~~Let go...How would your life be different if you learned to let go of the things that have already let go of you? From relationships long gone, to old grudges, to regrets, to all the 'could've' and 'should've,' to the dead friendships you still hang on to....Free yourself from the burden of a past you cannot change.~~ Dr. Steve Maraboli
I hear it all the time here. The regret of losing a quit. The sorrow for not quitting soon enough. The guilt for sneaking a few more even though the quit date had gone by.
Give yourself some grace, my friend, and release the need to beat yourself up. You cannot change what's already occurred....and you deserve better that a life drenched in shame, regret, and guilt. So you smoked. You fell. You took a step backwards. And....you learned.
You learned that you don't want to be that serial quitter. You learned that smoking changed nothing and that stress is still waiting for you to handle it. You learned that it's ok to make mistakes and your actions by no means mirror who you are. Because who you are is so much more than a lit cigarette. Who you are is so much better than a swirling grey cloud of smoke. Who you are deserves so much better than that next puff of poison.
Who you are is imperfectly perfect. You live. You err. You learn. You grow. Because you are wise enough to know that learning doesn't happen in your comfort zone. You learn by falling...by failing...by struggling....by being imperfect.
So please, please let go of all that self-loathing. You. Are. Learning. At the beginning of your quit. At 60 days. At 120 days. As you learn to live smoke free, you also learn how to navigate life without the addiction that chained you all those years ago. You may stumble. That's ok. Take a deep breath and straighten on up. You've got this. You are ok with being imperfect. You know that by learning, you grow your quit into exactly what you need it to be.
Believe in yourself. You've got this. No more doubts. No more wondering. No more fear. You will move through your quit with quiet confidence and gentle courage. Because you won't give in and you won't give up. And that is to be respected and honored. YOU are to be respected and honored.
"Free yourself from the burden of a past you cannot change." I like that. I hope you do, too.
