My new folly - more European than cigarettes. And this one's actually good for me.

http://loveequalslaughter.tumblr.com/post/6373911809/my-new-folly

Now, as a self-confessed self-helper, avid student of the law of attraction, positive thinking & The Secret & a Nichiren Buddhist, I know that to bring about change you need to redirect thoughts & create new habits.

Telling yourself NOT to do, say or think something usually just makes you feed that thing more energy, time & gives your already overcrowded mind a newfound neurotic-ism to NOT want.

Example: DO NOT think of the colour RED. So what colour are you imagining now? Exactly. I have learnt that this happens because our sub-conscious doesn't know the meaning of NOT. All it responds to is the subject or focus of the sentence or instruction.

You know when you are running late for work & the stream of dialogue in your head is screaming "Fuck! I'm going to be late! Shit!" (pardon my French), & next thing you know you're out of toothpaste, you miss your train, you stub your toe etc. Well, thinking about that logically, of course you are going to run into all kinds of obstacles when you're telling yourself to. So we are supposed to recognise the stress, fear & anxiety (in this case about being late) & redirect the line of thinking to positively influence the outcome & achieve what we DO want (here it would be to be on time).

Put a mental stop sign to the "I'm going to be late/ Fuck I don't want to be late/ <insert yours here>".

Ask yourself what you DO want, not what you DON'T. Remember the brain needs clear instruction to be used effectively & the brain affects all other areas of ourselves (mind, heart, outwardly visible body, aura/ spirit/ chakras, mood, hormones blah blah blah). So...we say "I'm ok, I will be on time, I am on time." Even use the specific moment you need (the mind only ever deals with the present), e.g. "It is now 9am & I am sitting at my desk, I've caught my breath, I'm logging on to my computer & muttering 'g'morning' to Steve (you sit next to him at work).

There. Sigh of relief. The world didn't end. You didn't die. It's all about survival.

Vivid visualisation & persistent faith is the key. This is the common link in all the texts I've read, seen, listened to or heard about on personal growth, success & victory. Be it breaking bad habits, eliminating the rotten fruits of your life, creating good luck, making money, finding love or achieving happiness.

You gotta look the part, walk the walk & talk the talk as if IT IS. NOW. I cannot explain the power & truth I've discovered in the saying, "Fake it 'til you make it".

Now, what I am having trouble figuring out today is what thought could I replace the "I'm not smoking" with, in order to actually stop smoking?

I've thought of "I only inhale clean air" but there is still pollution, "I am a non-smoker" but that is still considered negative (I think) & then "I now see smokes & feel no desire to have one myself" (but again the word no makes this sentence negative)....even the symbol is negative.

If I'm anti-smoking, then I'm pro------- what? Oxygen?

Help me please, reformed smokers 

& fellow self-helpers!

Style Me Frenchy may be on the way to being a little less Frenchy and a lot more healthy. Hopefully.

Maybe I'll just save my smoking for Paris and red wine. Maybe...but man I feel like a cigarette, and dinner at a Parisian restaurant. Like this one that my brother Jamie checked in at on Facey:

La Bonne Franquette

And if all else fails, swallow this: