Stop Smoking – How to Motivate Yourself Today

By Oliver M. James

June 8, 2021


Motivation: Part of the Mental Game to Successful Smoking Cessation

It's a big decision, and you're in the process of making it, or perhaps you're still sitting on the fence. In this article you'll find a simple strategy to help you motivate yourself into becoming a non-smoker.

This article is not a health lecture, nor is it going to tell you how harmful cigarettes are, because you probably realise that already, and hearing it for the millionth time is not going to change anything.

This is a practical evidence-based exercise, inspired by the best selling book: Instant Influence by Michael Pantalon, a great read if you're interested in motivating yourself or others to get stuff done. 

There is no rule in the world that says you have to quit smoking today or tomorrow, you have the choice as an adult to do whatever you want.


Getting Started

Of course, it can feel like you are trapped smoking and that you have no choice at all. This is where hypnosis makes the whole process much easier.

So where do you even begin? You might be wondering which method you should use, whether it's cold turkey, hypnosis, vaping, patches, gum, acupuncture. However this is not the right question to ask.

No single stop smoking aid alone can force you into quitting smoking. Why? Because quitting smoking is mostly psychological, so it makes sense to start with your mind.

Here I am going to ask you a series of questions for you to answer. It's up to you to do them, but they have been designed in a particular way to help you generate the right mindset that can allow you to get real success when you decide to quit smoking using hypnosis or any method for that matter.

6 Questions to Ask Yourself:

  1. Why might you want to stop smoking?

    Now some obvious answers may pop up health, such as health and financial reasons. I would also think further than this, what would improved health and better finances do you for you?

    Take out a piece of paper and start writing, fill it with as many benefits as you can. It does not matter how crazy or silly the ideas are. What you are doing here is selling the idea to your brain that it's time to change, so let's stack the deck.

  2. On a scale of 1-10 how ready are you to stop smoking? (1 being the lowest, 10 being really ready to stop)

    Which number did you get. Now the wonderful thing is, there is no wrong or right answer here. You do not need to score highly.
  3. Why didn't you pick a lower number?

    Not a higher number, but a lower number. Here you'll begin to reveal your true motivations for making that change.

    Supposing you picked a 0 or a 1. What would have to happen to move that to a 1 or a 2?

    4. Imagine you've quit smoking, what would the positive outcomes be?

    Have a think about here all the ways in which this decision would affect your daily life. You may find it helpful to think about the changes in 1 week, in 1 month, in 6 months, a year from now and then 5 years from now.

    5. Why are those outcomes important to you?

    Here you will really begin to ramp up your own motivation. Using a pen and paper can really help you let the ideas flow.

    6. What's the next step, if any? Perhaps you have already made up your mind. Taking some kind of action is key to getting good results.


Possible Action Steps

  • Tell your friends and family, make a public announcement or commitment 
  • Set a quit date, mark it on your calendar or set a reminder on your phone
  • Keep a smoking diary noting down every single cigarette you smoke over a week, and logging how you felt before and after. 
  • Book your stop smoking hypnosis consultation
  • Throw out any remaining packs. Non-smokers don't keep cigarettes in the house. 

Learn the Secrets to Quit Smoking

FREE Email Course:7 Steps to Successful Smoking Cessation

Discover how to make hypnosis work for you, even when your partner, friends or colleagues still smoke and without gaining weight.

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