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Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

By Portia Nelson (1920-2001) from There's a Hole in My Sidewalk.

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 is there. I still fall in. It's a habit. Its 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 another street.

References

The Four Stages of Competence

A pattern in skill building

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Portia Nelson wrote about this in her poem Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.