflict you have.
stopping smoking is a by product of #1;
therefore, the goal becomes secondary and much easier to achieve.
not that this is a post about new years resolutions, but i have to post this anyway.
i've decided to quit smoking. yeah, well, health/annoyances/whiners blah blah. the point is, i figure that there should probably be a time, and 30 is as good a round number as any. so, come my 30th birthday, i am ceasing my habit for good.
obviously, i don't know how its going to go. these days, if i want a cigarette, i have one, if i don't want one, i don't. i just don't care about it all that much. and this is the part that you say "yeah, sure". but really. i'm not really addicted to smoking so much as its something to do and its just been something that i've gotten used to over the years. i know that a lot of people are addicted to smoking, so i'm not trying to trivialize their experience (both smoking and trying to quit same), i'm just saying that i smoke not b/c i need to so much as (stupidly) i want to.
and now you say, well, if that's true, why don't you just quit? just stop and never smoke again? well, i know myself. my mind doesn't work like that. i have to want to stop something. if i just say i don't care either way, then i smoke. and i'll prove it. i haven't had a cigarette since last saturday, which is exactly 7 days ago, and i haven't even really wanted one. oh, i thought about it 3 times, but never wanted it bad enough to actually go buy a pack.
so, what's my point? my point is this. with the end of the year coming, and new year's resolutions just around the corner, people all around are deciding to quit smoking. and they've been bombarded with commentary about how hard it is. and i'm not saying that its not. i'm just saying that before embarking on the task, and then rushing out and getting all the nicotine gums in the city, consider some self reflection first. what kind of person are you? do you get addicted to things quickly? or not at all? do you smoke b/c you're addicted or b/c you just haven't really bothered to quit b/c it was never the right time. i've set a date b/c i know what kind of personality type i am, and that's that. i need to set deadlines or goals for myself. for me, it's more about the date then the smoking, if that makes any sense.
before you can do anything, you have to know who you are and why it is you do what you do. then you can worry about figuring out how to solve whatever habit/addiction/conflict you have.
The End of Privacy - Whitaker