You have to be mentally ready, before you stop smoking. If you are not ready, it will be waste of energy and time to try.
One thing is the mentally part; another is the nicotine withdrawal symptoms. So it might be a good idea to prepare yourself for this part as well.
Willpower alone will often not do it. You will probably need a little help too. You can find a lot of products that will remove the worst urge to smoke. Those products (like e.g. from Nicorette and Nicotinell) dampen the nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Nicotine plaster and nicotine chewing gum are the two most popular nicotine products. Other options are nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray and nicotine tablets.
Many of the cigarettes you smoke is probably more a matter of habit than a desire. The cigarette after lunch or at the bus stops; is it because you want a cigarette? Or has it just become a (bad) habit that you do not think about?
Look critically at your smoking situations. Then you will be able to reduce your cigarette consumption significantly. This way you can take deliberated choice, when you decide to light a cigarette.
Do you dream about something, you cannot afford today? It might be possible in the future, if you do not have to spend a lot of money on cigarettes.
A good way to keep the motivation is to reward yourself (or your family), when you haven’t smoked for a week, a month, a year etc. It will give you the necessary motivation, if you are about to quit the project.
A smoking cessation piggy bank can be a great way to make the reward present. Every evening you put the money, which you normally would have spent on cigarettes, in the piggy bank. Then you can see the result; and soon you will be able to break it and go on a nice vacation.
Before you get started with your smoking cessation, it might be a good idea to write your thoughts down. Why would you stop, what do you think will be the hardest part etc.
Then you are ready, when the crisis comes (and sooner or later it will come). The writings can give you encouragement and motivation. It might also be a good idea to write a smoking cessation diary with all your ups and downs.
Martin Elmer is writing about quitting your cigarettes on the website rygestop. You can also learn how to minimize your nicotine withdrawal symptoms in the section nikotininhalator.