One of my favorite movies, the Lion King (OK, I�m a HUGE Disney Freak) had an absolutely fabulous scene that really applies well to quitting smoking (or anytime we have to face our pasts or make a change in our lives).
In case somebody out there hasn�t seen the movie (I can�t imagine this being true, but you never know), Simba�s father died at the hands of Simba�s uncle Scar who convinced Simba that it was his fault. Simba then ran away from his pride and Scar became king and ruined the land. Rafiki, a wise old monkey, found Simba and the following conversation took place:
Great wind storm.
Rafiki: What was THAT? Gees! The weather!
Simba: Looks like the winds are changing.
Rafiki: Ah, change is good.
Simba: Yeah, but it�s not easy. I know what I have to do, but that means I�ll have to face my past. I�ve been running from it for so long.
WHACK! (Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his stick)
Simba: Owe! Gees! What was that for?
Rafiki: Doesn�t matter, it�s in the past.
Simba: Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But as I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it. (Rafiki swings at Simba again, but this time, Simba ducks). Ah, you see? So what are you going to do?
Simba, of course, runs back to Pride Rock to save his pride from his evil uncle and restores the jungle to the way it�s supposed to be and everybody good lives happily ever after.
Life sometimes smacks us upside the head pretty hard. Perhaps we got diagnosed with a smoking related illness or were told that if we don�t quit smoking, we will start to see negative consequences very soon. Maybe we haven�t been diagnosed with anything, but the effects of a lifetime of smoking are starting to become clear. Or, maybe a loved one either died from a smoking related illness or got diagnosed with one. Perhaps it was the cost of smokes that was the hardest hit. Or perhaps the thing that hit us the hardest was being a social pariah among friends, coworkers and the general public. Whatever the cause, all of us have seen or lived the devastating dangers and negative consequences of smoking.
Like Simba, we have also run from our pasts for so long. We hid from the world in a cloud of smoke. We suppressed emotions by simply not dealing with them and instead, smoking our troubles away. Quitting smoking often means having to face the fears, emotions and situations that may have caused us to start smoking in the first place. Facing fears is one of the toughest things we can do when we quit, and often the thing that keeps many of us from ever trying to quit.
Rafiki said, �Ah, change is good,� but believing that is not always easy. I can�t think of a bigger life change than quitting a 10, 20, 30 or 40+ year addiction. Smoking became a part of who we were � we were smokers� and some of us were pretty darn proud of that fact! But quitting means changing our identities completely. Who are we without cigarettes? Most of us haven�t been that person since we were teens, or maybe even younger. We don�t even know that person. It�s like we�re living in a familiar body (perhaps with a few extra pounds on it), but there�s a person inside there that is completely foreign to us, a stranger.
Simba was right; change isn�t easy! Especially when the change means re-defining who you are, how you cope with emotions, what you do during breaks, where you hang out and completely re-learning how to function in every-day life and getting to know the new �smoke free� self.
But this change often means more time on this earth with loved ones, more money in our pockets, more time to enjoy with family and friends because we�re not sneaking off somewhere to feed an addiction, more confidence in ourselves and more pride in who we are! Is the change worth all of that? I think so.
Change is also a very exciting part of life. If nothing ever changed, it would get kinda boring. We wouldn�t grow as people. Change often challenges us to find out just what we�re made of, gain strength, courage and confidence and then reach our full potentials. Without change, we never really know how great we [I]could[/I] be.
So for those who are still on the fence, are you going to keep running from your past and hide in a cloud of smoke or are you going to face your fears and find out what you�re really capable of? Will you rise to the challenge, like Simba, or wait for life to smack you so hard upside the head that it�s too late? Everyday, we make a choice whether to continue on the path we�re on or choose to grow as a person and find out how strong we really are. What choice will you make?
Crave the Quit!
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 757
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,925
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,126.41
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 53 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 57
