So, I Hear You're Trying to Quit....

As I sit here and type on my blog that I haven't visited in a few years, I am now thirteen years nicotene free.

I'm stopping through just in case someone has stumbled upon the blog and needs some inspiration.

I need you to know you can absolutely do this.

I also need you to know that it's okay to not want to quit.

Don't let folks guilt you into quiting because it won't work.

You have to find a reason for you and you alone. 

I remember one day, I woke up and decided that I just didn't want to smoke anymore.

Did I quit that day? Nope. I thought it out and planned a day. 

Was it easy? Nope. But I knew what I wanted.

Go back to October 2011 on this blog. I journaled my quit.

Journaling was my anchor, along with an awesome group of folks called, "Rocktobers 11."

We all quit together on About.com. Remember that website? Wow! 

Where the heck has time gone??? 🤣😂😅😆😄

Anyhoo, I want to tell you that if you've come to the realization that, "Hey, I don't want to do this anymore," you can absolutely do it.

Go to the beginning of this blog.

It may provide you with the insight to begin your own Quit Journey.

I know you can do it.

Until Next Time, Stay Strong Beloveds

Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World
(For Those Who Are Open to Receive It.)

One Human Love

Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching

MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

 You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY" & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

Eight is Great....

Greetings, Beloveds - 

October 27, 2019 marked eight years smoke and nicotine free.

I am extremely humbled and thankful to the God of my understanding for the needed grace to be able to be free of smoking and nicotine.

My prayer for anyone who is reading this, who also wishes to quit, is that you too can find the needed peace and grace to quit.

Listen, it can be done. I'm not gonna sugar coat it and say that it's easy. All I will say is that it will be worth it.

If you want to laugh, go to the beginning of the blog and check out the first year of my quit. It might make you laugh, it might make you cry - but something, will happen. If nothing else, it will give you something to think about.

Remember, you CAN quit.

YOU CAN WIN. 

Don't know how? Go back to the beginning of the blog when you're ready to quit and just read.

You are awesome and if you would like to QUIT, you can and you WILL. 

Until Next Time, Stay Strong Beloveds

Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World
(For Those Who Are Open to Receive It.)

One Human Love

Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching

MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

 You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY" & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

Forwarned is Forearmed...

Hey, Beloveds - 

I pray all is well or better for everyone who still reads the blog. 

Thank you so much if this is you and Welcome to those who may have just joined the journey.

Back in June I blogged about vaping. We now see that what I shared was unfortunately, more than true.

People are dying.

Beloveds, smoking is something that we don't have to do. It's something that we chose to do. The reason why I say that smoking is not something that we have to do, is that it wasn't a requirement to keep us alive after we were born. We need nurturing, love, clean food, clean air, and clean water. 

Moving from one smoking habit to another does not help us to be smoke free and nicotine free. 

Beloveds, don't fall of the okie doke. There are industries that are waiting to reel you in like a fish with bait in order to get you hooked. These companies don't care if you get sick or die from smoking or vaping. All they care about are their profits. 

Since cigarettes have now been frowned upon and folks who still smoke made out to be social pariahs, the next thing to do is to find something that isn't looked at like the plague.

Enter vaping.

Look at how it was marketed? It was considered to be cool and it was considered to be more socially acceptable and better than smoking.

Beloveds, I will say it again.

"VAPING IS NOT BETTER THAN SMOKING."

Please don't get caught up in the bullsh*t. These companies are relying on you being weak, stressed out, and looking for a way out. Don't give them the satisfaction.

YOU CAN QUIT. YOU CAN WIN. 

Don't know how? Go back to the beginning of the blog when you're ready to quit and just read.

You are awesome and if you would like to QUIT, you can and you WILL. 

Until Next Time, Stay Strong Beloveds

Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World
(For Those Who Are Open to Receive It.)

One Human Love

Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching

MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

 You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY" & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

Nobody's Fool

I pray with all my being that everyone who has been following this blog has been well.

I hope that your journey to being smokeless has been uneventful and fun.

I just wanted to come on and talk about an AD campaign that is really pissing me off.
\
It's for this vaping thing called JUUL (and you can add any other vaping tool, as well).

While they post a huge sign on the video that says that the device contains nicotine, the way commercial is marketed, just pulls my chain.

The way the actors communicate the story, is as if vaping is better than smoking.

"She/He made the switch." Switch from what? Jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire? From bad to worse?

