After receiving some humbling advice from a close family member, I will now be choosing what I write in future posts more carefully. You may notice some editing. This is to improve the blog and keep it on track. A big thanks to the above person for opening my eyes and looking out for me.
I was gonna quit this whole blogging/quitting smoking thing after some (mild) criticism. Just be done, give up. I don't take criticism that well and my initial reaction was to just call it quits, even though the advice was for my own good and was said in good conscience. But, I received a perfectly-timed message from a great friend today and some encouraging words from my wonderful boyfriend that kept me from throwing up my hands in defeat.
These people said that I inspired them, that I shouldn't let criticism bring me down, that they were excited to see me start to win the quit smoking battle. Someone once said: "Winners are people who find ways around the wall. Losers are people that quit when they hit the wall." And here I am, still posting after hitting said wall. I mentioned earlier that I have been going through this alone. I'm not. The suppport of the people who love and care about me has been enough to keep me going.
Yes, I have taken a few steps backwards in the last couple of days. Unfortunately, I have reverted back to my old habits. I'm back up to a half a pack now. Nevertheless, who ever said quitting was easy? There are bound to be some setbacks. I am disappointed that I convinced myself that I would never quit. Now I have to start over from the beginning. Yet, looking at it in a positive light, it's a fresh start. I can continue to write, now even better then before, and continue to share my experiences with everyone. Writing this blog has been a major motivation for me to quit and I don't want to let anyone, including myself, down. I have come this far, why give up now?
I have some major challenges to face in the coming weeks. I know it will be difficult not to completely break down and give in when times get tough. I will have to summon some great strength from deep within to keep on the straight and narrow. Now that I know that I am not alone in this battle and that I have my own personal cheerleading squad, I think I will be able to overcome. Here's to a new beginning and to the end of an addiction controlling my life.
