The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Einstein’

One of the things I discovered about myself is that the more I read, the more creative I am, and the more great ideas I generate. I thought I would have some fun with this blog post and create tweets (less than or equal to 140 characters) for some great people who died. Click on the links to learn more. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

@Einstein I was surprised when Time magazine named me Person of the Century, thx to Max Talmud 4 exposing me 2 key texts in science & math

@FlorenceNightingale Thx 2 Charles Villiers for supporting me when I advocated for improved healthcare in infirmaries

@RolloMay I’m convinced I got it right “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice … it is conformity” Man’s Search for Himself

@Archimedes I was so excited when I figured out how 2 measure the volume of an irregular object I ran down the street naked shouting Eureka

@Gutenberg I had no idea that inventing the printing press would so profoundly impact info dissemination, of course the Internet helped

@TheWrightBrothers No one succeeds alone, we’re gr8ful to Otto Lilienthal, whose research was instrumental in assisting us to invent the airplane

@Confucius I’m both teacher and student, learn more by reading the Analects of Confucius online

@MarieAntoinette Things u may not know abt me, I am fond of music, I cld barely read or write at age 12, and I believe in giving to charity

@LadyGodiva I’m not an exhibitionist, I rode naked on a horse to protest the oppressive taxes my husband imposed on his tenants

@MartinLutherKingJr We are our brother’s keeper, what affects one of us affects all of us

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech

Rollo May Existential Psychotherapy Video

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• Chow Yun-fat to play Confucius in China-backed film (guardian.co.uk)
• Wise words of Confucius (telegraph.co.uk)

Photo credit: Public domain, photo of Archimedes

How did I get here?

Why do I keep on making the same mistakes over and over again? You would think that I would have learned by now.

When you read Autobiography in Five Short Chapters, you find yourself  laughing, not because the poem is funny. You are laughing at yourself. You feel a connection to Portia Nelson’s words. She is speaking your words.

I certainly felt a connection with her! She clearly articulated what I was feeling.

You feel connected to the author because it takes you forever to get it right. But one day you finally get it, perhaps by then the pain is too much for even you to bear. Or perhaps you are now more self-aware. The reason doesn’t matter because you have finally learned from that particular mistake.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson

Chapter 1

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 2

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.

Chapter 3

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 4

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

Chapter 5

I walk down another street.

Portia Nelson, 1920 – 2001, There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery

As I write this post, and read the poem again, I notice something for the first time, and make a connection that I didn’t make before.

“…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…”

The quote attributed to both Einstein and Bejamin Franklin pops into my consciousness, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting to get a different result.” We are in the same place because we simply haven’t made any changes. How can we expect a different result if we keep on doing the same thing the same way?

We no longer have to walk down that particular road in life because we have options. We can learn from your mistakes, or not, the choice is entirely ours.

What emotions does Autobiography in Five Short Chapters evoke? What lessons can we learn? What does this poem remind you of?

The first time I read this poem it moved me deeply. So much so that I secured permission to use it in my book Tales of People Who Get It.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters is from the book There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk, pp 2-3.