Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

A few days ago I came across this lovely quote in a comment to a blog post about change (and why we are so extremely resistant to it). It’s from a book, There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery, written by Portia Nelson,  an American popular singer, songwriter, actress, and author.

It says a lot about how we need to be in a constant “learning-mode” if we wont to grow. It shows that our “experience” plays an important role in how we perceive what is difficult, what is blocking us, what is worth to step over. But most of all, how failure is part of the journey. I’ve decided to post it here, so it will be easier to find it for me in the future when eventually I’ll need it :)

Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters

I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

---

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash