~~Check yourself. Sometimes you are the toxic person. Sometimes you are the mean, negative person you're looking to push away. Sometimes the problem is you. And that doesn't make you less worthy. Keep on growing. Keep on checking yourself. Keep on motivating yourself. Mistakes are opportunities. Look at them, own them, grow from them and move on. Do better, be better. You're human. It's okay.~~ Vin (The Winds Journal)
I like this quote. It reminds me to check myself and be aware of where my heart is at. Am I trying to understand another person or am I so frustrated that I'm being mean? And I don't mean 'mean' in a blatant, obvious way because I'm not like that. But I can insist on pushing my point home, I can decide the other person is simply wrong...you know, that kind of mean.
Sometimes I find that I'm not the one being mean. The other person is in their own toxic moment and I can step away feeling ok about myself. But I always try to check myself first just to make sure I'm centered and balanced.
Quitting smoking can bring out the worst in us. Most of us never really wanted to quit to begin with (addiction talking, by the way). But the resentment, the resistance, the opposition to our quits can turn us into people we don't even recognize. And once we do, we run back to smoking with relief.....a reason to quit on our quits.
One way to keep that precious quit is to understand that mistakes are opportunities for growth. Were you mean? Figure out why, apologize, and move on with greater knowledge. Are you toxic to be around? Again, figure out why. Decide you don't like your thoughts, behaviors, ideas....and do better. Be better. Being human is natural, being toxic is optional. You don't have to be that way. And you don't have to smoke to 'unbe' that way.
We're human. We make mistakes. We can be the problem. We can be negative, toxic, mean. It's ok. Whether or not others forgive you or not, it's ok. Because as long as you learn from your mistakes....as long as you own them, grow from them....you will do better and be better.
Don't allow addiction to talk you out of your quit. Don't allow bad behavior to be the reason you go back to smoking. Because it will do it to you time and time again if you allow it to. Check yourself. Learn. Grow. Forgive. Move on. That's what being human is all about 
