Commit To Quit – 7 Steps for Committing to Quitting

Commitment. For some people that’s a dirty word. For others, it’s a joke about men’s inability to do so. But for smokers, commitment is an essential ingredient for successfully quitting smoking.

Let’s look at what commitment is and how you can get it if you don’t have it.

When you commit yourself in marriage, you are making a pledge before God and man to be faithful to one person for life. A commitment is a solemn pledge to yourself or someone else. A commitment is almost a magical force that empowers you to do the impossible.

With commitment there is no option to fail. You do what must be done.

How do you get commitment?

Let’s clarify the language we are using. You GET commitment from someone else, for something THEY will do. You MAKE a commitment to yourself or someone else for something YOU will do.

So, what you are concerned with is MAKING a commitment to quit smoking. You are not magically going to get commitment to quit from an outside source. You must make it—create it—yourself.

This is either a scary or an exciting concept! Your commitment to quit smoking comes from inside you. You have the power to manifest your own smoke-free life. That power is YOUR responsibility (that’s the scary part).

Here, then, are 7 ways to help you make your commitment to quit smoking. Use several of these to strengthen your commitment.

1. Write It Down - Putting your plans on paper has a mysterious power to create reality. Pull out a piece of paper or a post-it note RIGHT NOW and write down the date upon which you will quit smoking. It’s simple. Just write “I will quit smoking on,” and your quit date. Now post this somewhere that you will see it every day.

2. Tell Your Family And Friends - No one likes to admit they failed at something. It hurts the ego. Give yourself some pride to protect by telling your family and friends that you are going to quit smoking. Ask for their support. Hopefully they will help you, but you’ll also not want to let them down and/or give them the satisfaction of seeing you fail. Put your pride on the line!

3. Commit to Small Steps - If you aren’t ready to quit immediately, then commit to a series of smaller goals. For example, commit to cut your smoking in half by a certain date. Make sure you have an ultimate quit date set also. Commit to change your brand of cigarettes. Commit to not smoke after lunch or dinner.

4. Understand Why You are Quitting - Knowing the reasons why you want to do something will mitigate the struggle and pain. Write down why you are quitting. Surely you want better health, more money, better looks, more dates, etc. Make a list of at least 10 reasons why you are quitting.

5. Understand the Consequences of Breaking Your Commitment - Write down what will happen if you break your commitment to quit. For example, “I will waste hundreds of dollars each year,” or “I will probably die five years earlier,” or “I will continue to smell bad,” etc. Make a list of at least 10 consequences of breaking your commitment.

6. Believe In Yourself - If you have a difficult time keeping commitments, you may find making a commitment to quit smoking seems impossible. But every person has missed commitments, and every person has kept commitments. Instead of focusing on your shortcomings, focus on the successes. Write down the commitments you have kept, and detail what you had to go through to keep that commitment.

By inventorying your previous commitments you will bolster you self-image. Believing in your own ability to follow-through with commitments will be critical to your success.

7. Burn Your Ships - In 1519, Hernan Cortes and his men landed on the coast of Mexico. After the men and supplies were brought ashore, Cortes ordered the ships burned. There was no turning back. Cortes made it clear to his men that they would press ahead.

How can you burn your ships? Start by throwing all of your cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters and any other paraphernalia in the trash. Next, stop taking smoke breaks with your smoking buddies at work. If necessary, stop hanging around with other smokers altogether. Then make sure you eliminate as many smoking triggers as possible. For example, if you have a cigarette with your morning coffee, switch drinks or cut out coffee completely. If you smoke while driving, take a bus, walk or carpool! Watch for things that trigger smoking, then eliminate them, if possible.

Conclusion

Making a commitment can be a joyous and rewarding experience if you take these simple steps to create deep commitment. Your reward will come to you both after you quit and during your struggle to quit. You will soon learn just how much power you have!