Day 28

Today was an awful day.

I woke up with a sore throat, so I believe I’m catching a cold. I’ve been sluggish all day long, and didn’t lift a finger for anything.

That’s OK because it’s my day off from work, but I still didn’t have the energy to make it to the gym like I had wished for yesterday. Perhaps it’s an excuse, but I just wanted to sit around all day.

The good news, however, is that I didn’t smoke.

I found this “how much money have you spent on cigarettes” calculator online and I took the test.

It works really well and I found out I have spent nearly $16,500 on cigarettes since I was 17.

That’s a lot of money!

Just think of what I could have done with that money instead of blowing it on cigarettes.

More times than not, when I walked into a convenience store to buy cigarettes, I’d walk out with more junk than just cigarettes.

I’d maybe buy a candy bar, some chips, or some beer. It was usually something. If a pack costs $5, I’m sure most days I was spending $7.50-$10.00.

That’s potentially double of what the calculator came up with.

So realistically, I could have spent roughly $25,000 on cigarettes and impulse buying in the last 18 years of my life as a smoker.

At the time you never think about the cost, though. It’s just $5.00, right?

You might be able to notice a little bit, but it won’t be the determining factor that is helping you quit.

If you take into consideration all the impulse buying you would be potentially doing, then you’ll notice how much money you’re saving.

Right now I’m not noticing the extra money because I’m spending that $5.00 on rewarding myself for not giving in and relapsing.

I’ll buy a nice dinner, or a tasty beverage, or groceries to fill the fridge.

That stuff feels good to do, so I have no problem spending the money on myself. I’ve earned it after all.

What you DO notice, however, is how good you’ll feel each and every morning.

For me, mornings are just incredible now. Every single morning I wake up before my alarm, alert and ready to go.

Can you say you’re like that in your own life? Probably not.

Sleeping is amazing, I wake up so rested and refreshed. The first thing I notice in the morning is how much better my lungs feel. I can feel them healing, and allowing more oxygen inside.

That in itself gives me a huge boost of energy.

That’s why I love mornings so much now.

As a smoker, I slept in as much as possible, and never woke up until I absolutely had to.

Most of the time, I would shut the alarm off and go back to bed for 15 minutes or so. I’d hit the snooze button numerous times everyday.

I haven’t hit the snooze button since I’ve quit smoking.

I don’t have any need to, as I’m totally awake and ready to start my day BEFORE my alarm even goes off.

I used to hate mornings.

What I did instead was stay up as long as possible and smoke as much as I could. I’d go to bed around 3am and wake up at 8am. That’s not a healthy schedule, but I didn’t care.

5 hours of sleep meant I wasn’t fully rested, so I was sluggish all the time.

Work was affected, my energy level was affected, I never wanted to do anything, and I always stayed up late.

That’s what’s so great about quitting smoking.

People assume or think their life won’t change much when they put that last cigarette out for good. They think their life will be the same as before.

Well they couldn’t be more wrong. Everything will change and for the better!

I wish I would’ve quit years ago, because I truly feel amazing right now (despite this cold I’m getting). I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything.

I’d be so depressed and sad if I was all the way back at square one right now.

You’ll never know how absolutely fantastic you could potentially feel as long as you are a slave to nicotine.

Break the addiction!