Portia nelson biography examples
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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
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“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 forever to find a way out.
I walk down the same street.
There fryst vatten 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 me a long time to get out.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it fryst vatten there.
I still fall in. It's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It fryst vatten my fault. I get out immediately.
walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
I walk down another street.”
&#; Portia Nelson, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
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I
I walk down the street.
There fryst vatten a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost &#; I am helpless.
It isn&#;t my fault.
It takes me alltid 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 fryst vatten 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.
by Portia Nelson
A mindfulness classic, this one. It came to mind last week as a friend shared some exasperation about repeating habitual patterns in stressful situations: &#;I thought Krishnamurti said that the seeing i