If youre a smoker, chances are youve tried to quit many times or deep down inside youve felt you should quit for obvious reasons pertaining to your health, but have no idea where to start.

Ive smoked for 22 years and spent over 10,000 dollars trying to quit smoking and finally I am proud to stay, I am a "non-smoker." Yes, there is hope for you!

Let the truth be known; its very hard! However, it can be done with the right tools and strategies. There is no way I can share everything I used to help me kick a 22 year smoking habit but what I can do for sure, is share one major tip/strategy I used and use to this day to live a smoke free life.

Start a journal. This can be an online journal such as a blog or a paper journal which happens to be my weapon of choice. I know, I know, every self-help guru say keep a journal. Well Im not a Guru and its working for me so please stay with me here.

I know, everyone says "keep a journal" but not many go into details about the "why and how" so we really dont feel motivated to start recording or life. This is one of the key distinctions Ive made in the past. I also noticed that it was a big reason for not starting my journal. So keep reading because Im going to help you over the "journal hump."

Say youre thinking right now about wanting to quit smoking, along comes other thoughts like "Im too stressed to think about that now. Oh, God, where would I start, but what will I do if I cant, what if I get fat?" These thoughts are clouded emotions that push your first thought of quitting smoking further and further away.

Keeping a journal will help you take all the emotion out of your daily thoughts and help you get really clear on what you want and how youre going to get it.

Its ok to have all kinds of thoughts associated to your quit smoking thought; youll just want to write them all down in your journal. Then go through the list of thoughts and ask yourself, Are these real concerns that need to be thought out and taken seriously, or, are they just excuses my mind is playing on me to protect me from experiencing pain that comes with quitting smoking?" Thats right; your mind will come up with all kinds of excuses to avoid quitting and to protect you! Just say "thank you for sharing!"

A paper journal is a black and white, pure logic system and why I like it. This is exactly what is needed when taking on such an outrageous task such as quitting smoking.

There are tons of books and seminars on keeping a journal so lets keep it really simple. For now, grab a note pad and start a list of why you need to stop smoking. As you write remember youre mind will start playing games by coming up with excuses, but dont give in! You may want to write at the top of the note pad, "My Why Reasons Im quitting smoking." Everything Ive studied about getting your out comes in life stress the "why" first not the how so write as much as you can.