Secret Formula

35 years and nine days ago, I made a decision that changed my life, and probably saved it in the process. I gave up a habit of smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. I can tell you it was the hardest thing I ever did.

While the goal was hard, the formula was simple and this formula can be used for any area of your life to achieve great results. My secret formula for accomplishing this goal was simply:

MAKE A DECISION  ( I made the decision to quit smoking)

SET A DATE  (I set the date for April 1, 1980 after an incident in early March, 1980 that made me realize that my smoking negatively impacted myself and others)

CREATE A PLAN (My plan was to quit cold turkey)

STAY FOCUSED (Every day I got up and reminded myself of my goal)

SET MANAGEABLE TIME INCREMENTS ( I took one day, one hour, sometimes one minute at a time)

REWARD YOURSELF ( I gave myself rewards every week for staying focused and accomplishing my goal)

FIND A REPLACEMENT (I found something else to do with my hands)

REMOVE YOURSELF FROM DISTRACTION OR TEMPTATION ( I changed up my routines and kept myself occupied during peak times when I craved a cigarette)

WHAT I LEARNED (I learned that I can do ANYTHING)

xo, jan