Goal setting - from 60 cigarettes a day to zero. Alaska is the place!
Thursday, July 19th, 2007I’ve just returned from 2 weeks in Alaska. This was my first time to “The Last Frontier” and I was totally blown away by the grand landscape, clean living and oudles of outstanding untouched nature. I thought to myself what a place to grow up. The natives were polite, strong and true, living in harmony with their surroundings and with a real appreciation for the magnificient beauty that surrounds them on a day to day basis. Most Alaskan’s that I spoke to said they would never leave, and as time passed by I could understand why.
I grew up in the countryside and went to school in Sweden so a large part of my heart belongs to the outside life. Living in London, although I do love it, can sometimes lay a heavy burden on a persons shoulders with its excess of noise, population and information. For me getting away from the daily grind and giving my body and mind a chance to relax is vital. This is the main reason why I live and work in Hampstead Village right next to Hampstead Heath. I love the fact that I can work with some great people personal training on Hampstead Heath and also experience some space and freedom as we move underneath the shade of the ancient trees.
I travelled to Alaska with a good friend of mine that I have known for over 10 years. In all the time that we have been friends he has always been a heavy smoker. It used to pain me to hear him coughing and struggling to get by in his daily activities. I’ve spent years telling him about the negatives of smoking, he has read all the books, bought the patches, gum etc. but never tried to give up. I was determined that Alaska would be the place to do it. And guess what, it was. He went from 60 cigarettes a day to zero overnight without any help - cold turkey!
How did he achieve this often difficult feat? He admitted to me that he was more afraid of giving up than the actual giving up itself. And for this reason he had never tried. I told him to visualise himself in a years time. “Would you still be smoking?” I asked. “Yes” he replied. “Well visualise yourself not smoking - not coughing, not being out of breath, clear headed, fresh breathed etc. See wouldn’t that be a better way to live”, I said. “Of course”, he agreed.
It was then just a case of planning and taking small steps. We fixed a date for the last smoke, the 4th of July - Independence Day. We planned a Sea Kayaking trip to take his mind off the smoking and a whale watching we went. The first day went well, smoke free and he even admitted that it was easier than he expected. That fear of giving up was never truly justified because he had never even tried. Then he went for a 2nd day smokefree, then a 3rd and then we decided a week was the target. He is still smoke free today and I still remind him of how well he has done and what a backwards step it would be to smoke again. He no longer coughs and said he feels a million dollars compared to only 3 weeks ago. Only time will tell whether he has truly quit but I believe he will never go back to smoking again.
Now if my friend can go from 60 smokes a day to zero overnight, anyone can. It just shows you the strength of the mind and how anything is possible if you approach it in the correct manner. Visualise your goal, make a plan, and then take small steps towards that goal. This technique can work with all walks of your life from finding a better job, to losing weight. Most important of all is to take that first step, my friend would never have given up had he been too scared of what he thought may happen. Just do it! What have you got to lose?
Although Alaska is the most beautiful place I have ever visited, you don’t have to travel half way around the world just to achieve a certain goal - just plan. That is unless you want a clean fresh break from the rigours of the western world and in that case I couldn’t recommend a better place.
To a healthier and better life.
Greg