The Frog Race…and what I learned from it!

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who got together to arrange a competition to reach to the top of the highest tower in town. As the date for the competition was announced, the news spread everywhere and crowd in large numbers gathered around the tower to see this interesting competition and cheer on the contestants. The crowd did not really believe any of these little frogs were going to make it to the top of the tower. Yet they were curious…

The competition began, the frogs quickly started to ascend and the crowd cheered!

As a few moments passed, someone from the crowd shouted, “Not a chance that they will succeed! The tower is too high!”

Another spectator said, “Yes, they will never make it to the top. It’s way too difficult!”

As the competition continued, some of the tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one… tired… exhausted… But the race continued… as those who still had the fight left, passionately continued to climb higher and higher…

In the excitement and anxiety  the crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult. No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. They all continued to give up one by one, until there was only ONE little frog left in the competition who continued to climb higher and higher and higher…

This one wouldn’t give up!

This one tiny frog who, after a big effort was the only one who reached the top! This little soul was the winner! He made it! He got the glory!

Naturally, everyone wanted to know how this one tiny frog managed to pull it off, when every other contestant gave up. Everybody wanted to know how this tiny frog had found the strength to reach this goal that everyone else thought it was impossible. So, they asked questions.

It turned out that the winner was deaf.

People around me were very supportive when I gave up smoking…at least for a couple of weeks. Then it changed a little bit. They were still supportive and wanted me to succeed, but the smokers started to tell me their stories. Stories about how they once tried to quit and didn’t succeed. They told me how hard it was and that giving IT up was almost impossible.

Funny how it works. Even well meant support can turn into something negative and be discouraging…and it’s better not to pay attention. I developed something like “selective hearing” and it comes in handy.

The quitsmokingboard was a great tool for my early start, very helpful, but even there voices of doubt tried to rule. “You can’t leave here, your quit is too fresh” or “you are not a bulletproof nonsmoker yet” were messages I got from a few ex-smokers, when life took over and I decided it was time to get rid of my training wheels. Are you ever a bullet proof nonsmoker? Of course some wanted people to stay in their little circle forever and it makes sense to an extent, not everybody has the same confidence level. But then, I looked around and saw some people talking about smoking on more than one support board all day long…and I started to wonder. Sit on a support forum for months and months…talking about smoking and quitting all day long? That wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to talk about being a non-smoker all day long…I wanted to live being one. But as I said, we are all different. What was restraining me…might be comforting for others.

Smoking was a part of my past, I felt confident and strong. I knew I would stay a nonsmoker…there was never a question on my mind. Winston Churchill ones said: “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”. One of my favorite quotes.

Smoking is an addiction and controlling an addiction can be hard. It can be even harder, if you hear negativity on you way to freedom. “Watch out and be careful” is a well meant advice, but can be discouraging if you hear it over and over. So I want to tell you:

Winners never pay attention to what other people’s opinions are, when it comes to their dreams and goals. Focus on your goal and march in confidence. People, who are not playing with you or people who are not helping you reach your destination, will always have opinions and generally – a negative one. Do not pay any attention to them…play deaf and win the race!