Don't be anybody's fool, My Beloveds. Please hear me when I say to you that;

"VAPING IS NOT BETTER THAN SMOKING!"

These commercials are very crafty the way they present the product. These products still contain nicotine. Nicotine is the substance that has you hooked. 

Beloveds, I know that it's hard in the very beginning to QUIT. Quitting in the beginning feels insurmountable. It feels like you're about to step off a ledge. But you know what? I am living proof that you can get passed it. 

If you're new to your QUIT journey, go back to the very beginning of this blog and follow my posts. 

It's not easy, but it is worth it.

Until Next Time, Stay Strong Beloveds

Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World
(For Those Who Are Open to Receive It.)

One Human Love

Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching

MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

 You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY" & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

The Meaning of Bitter Sweet....I'm Six Years Quit!!

So,  for those who have been following the Blog since the beginning, you know that today is the first year of my REAL QUIT!!

My sixth year quit, is actually my first time being quit for more than five years during a QUIT.

While I feel totally awesome about my accomplishment, I am equally saddened and broken hearted.

I’m not sure what cruel joke fate has on my life, but as some of you may remember, as I approached my first year quit in 2012, a member of my family passed away from breast cancer.

It was devastating.

The irony here is, as I approached my sixth year quit, another one of my loved ones was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer back in June of this year.

I don’t want to make this about me, but I can’t help but wonder why this is happening again.

I thank the God of my Understanding that I haven’t been triggered to smoke as a coping mechanism. It hasn't even been tempting and it never crossed my mind.

I’m still practicing yoga five times a week. It truly has changed my outlook on life and it has helped me with my perspective on many things.

I want to once again, share with anyone who is reading this and who is trying to quit; you can do this. You have to do it for you, not anyone else. Not because you hear folks ragging on you to quit, but because you really want to do it for yourself.

Guess what? You may fall off the wagon a few times. That’s alright. What you’ve actually learned is how to recognize another trigger. Once you understand what makes you smoke, you can create new coping skills to avoid those things, as best you can, which make you want smoke.

I can’t reiterate enough that your quit has to be about YOU.  Don’t let anyone dictate your quit or judge how you’re doing.

If it takes you one try, three or ten, YOU CAN DO IT!! 

Blogging actually helped me during my first year to exorcise some of the stress I was going through at the time.

It's important to have a support system for those things in life that we sometimes, just can't handle alone. It's okay to ask for help.

Just like with a Quit. Sometimes you need a support team to help you. I did. At the time, About.com had a Smoking Cessation Board. I met the most AWESOME people there.

I pray that wherever they are in the world, that they are doing better than well.

If you would like some suggestions, go back to the beginning and read through my first year.

I'm sleepy now. I've been crying for most of the morning, thinking about my loved one and all that she is going through.

If you're reading this and you care to, please pray for my loved one and our family.

Until Next Time, Stay Strong Beloveds

Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World
(For Those Who Are Open to Receive It.)

One Human Love

Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching

MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

QQ You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY" & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

Beyond Five - The Move to Six Years Smoke Free

Wow!!

Well whatdayaknow? Five years later and thanks be to the The God of my Understanding, I am still Smoke Free.

I really wish I could explain the joy I feel today. I am thankful moreso than proud of my journey.

Life is constantly changing and sometimes, what occurs can bring us to our knees.

When I look back on this day, I remember how afraid yet determined I was.

When I encounter challenges now, I employ the same strategy that I utilized five years ago.

I plan, I visualize, I strategize, and I go for it.

Who knew five years ago, that I would be practicing Yoga four times a week.

I don't want to give anyone the idea that my life is perfect. It's not. It's far from perfect.  I am just happy to be where I am and who I am becoming. I owe that to my decision to stop smoking. The journey taught me how strong I was despite the many challenges that came my way during my first year journey.

I do want to give everyone who wants to quit, the idea that if you really WANT to, you too can QUIT if you figure out that this is coming from deep inside. I do want to encourage you to at least to start thinking about what you want for your life, especially if that means you want to be a QUITTER like me.

I want to Shout Out my Rocktober's 11 Family. We all quit together in 2011.  If you're reading this, please know that I miss you all so much and I think of everyone especially in the Spring and especially during our Anniversary.

Please know that these wonderful folks played a HUGE part in my recovery and my ability to maintain my QUIT. I miss the comradery.

As I've written before, I have QUIT for five years before. I am excited about staying Quit after five years. Tomorrow will be my first day of my test to stay QUIT for six years, which is something I have never done since I started and QUIT.

