To Instigate Great Change you need Drastic Action – #7DayFast (Day 1)

Hi Folks,

 

Well, Today I completed my first day of fasting. How did it go? For starters I had a monkey on my back the entire day. As mentioned, cigarettes are like my crack, once I’m hooked…I’m HOOKED! While I haven’t smoked for a long time now (a month and a half tops) it was enough for me to return to the days of ‘Smokers past’.

Today I meditated, worked on a strict regimen to keep myself on track and overall I feel good about it.

I have significantly advanced my Digital Product and tomorrow will begin to flesh out the first parts of it. I was drinking Yerba Mate all day which also helped a lot with nicotine cravings. Other than that I feel like I’m on the right track.

My Revelation

For the longest time I have operated under a principle that goes as follows:

“To incite great change, you must take drastic measures…”

Every time I feel stuck in my life, every time I feel like I need a breakthrough I incite change. The way I do this is by changing something in my life that is core to my daily activities. For the past few months smoking has been a part of that. Now while I’m technically ‘fasting’ smoking…in reality I’m putting it away for a while. After seven days I’ll return to some of my ‘fasting activities’ but I will leave tobacco alone…for a long while!

Nonetheless, the crutch has been formed and for me to incite great change, I must take drastic measures.

So I identified my “time wasters” and decided to give them up for at least a week. What this achieves is a greater sense of anxiety within my daily life.

You might be asking: “But isn’t anxiety bad?”

of which I’ll reply: “Depends on how you use it!”

Anxiety can be bad when it clouds your ability to move forward, but if used correctly…it can be a great motivator.

I am maximizing my anxiety in order to motivate myself to complete goals. Every time I feel the scratching at my chest and throat I know that there is a reason ‘why I’m feeling this’. In turn, I reinforce my goals based on this ‘alert’.

My body is saying: HEY! GIMME SOMETHING TO DO!

And instead of falling back on my pleasure substances/actions, I refocus on work and personal projects instead.

Do this consistently and there is nothing that can stop your momentum towards a positive change in your life.

The Worst Addiction

For those who know me personally, they know I’ve been smoking cannabis for almost twenty years now. Quitting cannabis hasn’t phased me at all, and I smoke daily. I don’t smoke like a hippie, but I do endulge every night after work. Yet despite my years of consumption, I easily can leave cannabis at any given moment. Sure, I long for a toke now at the end of the day, but to be honest…I don’t need it.

Cigarettes on the other hand are simply not fun. It’s addiction is wicked. It provides no benefit except to remove the anxiety it causes and that is only temporary. If I had to classify a drug as ‘Schedule I’ I would nominate cigarettes as they hold no medical value and have a monstrous potential for abuse.

So folks, take it from an addict….don’t smoke tobacco!

What’s next?

Tomorrow I will wake up again at 6 AM, go through my check list and keep on with the plan I feel good being able to make it through this first day since it is the most difficult. It only gets easier.

Also, to increase my efficiency in meditation I am creating an audio track with positive affirmations on it. The structure will go as follows:

1. 5 Minute Positive Affirmation induction

2. 20 Minute Deep Meditation

3. Pep Talk and more Positive Affirmations

 

I will make 2 different sets since I want one for the morning and one for the afternoon. Once I’m finished producing them, I’ll drop a “General Public version” on one of the blogs for free. You can use it as you please.

 

Bottom line

So here we are, at the end of day one and I’m feeling good. It wasn’t easy…but I’m through the hardest day. I’ll keep on keeping on and will report every evening roughly at this time about what is happening in my life.

 

Is this working thus far? I would say yes!

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