Happy “Spotlight Day”! Today is the first Wednesday of February, and I can’t wait to share with you some of this week’s most inspiring success stories and the top tips from the CBQ community.
Let’s do it!
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Program member Joanne Campbell from England, UK, celebrated 3 years smoke-free! Jo was a smoker for 32 years and she said, “In the past I have tried to quit but as I said before it made me feel very depressed, having no self worth, what was the point in stopping smoking if I didn’t value my health or life.” Jo is not a stranger to life’s struggles. She lost her father, brother, and mother in the same year and, with that, lost her footing in life. This made it even harder to imagine life without cigarettes.
While looking for ways to quit smoking, Jo decided to join the CBQ Program. She found it “surprisingly easy to follow,” and when she quit smoking, she knew it would be forever. This is what Jo shared a month after she quit smoking.
3 years later, Jo is still a happy non-smoker!
Tip Of The Week
This week’s tip comes from CBQ Program member Shelton Mulkey from Louisiana, US. Shelton has been a happy non-smoker since December 3, 2024 after 40+years!
Shelton’s tip: You can succeed even if you’ve failed before.
“I was a 40+ year smoker be for I found the program. Just like you, I tried all of the replacement therapies. I don’t know if you watched Nasia s webinar. She talks about mind power over will power. I was very pessimistic. I smoked through the whole program and a pack on my quit date. When you dive into the program you will hear about mind power more and more. I already see your mind power in your post. Specifically where you said that you dislike the taste and the ashtrays. That is it. Keep telling yourself that as you advance through the program. Make yourself believe it. That’s my off the wall advice. I’m on day 59 and still going strong. I’m free. I hope this helps.”
Inspiring Story
Yesterday, CBQ Program member Melissa Budworth from Queensland, Australia celebrated 2 years smoke-free! Melissa never believed this would be possible! She was a smoker for 40 years, and was told all her life she had an addictive personality. Every failed quit attempt only reinforced that limiting belief. When she first joined the CBQ Program, she kept pausing and restarting. She was doubtful she could succeed, let alone be a “happy” non-smoker.
But Melissa decided to do something very smart. Instead of thinking about her future without cigarettes, which was overwhelming, she decided to take it one step at a time. She told herself to just commit to finishing the program and doing her best. She did that, quit smoking on day 10 of the program, and was amazed at how easy it was!
2 years later, Melissa is still a happy non-smoker and has never been tempted to have a cigarette!
“I didn’t cut down my cigarette count, I found that hard to do, but I still recorded every single smoke I had. One thing that I felt that really helped me, was that before I would light every cigarette, I would say out loud….
I am not giving up.
I am saving my money.
I am improving my health.
I am gaining my freedom.
I found that the visualisation exercises, the good bye letter and the planning of the last cigarette ritual very powerful for me.
To my surprise I actually found it easy to stop. I don’t miss it and I don’t envy those who smoke.
This time next month I will celebrate 2 years smoke free. “
This is Melissa’s selfie with her CBQ Quit Smoking Success Certificate:
I hope this week’s spotlights inspired and helped you. A big thank you to all of our amazing members who gave me the permission to share their stories and wisdom with you.
All the best,
Nasia
P.S. Feeling inspired to break up with nicotine… but don’t know how ready you are to say goodbye? Take this quiz to find out how ready you are to quit smoking in 2025:
cbqquiz.com
This free assessment will reveal your “Readiness to Quit Smoking” score, show you how close you are to success, identify what might be sabotaging your efforts, and suggest the next best step to take. It’s insightful, personalized, and quick!
Start Your “How ready are you to quit smoking in 2025?” Quiz Here