Imagine being the kind of person that leaves a toxic relationship, only to mimic the toxic traits that were set on you.

You would do and say anything and everything to make sure others close to you bend to your will and never question you, even indirectly.

Hearing about one’s needs for themselves, or for you to change your bad habits, only to turn on fake tears with a quiver in your voice, coming as fast as putting the middle finger into their face.

If you have kids together, and one or more of them aren’t there for you under any circumstances, you may contact the ex to pull said child(ren) back to your direction. And you’ll win, because you might even have dirt on the ex’s name.

The list can go on, but if you so much as twitched at any of these, then you’re on the right path to keep away from them, and not becoming like them. Putting the effort into changing yourself because they won’t change.

As one quote that I saw goes, “you can’t make peace with someone who has war in their heart.”

No matter how they mock or shame you for breaking their norm, hold the line. They may pull some unbelievable methods to justify payback, but they’ll burnout sooner than you. Because your defense is fortified by progression.

And it’s best to leave them knowing that what you’ve become is what they’ve rejected to be.

D.F.