Words I shared with a junior colleague attempting to quit smoking

A junior colleague at work
asked me for advice on wanting to quit smoking.

The reasons my junior colleague gave forwanting to quit smokingare...

・Teeth getting yellow
・Having to buy expensive toothpaste
　for dental maintenance
・Feeling unwell
・The cost of cigarettes
・Being told to stop by parents

Many reasons for wanting to quit smoking came up.

But, in reality, they haven't been able to quit.

After receiving this consultation from my junior colleague,
I sent them some advice.

‐My junior colleague's smoking situation‐

My junior colleague has been smoking for about a year.

They started smoking due to
their surrounding environment (socializing).

They smoke about 10 paper cigarettes a day.
They also use an electronic cigarette called IQOS.

They seem to smoke during work breaks or
while playing golf, their hobby.
They don't smoke at all at home.
(Apparently, they get scolded if their parents find out)

✔Two pieces of advice
　sent to my junior colleague who is quitting smoking

I sent my own
two pieces of adviceto my junior colleague who is attempting to quit smoking.

① If you are going to quit,
　quit completely

② Make a promise that if you smoke,
　you pay a '10,000 yen fine'

…I sent the above advice to my junior colleague.

I will explain them one by one.

✔ If you're going to quit,
quit completely!

“I want to quit smoking... but I can't.”

The big reason why you can't quit smoking lies right there.

You have a reason for wanting to quit.

However, if you listen closely to what the person is saying,
it seems they are only thinking,
“I kind of want to quit.”

That is precisely why I gave the advice,
“If you're going to quit, decide to quit completely!”

Humans are creatures that seek consistency.

“I will quit smoking completely.” If you decide that,
you will start taking actions that align with that mindset.

If you only want to quit halfway, you will succumb to various temptations
and end up smoking anyway.

Once you smoke even once, quitting becomes
“Hard Mode.”

* “Hard Mode”
A gaming term for setting a game to a state
far more difficult than the normal play mode,
where even experts struggle to clear it.

Once you experience a highly addictive substance like tobacco even once,
you will be unable to resist it afterward.

“I already smoked once.”
“I can just quit again next time.”
“It’s not now, it’s not now.”

You make excuses like that, or get intoxicated by the guilt of having smoked,
and end up giving up on quitting.

If you want to quit smoking, you must quit completely.

For example...

・Do not possess cigarettes
・Do not visit stores where you can buy cigarettes
・Do not get close to people who smoke
・Do not think about cigarettes
・Fill the time you spent smoking with other hobbies

and so on...
“If you smoke even once, it’s over.”
I gave this advice to my junior colleague, telling them to approach quitting with that mindset.
I gave this advice to my junior colleague.

On top of that,
as if to drag my junior colleague further into hell,
I gave them the following advice (lol).

✔Fine system
“If you smoke, you pay 10,000 yen.”

“If you smoke, it’s a 10,000 yen fine.”

That is what I threw at my junior colleague.

The look on my junior colleague’s face at that moment
was twisted in fear.

Junior colleague
“10,000 yen!? That’s... crazy (sweat).”

A 10,000 yen fine is by no means cheap.

Just because you smoked a single cigarette,
you have to pay 10,000 yen.

It is truly terrifying.

What would you do if you had 10,000 yen?

You could eat your favorite food.
You could buy your favorite clothes.
It could also cover the cost of hanging out with friends.

You're going to waste that precious 10,000 yen
on just a single cigarette.

My junior colleague
couldn't handle that.

The junior colleague
“I don't want to agree to such a fine system, but...
　well, since you're my senior...”

they said, and reluctantly agreed.

This fine system is a double-edged sword, but
it is extremely effective for quitting completely.

If this helps my junior colleague quit smoking,
that is the most important thing.

“I want to smoke”
When that feeling arises,
“But if I smoke, it's a 10,000 yen fine”
a conflict is born.

And, at the very least,
“I should stop smoking”
a reason is born.

“I want to smoke while quitting.
But even if I smoke, it just
extends the non-smoking period,
so I'll just smoke now.”Instead of thinking that...

“Ah, I want to smoke.
But if I smoke, it's a 10,000 yen fine...
Oh no, it's better not to smoke”
they start to think.

The fine system plays a role in quitting smoking.

✔ What I felt when they
　consulted me about wanting to quit smoking

When my junior colleague consulted me about wanting to quit smoking,
“Ah, he can quit smoking”I thought.

There are two reasons for this.

One is,
“being able to declare it to others”

People change completely
regarding the resolutions they make in their hearts.

However, once you declare "I want to do X" to someone,
you suddenly find yourself unable to change your mind.

Precisely because you declared it to someone,
you develop a psychological need to act according to that declaration,
or else you feel uncomfortable.

After all, you already
said, "I want to do X."

And you don't want to disappoint
the person you made that declaration to.

The second reason is, though it may sound presumptuous,
that you consulted me, someone who studies habits.

I have written many articles
about habits on note.

When you are exposed to that much knowledge about habits,
you naturally start to see what "success in habits is X." means.

That is why
I was able to offer my own advice on quitting smoking.

I believe I was able to provide
accurate and concrete advice
for quitting smoking.

Finally, I would like to leave a message on note
for my junior colleague who is working hard to quit smoking.

If you give up, that is where you fail.

Results only follow
through persistent continuation.

That is why,
I sincerely hope my junior colleague's attempt to quit smoking succeeds...

I will take my leave
at this point.