Questions to Ask Yourself About Smoking

Questions have incredible, almost magical powers, when used correctly. Questions have the power to move mountains or move you to tears. Questions can help you think more clearly, get help, and achieve the impossible. They also have the power to help you quit smoking.

Are you asking the right questions? Are you asking questions at all?

Very little happens in life without someone asking themselves or another person a question: “Will you marry me?”, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, “Will you hire me?”, “Will you take $20,000 for this car?”, “Why did you do that?”, “What are your plans?”, “When can you get here?”, “Where is my shipment?”, “What’s the solution?”, “When can we reach the moon?”, “Why can’t we make this plane fly?”, and a billion more questions shape the actions that we take every day.

The quality and quantity of our questions shapes the quality and quantity of the riches in our lives.

Have you asked yourself any question lately, regarding your smoking habit? It’s time to spend a few minutes posing questions to yourself, to examine your smoking and to learn about yourself.

First, ask yourself “Why?”

Why did you start smoking? Why do you continue to smoke? Why do you want to quit smoking? Why have you failed to quit in the past?

“Why” cuts away the fluff, the unimportant. “Why” quickly gets to the heart of the matter. Read the questions above once more. Answer them honestly. Answer them aloud and really listen to your answer. Seriously, speak your answers! Hearing yourself answer a question can help you focus, dig deep, and reveal the truth, and then take action.

Now ask yourself what you can do to overcome the reasons why you continue to smoke. What can you do to make sure you don’t fail again? Create pinpoint answers to these questions. Write down your answers. Vague, fuzzy answers kept locked away in the back of your mind won’t help you quit smoking. In fact, they may keep you from succeeding. Ask quality questions. Get quality answers.

When you are craving a cigarette, ask yourself some thought-provoking questions:

• Which will I regret more, not smoking or smoking?
• Will I regret it 10 minutes from now if I don’t smoke?
• What can I do instead of smoking that will satisfy my craving?
• Can I wait just 2 more minutes for this cigarette?
• What’s more important—this cigarette or seeing my grandchildren?
• Who controls my life—me or this weed?
• What benefit do I truly get from smoking?
• How many of these can I smoke before they really do kill me?
• Could this next cigarette be the one that actually gives me cancer?
• Can my lungs and heart take any more of this abuse?
• If I smoke this cigarette will I be one step closer to quitting or one step closer to death?
• If I decide NOT to smoke this cigarette will I be one step closer to quitting or one step closer to death?
• These questions, if asked at the right time, can help you to focus on the truth about smoking in your life and help you delay smoking your next cigarette.

Next, ask questions of others. Ask your family and friends for support: “Will you help me to quit smoking?”, “Will you provide positive support without nagging me?”, “Will you be understanding if I become grouchy or angry?”, etc.

Ask other smokers and ex-smokers to help you quit. Ask them to quit with you. Go to our quit smoking forum and connect with other smokers at http://www.quitsmokingmessageboard.com

Keep asking questions of both yourself and anyone who will listen. The more questions you ask, the closer you will get to a final answer: “Yes, I have finally quit smoking forever!”