There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk by Portia Nelson, Summary

Some Thoughts on Goals and Achievement

Have you ever read There's a Hole in My Sidewalk? Before I present the book summary, there are a few things I'd like to talk about first.

A few years ago, while going through Flipboard to find interesting content to share on social media, I came across the Lifehack article, If You Want To Achieve Every Goal You Set, You Should Know This Magic Loop, by Michelle Owens.

In the article, the author reminds us to look at our goals, daily, weekly, and monthly, and to also plan for success. Is this something that you do? And in The 12-Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran you learn to structure your goals into 90-day chunks of time.

When I read the article, I was reminded of the poem, Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson, found in There's a Hole in My Sidewalk. The poem is very poignant, because it tells us if we expect different results, we cannot keep on doing the same things the same way.

What is There's a Hole in My Sidewalk About?

When you read There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery by Portia Nelson, you will feel a connection to the author because she is speaking words that you could have written.

Although the book is 133 pages in length, you can read it in about 30 minutes because there aren’t many words on each page. They are in a large font size, and the book is small in size. Despite this, the book packs a lot of punch with its thoughtful prose and numerous nuggets of wisdom.

As you are reading the book, you are becoming undone, because you're stripping off your mask, and all the layers you are wearing to insulate yourself from the world.

Many will be asking the question,

“How did I get here?”

And you may be asking the question because you are surprised, it wasn’t a part of your plan – not your intended destination. You could have veered off your path because of several small errors in judgment. You ask yourself,

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

That’s okay, because we make mistakes every day – and sometimes we make the same mistake over and over again. How do you prevent it from happening again? How do you break this potentially dangerous cycle? In There is a Hole in My Sidewalk by Portia Nelson, there is a delightful poem that I absolutely love because it’s so poignant – Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.

The poem resonates because it may take forever to finally get it right. A few years ago, I talked about slowing down and doing things right. I had to force myself because I saw a pattern in myself, and I wanted to break the cycle of making a particular mistake over and over again. It’s not always easy, but it’s doable.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson (1920 – 2001)

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.

Final Thoughts on There's a Hole in My Sidewalk

What's your reaction to the poem? The poem, Autobiography in Five Short Chapters, is the type that you have on your office wall to inspire you.

The book, There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery by Portia Nelson is where you will find the poem. It is one that you’ll read a couple of times a year to check in with yourself to see how you are doing. The subtitle of the book is “the romance of self-discovery,” and rightly so. As you  progress through this year, it is the perfect time for the romance of self-discovery.

Next Steps

Wondering what to do next, you can do all or some of:

1. Buy my new book, Leadership Reading: Spilling the Tea on How Top Leaders Read

2. Join the workshop, Applied Knowledge is Power: Reading Strategically to Get Knowledge Faster

3. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

4. Join the Art of Learning Membership Site

5. Download Unlock Your Genius Power Reading Tips Sheet

6. Buy me a cup of coffee!

If you want access to my Bookish Notes, please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.

This post contains affiliate links and The Invisible Mentor® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support! UPDATE: First Published in November 2013.