Onward and Upward.

Remember. I am certain, that if YOU want to, YOU CAN DO THIS.

Go to Day 1 on this blog (October 27 2011), which is five years ago, and read for your self. Laugh-Cry-Enjoy what you read. I really want to Pay It Forward to everyone who needs it.

Until Next Time-Stay Strong

Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World
(For Those Who Are Open to Receive It.)

One Human Love

Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching
MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

QQ You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

Four Years Ago....

What?

It's been four years?

Yes.

It's been four years since I made that first post putting myself on notice that I QUIT POISONING my body. Sometimes I go read my first blog and recall how afraid but determined I was. 

Over the years I have hoped and prayed that this blog has helped someone to at least start the process of at least visualizing themselves as a QUITTER!!!

If you're still on the fence about QUITTING that's cool. Push on to see yourself as a person who doesn't need to poison yourself to feel wonderful.

Humbled to the God of my Understanding for giving me the courage and determination to stay right where in this place of freedom from nicotine.

You can do it if you want to. Remember that!

On to year five - This my loves will be the real test.

One Human Love
Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching
MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

QQ You CAN do it!!

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"

Here Comes the Judge....

Yesterday, I heard from a buddy who I hadn’t heard from in a while. He was sharing an experience he had with me. He told me that he had fallen off the wagon with excessive spending.  As I read his email,   I felt this sense of heaviness, as read the words he was shared. After I returned salutations and updates, I sat with my thoughts for a while. I realized what the feeling was. The weight I felt was judgment. Through everything he shared, there was this feeling that because he had relapsed into excessive spending again, that somehow he wasn’t worthy, or that he wasn’t as good a person as he was when he had his spending under control.

As I thought longer, and after sending affirmations to my buddy, I began to consider the judgment that comes with being a smoker and then deciding to give it up.

My Lovelies I want to talk with you today about judgment.

People judge smokers by saying things like, “Kissing you would be like kissing an ashtray,” or “When are you gonna give up that nasty ass habit?” or what I used to get all the time, “Wow you don’t look like a smoker.”  Which would lead me to say, “Well what the hell does a smoker look like?” (Serious eye roll action)

As human beings, we are always judging something or someone. Even though it states in the Bible “Judge not, that ye not be judged,” we do it religiously. He’s too short or she’s too fat, or he looks broke, or she looks like a snob, did she graduate from an Ivy League school? We do it all the time.

As it relates to your Quit, don’t permit ANYONE to judge you and how you’re coming along. Don’t let anyone talk down to you, about how many years you smoked before you Quit. Don’t let anyone bully you into smoking again by saying things like, “Quitting is for cowards.” And don’t let anyone shame your Quit by saying things like, “Well damn, it took you long enough to Quit.” And should you relapse? Please, please, please, do not even bother staying around people who want to see you start smoking again, or the people who say dumb sh%t like, “Oh damn, I knew you weren’t gonna last long.” As a matter of fact, if anyone who says they care about you says that to you, DUMP THEM Quick, Fast, and In A Hurry.  That person does not truly care about you or your health.

And for goodness sake don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes, we can be our own worst judge and jury. We make up stories about who we are and we BELIEVE these stories and most times they aren’t even true or based on anything in reality.

This Quit is about YOU and no one else. Sure there are plenty of folks who will be here to help you, but at the end of the day, this is about how you want to live in the future. This is about your health. This is about stepping into that person you want to be. If that person you want to be, is a person who still smokes, then that person will move along as a smoker. But if that person is a non-smoker then he or she will have to embrace a new way of living as a non-smoker one day at a time.

It can be done My Lovelies.

Let no one stand in judgement of your journey – and that includes YOU!

Until next time-Stay Strong!!

Sending Hugs, Love, and Healing Energy to the World

(For those who are open to receive it.)

One Human Love
Obi

Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom."
"Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power.

”Lao Tzu ~ The Tao Te Ching
MQM:CT MQD:10.27.2011:12:01:AM QBG:PROUD MEMBER, "ROCKTOBERS '11 !!"

 
Peace, Love, & Freedom to My Rocktober Family where-ever in the world you may be.
To Everyone thinking about Quitting and to those early on in their Quit, take it one day at a time, my lovelies!!

 

 You CAN do it!!

 

"We're Bringin' Smokeless Baaack!"

(to Justin Timberlake's, SexyBack..)

 "SEXY & NicoFree" 

"Not One Puff Evah, Baby!!!"