MY GOALS!!!!!!

My goal for the next three months is to quit smoking. This is important to me for my future. It has been a very hard challenge for me, seeing that I am always stressed. Over the years smoking has helped me to deal with my stress, or so I thought. In my essay I’m going to discuss why it is important for me to quit smoking also, how smoking has affected me negatively, and how I’m going to quit smoking.

  Over the years I have seen how smoking has affected me. Smoking has made it hard for me to do certain activities and focus in school. My breathing has also changed which has caused running, exercising, and playing sports to be difficult for me because, I smoke I really don’t enjoy the activities that I use to do. I now know I need to quit more than ever. The smoke gets in my clothes, hair, and skin. However, it still has taken me some time to realize that smoking is just wrong! While I’m at school I find it difficult not to smoke, because of the pressure that I deal with in class. The hours are too long and I sometimes get bored. Instead of going out to smoke a cigarette on my break, I will do something constructive, such as; looking over my notes, writing, reading, talking with a class mate or just taking a walk.

 Being healthier is more important to me, so that I can be a good example for my son. I have an eight year old son who gives me a hard time. I’m running to his school all the time because of his fighting and/ or being suspended. When I get phone calls or come home to hear about the negativity, I get overwhelmed and I smoke. But, I’m not giving up on him because, that’s my baby and I love him so much. Due to this stress I find it hard to quit smoking. My son always asks me, “Mom, when are you going to stop smoking?” Sometimes I don’t even know how to respond, but I know that it affects him in a bad way. So I’m going to talk to him more regularly and try to understand him instead of smoking.

There have been challenges that I have faced since, I’ve tried to quit smoking. My associates have played a major part in this discussion. I’m a strong believer in God. The Bible says,” bad association spoils useful habits.”Also being around people that smoke influences me to want to smoke because, I stand there and converse with them and after a while I want to smoke too. So, if I ask them not to smoke around me, I think it would be easier for me to quit smoking.  I feel if I keep positive people in my circle I would be able to be positive and think positive as well. Also I try to carry less money with me all the time so that I won’t be tempted to buy cigarettes.

 So if I continue to be strong and positive I will be successful in completing my goal. I would have a long and healthier life. That’s why I feel that it is very important for me to complete this goal but first I need to be able to address the three things that trigger my smoking; my son, my boredom with school, and my smoking friends. I don’t want to lose my life due to smoking. I begin to question myself. “Why am I killing myself slowly?” If I can do this I would have a long and healthier life. I would like to make this goal be more of a reality to me than just simply a dream.