My Seventh Day

Hello everyone!
I'm back from another day without smoking. My seventh, to be precise.
As I stated earlier, I expected the whole thing to get easier after 7 days, so I'm psyched to see how my day tomorrow will go.
Observe yourself as you return to your everyday life, going through the motions smoke free for the second time (this especially applies to those who have their work/school schedule vary from Monday to Friday). Maybe you decided to quit on a Tuesday, and Tuesday might have been the day you have to work longer than usual.
If that happens to be that way, then prepare to take on that challenge again tomorrow.
It's going to be a lot easier, I'm pretty sure.
After all, practice makes perfect. Many things in life work that way. You'll have to repeat something to improve at it. Whether you're learning a song on an instrument, practising a martial arts move, playing a video game, operating a software or cooking a meal.
The first time you do something like that (or almost anything else), you have to put your full effort towards it so you can keep up. If you manage to win, you're certainly good at it. If you surpass other people's expectations - I guess that's what you call "beginner's luck" (I'm sure there's beginner's luck amongst people quitting smoking, too !). If you fail - don't be upset. It just means you'll have to lower your pace a little and stay focused.

If you happen to actually give in to the temptation of picking up your smoking habit again - don't feel you're hopeless. Just flick the cigarette(s) away and start over.
Then, think about what you did. Did it really feel good to break your self-esteem and integrity for a smoke? I bet it didn't. And I'm not talking about the taste or the effect of the nicotine. I'm talking about your inner self.

Is it really worth scrathing an itchy wound when you know that it'll make your wound worse and leave permanent damage just for a half second of what feels like relief because it feels different than the itching?

Of course it isn't. You have to suppress your instincts and keep you from getting what you desire. You have to reach further: for what you want.
There is a strong difference between wanting something and desiring something.
I'm not religious, but I certainly believe that people want certain things while they desire other things.
For example: If you decide to quit smoking, you probably want to save money and improve your health in a lot of aspects. However, you desire to just smoke again.
Your "wants" come from your mind: you rationally evaluate what you think is best for you and will make you content. Your desires however mostly come from a spontaneous impulse; they're driven by instincts and they pop up suddenly instead of being thought about for a while. In the case of quitting smoking, it's clearly the innate desire for something you can't have.
That theory has been around for a while; it keeps people aiming at more. But it also keeps them making stupid, irrational descisions.
You'll have to take a good look at yourself and ask what it is that you want and what you desire.
And even if you should come to a conclusion that you will find happiness in smoking;
why? Because your friends do it? Because so kind of enjoy the taste? Is that happiness or rather the desire to be accepted or to consume?
I hope I didn't confuse or annoy anyone by this; just remember that I am an apprentice too. I'm not giving advice to you, I'm trying to share it.
I'll be back tomorrow and we'll see how my theory works out...