Once you're caught continuing unimproved it effects your image. Always be aware of your image. You said...

"By the time the third hand hit I was tempted to limp but I figured that is just letting previous hands dictate my actions and that is not right."

Previous hands should always dictate future actions. Basically your not seeing the big picture...

What you lose in fold equity postflop (They don't believe you anymore), you make up for in implied odds (They call you down weak to look you up)

The answer to this problem is when your image goes south you tighten up postflop to make your money on the implied odds end of the equation. Only continue when you are improved or have an overwhelming feeling your opponent can't continue to call any more bets.

Your opponents demand respect from you. If you continue to miss flops then you miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of your loose image and extract implied value. That's poker. Too bad so sad. Just know that if you hit a few flops in a row you have a door wide open to value rape the table when they pay all your hands off weak. That's good news my friend.

There's nothing like ruining your image and then catching a massive run of good flops. The money flows in like water.