‘Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.’ ~Benjamin Franklin

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Tess Marshall of The Bold Life.

When I decided to quit smoking, I was 27 years old, my two oldest daughters were seven and five, and the twins were three.

I didn’t want to be a bad example, I hid my smoking from them. I smoked when they were sleeping or when they were with the babysitter.

As my addiction grew stronger, I began smoking in the bathroom with the window open. One day, my five year old knocked on the bathroom door and said, “Mommy, I smell something in there!”

I freaked out, flushed my cigarette down the toilet, gathered my composure, and nonchalantly walked out. That evening, still freaking out, I explained to my husband what had happened.

He calmly told me, “Tess, the way I see it, you have two choices: you can either quit or come out of the closet.”

I chose to quit.
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