Making the same mistakes
While navigating my early 20's and making mistake after mistake, my dad shared a poem with me that I still read weekly—Portia Nelson's Autobiography in 5 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 forever to find a way out.
II.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I still don't see it. I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
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 there, I still fall in.
It's habit. It's my fault. I know where I
am.
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 a different street.
Today, being in my late 20's and continuing to make mistake after mistake, I can look back on this poem and remember incremental progress.
I now recognize that mistakes are inevitable and acceptable, so long as I learn and adapt. When I see patterns emerge, I can course correct.
The patterns we encounter speak to who we are and what we want. History can be valuable for why we default to certain behaviors, but the only direction that truly matters is forward.
