The Secret to Quitting Smoking with Success - by Becky Hays

What is the secret behind quitting smoking?

Stopping smoking is more than changing a habit - it is a change in LifeStyle. This is why quitting smoking is a “coaching” issue.
The secret behind quitting smoking, for the long term, includes changing your self-image.

This is the true secret to success.

What is a Self-Image?

Everyone has a subconscious self-image, or identity. This self-image is subconscious and includes everything you “believe” about who you are. However, this self-image is completely made up and forever changing.

It is like a sculpture of you - that is constantly being shaped and changed over time.

This self-image is very powerful, because everything you Think, everything you Feel, everything you Do, will Always line up with your identity, with your self-image, with “who you believe youARE”.

To successfully quit smoking you want to update your self-image, who you believe you are, at the subconscious level.

This includes a new lifestyle. This doesn’t need to be a totally new lifestyle. Consider it to be more of a LifeStyle upgrade: Your Life 2.0.

Your Life 2.0 - includes upgrades that are better than before.

Many people talk about the myths around smoking. Some describe smoking as an addiction that will never go away. But I would counter that thought, because I myself have quit smoking many years ago, and I don’t have any cravings. I don’t consider myself to be a smoker. I am not addicted to smoking.

I am living proof that it can be different.

Many of my clients are living proof that it can be different.

Then I would offer this idea to contemplate.

What allows a person to even think about reaching for a cigarette?

What happens in their mind?

The reason a person can think about reaching for a cigarette is because - part of their self image includes the identity of being a smoker. They may even make this identity statement: “I AM a smoker.”

“I am…” is an identity statement.

When you hear a person state “I am…” they are sharing something about what they believe subconsciously about who they are.


The NonSmoker Identity

People who are nonsmokers would never think about reaching for a cigarette, because it’s not who they are. Reaching for a cigarette is not an option. It’s not on the menu.

The nonsmoker opens up the menu to see plenty of choices they can reach for. Under stress, they may do some crazy things, but reaching for a cigarette is not one of them. Their subconscious identity includes being a nonsmoker. That means, reaching for a cigarette is not an option.

But someone who thinks about smoking, even 5, 10, 30 years after they quit, still has a selfimage that includes a “belief” that they are a smoker.

Even though they have not smoked in 30 years, smoking is still an option, because their subconscious identity includes Being a Smoker.

Here is an interesting example.

A client came to see me a few years ago. She had started smoking again after quitting 30 years before.

Now, 30 years is a very long time!!

Do you realize your body completely replaces itself within a few months? Every single cell of your body has been replaced in less than one year. In about six months all the cells have been replaced and you have an entirely new body.

So in 30 years this woman was definitely a new person. All of the chemicals were gone from her body. There was no addiction. She was not having physical cravings. What happened with her was mental. On a deeper level, what tripped her up was her subconscious identity.

She had updated her self-image when she quit smoking 30 years ago, but she did not fully update her self-image into being a nonsmoker.

Instead, she updated her self image that goes something like this:

“I am a smoker, who has not smoked, in 30 years.”

That was her self-image. Her identity was the self-image of a person who is a smoker, who has chosen not to smoke for a very long time.

That means the option to smoke was still on the table. It was still on the menu.

If you want to take that option off the table, then you need to remove that option from your subconscious self-image. You need to update your self-image fully into being a nonsmoker.

Why is this important?

Because a nonsmoker would never think about reaching for a cigarette. Its just not who they are.

Now does this take the choice to smoke completely away from your life, forever? No. Of course not.

You are always in control - and you always have choice.

If you pause to think back, the first time you ever reached for a cigarette, you were a nonsmoker back then. You had never smoked before. But you made the choice to do it.

And that’s because, in your mind you started changing your self-image.

Back then, you updated your identity, your subconscious Belief in who you were, into being anonsmoker who is ready to try smoking. That’s what happened.

You managed to update your self-image into a new version that goes something like this:

“Yes I am a nonsmoker, but I’m ready to be cool, so I’m ready to reach for a cigarette.”

And that’s what allowed it to happen.

So you have already proven you can update your self-image. You have done it before.

The Power of the Self-Image

Your actions will always match who you are.

Your actions will always match who you “believe” you are - at the subconscious level.

Updating your self-image into an identity of Being a Nonsmoker is key.

This is the secret to long term success.

In my smoking cessation program we begin to shift this inner identity, to update your selfimage into being a nonsmoker.

But Better Yet. We begin to update your self-image into being a Happy nonsmoker.

Who are you going to be when you quit smoking?

What do you want your life to be like?

You get to choose.

We apply this same concept in every coaching and hypnotherapy program because it is so important.

Because no matter what change people want to make in their life - any change YOU want to make in your life - includes - an upgrade to your self-image.

You already do this naturally, as you are changing through the years.

For example, if someone wants a new career, they first need to update the self-image to include exploring a new career. If a person wants to go to college they need to update the selfimage to include the idea of being a person who goes to college.

And if you want to quit smoking, you want to update your self image into being a nonsmoker - or better yet - being a happy nonsmoker.

This is the secret behind quitting smoking for the rest of your life.

And of course you are always in control. You always have choice. Just like the first time, when you were a nonsmoker, and for whatever reason, you decided to smoke. You always have that choice. But you will have that choice now from the place of being a nonsmoker.

This gives you back control.

Ready to Quit?

Go to: https://www.smoking-cessation-program.com