Jodi Perkins is out of control.
According to this story at News.com.au, Jodi wants to give up smoking so much that she has begged authorities to lock her up. She’s prepared to go to prison to escape the habit that controls her life.
She smokes two packets a day and says she can’t breathe but she still keeps lighting up. I find that so hard to comprehend. She is suffering to the point of gasping for the very thing that keeps her alive – air – yet she keeps on lighting up.
Her ability to take control of her own behaviour is so impaired that she’s now trying to hand over her freedom to let someone else take control.
Smoking has taken such a grip on Jodi’s life that she is now prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to put things back in order.
It’d be easy to point the finger at Jodi and others who are addicted to cigarettes but I have to stop and look at my own behaviour and ask what are the things that prevent me from living life to the full. Are there habits and behaviours that I keep holding onto even though I know they’re not good for me?
The thoughts I let run free in my mind, the things I eat, the the daily disciplines that help me become the person I should be – do I have control over all those areas of my life? Am I displaying the kind of self-control that allows me to move forward as a person or am I still holding onto things that threaten my very life?
When the Apostle Paul was writing to the Romans he said, “I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” Around two thousand years later I’m discovering the same thing.
Are you taking control or are behaviours and habits controlling you? Are you taking steps to take back the reigns?
In some ways I have to admire Jodi. She’s prepared to put pride aside, make herself accountable to someone else and do whatever it takes to end her self destructive behaviour. How far are you prepared to go to make a positive difference in your life?
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Smoking – Self-Control – Habits
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We all have distructive habits that hold us back. Some are just more socially acceptable than others.
We can replace negative habits with positive ones….
“You can turn negative consequences onto positive rewards simply by changing your habits.” The Power of Focus, Canfield, Hansen, Hewitt