If you’re a smoker, you want to quit smoking and anticipate eagerly the day you can do so. But, still, sometimes it seems an impossible task. You try and try and then still get caught in the same grip of addiction. You want to succeed but find yourself, too often, standing in the same place as you were before.

This is not just the case for a few smokers, it is the case with just about every smoker. Smokers try hard to quit but the dependence on nicotine can be too strong. It is a deadly drug with powerful addictive powers. The fortunate thing is that thousands of people are successfully escaping the grip of nicotine. Their willpower to quit smoking has won out over their smoking addiction.

You can follow their footsteps too:

You need to fulfill the commitment you have made with yourself and with those close to you. The first step is to alter your thinking and become and optimist. You must change your habits, meaning any of the habits that lead you to smoke.

You need to think of all the good reasons to quit, but only those that make sense to you, personally, and think how much better your life would be if you quit smoking, but use specific reasons. Write down the reasons you started smoking and the reasons you want to quit. Again, these must be your own reasons! Do not just use the reasons from anti-smoking ads you see on television or reasons others have used, they will not work unless they are reasons to which you are emotionally attached. This will give you strength.

If you properly condition yourself mentally then you can certainly realize the commitment you have made to yourself. People are generally scared of the withdrawal effects without giving thought to the long term benefits of quitting. They never think that the pleasure, comfort and enjoyment that they are getting from smoking is short term. These feelings exist at a subconscious level. Studies say that we experience 60,000 thoughts a day, and unfortunately when you are scared of quitting smoking a high percentage of those thoughts can be negative.

So, remember, write it down. Write down the reasons you want to quit smoking and use those reasons to start to motivate yourself. It’s not an easy task, but many have gone before you so you know it’s possible.