Archers to Ashes

Buffy Davis who plays Jolene

Regular listeners to the Archers will know that Jolene, the landlady of The Bull, is trying to give up smoking but is not doing very well.  Part of the problem is her motivation – or lack of it.  Her new boyfriend, Kenton, is the person who wants her to give up and is bribing her with a trip to Monte Carlo.

It’s not enough for someone else to want you to give up smoking.  To be successful at becoming a non-smoker, you need to be self-motivated.  Motivation comes from your values, the things that get you up in the morning.  Good motivators can be connected to your health, your family, your finances or your future plans.

Once you’ve got your motivation sorted out, you need to think about your beliefs.  Some beliefs are enabling and help you to achieve your goals eg “I can do this because I’m a strong person” or “I’ve done difficult things before and I can do this now”.  Other beliefs are limiting and don’t support what you want to do eg “Nothing has worked in the past so it won’t work now” or “I’m weak-willed so it won’t last”.  You can change your limiting beliefs for positive ones or you can choose not to believe them.  The first step is becoming aware of them.

So come on Jolene, you're a strong woman, what will motivate you to stop smoking?