How To Motivate Yourself To Quit Smoking

How can I motivate myself to quit smoking?

When someone says "I just lack the motivation to quit smoking, or to change anything in my life, lose weight, start an exercise program", we know in the study of human behaviour people make changes when either there is a real desire for the goal and the outcome, or they have overcome the pain of making a change. So what is it for you? Is it because going through the pain of quitting keeps you from quitting and therefore you aren't motivated because you don't want to go through pain. Or is it because you don't really believe you're going to get any benefits? So I would encourage you to think about "what is my perception of why I smoke? What are the risks I am taking by smoking? What would be the benefits in my life if I made these changes right now?" And then reward yourself, say, "If I smoke a pack a day for a week, how much money would I have saved up? Okay at the end of a week of not smoking, I am going to take that money and do something I really want." So link the rewards that you give yourself to something that you have a high desirability for. The second thing that you can do is chart and journal everyday, do something every twenty-four hours, don't wait a whole week, that's too long to wait for. If you don't smoke for twenty-four hours what will the benefits be? You'll start saving money, you'll start feeling better, maybe your girlfriend who doesn't smoke will like that. You have got your own reasons that are very unique to you, so make a "Why do I want to continue smoking every day" list and make a "Why would I benefit from quitting", and look at the difference between the pros and cons. You know if you put it on paper and it becomes really clear to you because it has come out of your head onto paper - it is much more obvious how to motivate yourself to quit.