Imagine you wanted to start a habit. A strong, automatic way of thinking and acting. How do you start a habit like this? There are three basic ways; emotions, authority figures, and repetition.

Example:

Let's just use a younger you for the example, 10-14 years old. And for this example, let's use the habit of smoking. If you don't smoke…. replace the word "smoking" with any craving you get, or just pretend you smoke? It is an article about smoking after all.

While in that age range, we'll assume you were learning about life and how you fit in it. You may not have felt as sure about yourself as you would later in life.

You may have felt self-conscious, dependent on others, powerless, not good enough, or just not as capable as you would have liked to feel. Let's call this feeling "bad". Now, this doesn't mean you felt miserable, but, did you feel as "good" as you wanted to feel? Did you feel as "good" as you believed other people felt?

Possibly, (probably) not. Which would mean you wanted to feel better, or at least as good as you thought other people feel. What would make you feel better? That depends on the influences in your life to that point.

How does a person learn things like that? Emotions, authority figures and repetition. You probably saw authority figures smoking - parents, family, friends, role models, and of course, advertisements. Smoking is perceived as tough, strong, independent, self-assured, and unique. All the "good" feelings you were feeling a lack of.

This would create a desire (craving) in you to do this thing. A belief that smoking is what your life is missing. And not just in a "knowing" way, but a "feeling" way as well, which is much more powerful.

Then you tried your first cigarette, and chances are that you weren't so good at smoking. That would come with practice.

As life continues you come across situations that make you feel "bad" again and do what you've been taught makes you feel "good". That is repeated emotions and practice and you have a strong habit.

People that have tried to quit smoking have spent a lot of time analyzing their habit, fighting themselves for control of cravings. But, you didn't learn the smoking habit with the thinking and analyzing part of your mind, so why try to use that part of your mind to change the habit?

It makes a whole lot of sense to quit smoking using the same methods you started smoking with. A "hypnotized" state of mind combined with emotions, authority figures and repetition. Also known as: modern hypnosis.