Post by Sana Sharif Ansari

"How do I quit smoking?" Asked a friend in a very desperate tone. I smiled at the question, took a dramatic pause and replied, "If I tell you, are you willing to give it your best?" "I will climb the Everest, if that's what it takes", he replied. Of course, he wouldn't but his reply assured me that he wanted to try anything. So I went ahead and asked, "how much money do you spend on it every week?" "I only get 2-3 packs in a week which cost around 1000", he replied trying to sound casual. "That's a lot, you can feed at least 30 people with that money, every week". "Wow, really?", he asked curiously. "Yes, of course. And that is all you need to do, every time you feel like smoking, look around, you will always find someone looking for food". It took him months to do this but after falling back in to the loop more than a couple of times, he did it. He has fed more than 230 people so far and has been successful in quitting the filthy habit too! That's how powerful mindfulness is, you don't need to climb the Everest or do anything too dramatic to make drastic life changes. Just being truly aware of yourself, all your feelings and impulses can give you some higher ground when trying to battle bad habits. Sadly, there are no shortcuts to become your best self. Quitting bad habits is a lot of hard work, and it takes immense practice to succeed and sustain. Mindfulness can help you being honest and realistic, and makes the battle much easier to fight. Look around and observe how acting differently in a situation can bring a change. PS- it's okay if you keep slipping back into old patterns, just don't forget to start again. #mindfulness #motivation #inspiration #mindset #india #sharifshares