Today is my Hall of Fame day and I honestly never saw a possible path to this day before joining KTC and really delving in with the rest of June Platoon. It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: “one fucking day at a time.” As much as we’ve joked about it, the two videos of Michael Irvin’s speeches have been that daily inspiration above and beyond my quit brothers, friends and family (and dentist). Not being a Cowboy fan it seems ridiculous, but just as he said in his (NFL) Hall of Fame acceptance speech: “Look up, get up, and don’t ever give up.” The second video is a pep talk he gave to the University of Miami football team in which he discusses the importance of carrying on the legacy of those who have come before you. Again, this sounds ridiculous, but I look at all of you who have achieved HOF or Hall of Legends status before me and the tools that KTC and the vets have provided guys like me with who are looking to quit chew.
Like so many other BAQ’s, I too, began this nasty habit in high school and was chewing roughly a can of Cope LC a day through college, grad school and until the start of this year when I started strategizing a quit plan using some of the tools here on KTC. As Irvin pointed out in his Miami speech, “it’s about process” and indeed the first days of my quit in March were absolutely brutal.
At one point early on, I was sitting on my rec room floor crying for no apparent reason. Thankfully I was able to “look up, get up and don’t ever give up” on my quit after reaching out to fellow BAQ’s who had gone through same trials at similar points along their journey to quitting chew.
The same motivation that has propelled me through my career and my quit has been the line by Irvin in the Miami speech and the importance of carrying on a legacy and respected those that have come before you. To paraphrase Irvin, I can’t stand before any of you who have quit before me as a man---after you guys handed me something I handed you back shit.
Today I quit for Irish who has helped lead the way for our June Platoon. Today I quit for WW, ReWire, Wepdoc and MCarno, who have been invaluable leaders, guides and inspiration for our group. Today I quit for MattLock and Buch who have always provided good fodder in our GM thread. Today I quit for Kubiak, who was the first one to reach out to me to explain the KTC process and has been an indispensable resource for everyone. Today I quit for Sacks, RSN (despite his inexplicable love of the Red Sox), DV, Jared— who are also all in their 20s and know the challenges when you’re building your life and career while simultaneously trying to quit. Today I quit for my friends, family, well-wishers and acquaintances and work colleagues who know that quitting has been one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever faced. Today I quit for my HS Spanish teacher, Mrs. Warren, who always used to make me throw out the dip when I walked into class. Today I quit for my good buddy Kris, who has been quit for 12 years, and understood the brutal ups and downs I was going through.
Today I quit for NewTexican and his gerbils.
Today, in the words of Kubiak, “Just for today, Self.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyxeiD25fHM (Irvin HOF Speech)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvK1K3blNkY (Irvin Miami Speech)
