Okay, this incredible moment happened at work, and I’m still buzzing about it! I’ll try to explain it here as briefly as possible…
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A visiting professional and I were chatting as we left my office building at the same time. He was on a tight schedule, but he stopped to light a cigarette anyway as he grumbled, “Man, I hate these damn things. I really can’t keep doing this.”
I said, “I quit smoking 172 days ago.”
What happened in the next 45 seconds went something like this…
“Really?! 172 days?! I wish I could do it.”
“You can do it…you just have to want to quit MORE than you want to smoke.”
He locked eyes with me then, intently listening.
I said, “The moment came when I had had enough poison, so I got help. When your moment comes, you’ll know it and you’ll get ready. And you’ll do it.”
“I’m ready right now!”, he exclaimed. He stomped out his cigarette, and he threw the pack and lighter into the trash can, right in front of me. He was fired up! I saw from his body language, too, that he was itching to jump up and down and shout and hop in his car and just… go!
I had 20 seconds to hook this guy with the most meaningful and potent things I could think of, so I told him, “Do not worry about tomorrow, or Friday, or next week. Just don’t smoke today. When an urge hits, breathe deeply for 3 minutes, and it’ll pass from you. Wake up each morning and choose to not smoke again that day. Because you do have a choice. There is a better way to live, and you can choose to live it. You don‘t have to keep killing yourself this way.”
He shook my hand, thanked me, and hurried away before his tears - yes, tears! - started flowing.
I stood there, tingling and stunned, as I waved at his car leaving the parking lot.
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Now, I have no idea what will happen to that guy. He was obviously already thinking about quitting, so maybe our encounter ignited the fire he had been waiting for. But, maybe he was just really embarrassed to be seen smoking in front of a quitter, and got a bit too theatrical about escaping from the situation. Maybe he drove straight to the gas station, or maybe he’ll buy a pack later today…because he quit without a plan and without practice. Maybe he’ll never touch another cigarette the rest of his life. Really, I have no idea what will happen with this guy today or tomorrow or next week.
He surely did energize my quit today, though, that’s for sure. I just hope I helped kick-start his.
STORM: 172
