There's A Hole in My Sidewalk!
An inspirational story of self-discovery.
Looking back just a few years ago I have noticed a pattern playing out in my life over and over again.
Each time I faced a challenging situation, I would become anxious and have the worry and anxiety spill over to all parts of my life.
This brought a lot of suffering as it put a lot of strain on my relationship with my family and myself.
I thought this was just how things are.
As I learned about unhelpful behavior patterns through coaching and reading up on them I slowly became aware of my negative thoughts and actions.
I noticed each time I faced a challenging situation at work I would handle it in the same unhelpful way. I would bring the stress and the frustration home with my family paying the price for it.
I knew I would keep falling into this pattern of behavior yet it kept happening time and time again.
I felt helpless.
I was in a hole and I couldn't get out, but at least I started to become aware of my own unhelpful behavior. I could recognize it now even though I wasn't able to break free from it.
Still, I would continue to fall into the same hole over and over again.
Then I learned how to manage my emotions as soon as I experienced a difficult situation at work. I picked up tools of mindfulness and meditation to help me manage my thoughts, feelings, and actions in those critical moments.
I was able to move past the challenging situations as I faced them without letting them take over my thoughts, feelings, and actions.
This helped me deal with each situation in a healthy way and as a result, I felt much better as I came home to spend quality time with my family.
I felt lighter.
I felt free.
I still experience challenging situations and know I could fall into the hole again but now I am aware of the situations and I can avoid them before falling into the hole again.
An Inspiring Story
I was inspired to write this post after reading the story Autobiography in five short chapters from the book There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery by Portia Nelson, who was a singer, songwriter, actress, composer, lyricist, painter, photographer, and author, truly an amazing woman.
I have included the story below.
Portia sums up the pattern we fall into with amazing clarity. Going from being completely unaware of our behavior to bringing awareness, resilience, and action to dealing with the obstacles we face, her story is an inspiring reminder of how we overcome our challenges to become stronger as a result.
Autobiography in five short chapters
by Portia Nelson
Chapter One
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.
Chapter Two
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 this same place.
But, it wasn't my fault
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter Three
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...but,
my eyes are open
I know where I am
It is MY fault
I get out immediately
Chapter Four
I walk down the same street
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I walk around it
Chapter Five
I walk down another street
I hope you enjoyed the story and if you find yourself in a hole, know that you can get out and you will overcome.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story.
Peace ✌🏽
Rizwan