Well, my friends, it has happened again. It’s a pattern that we all know too well. We have goals, we get motivated, we make plans, we get started, we get distracted, we get discouraged, we let it all go. Repeat.
I was exercising more than I have in 8 years. I was eating healthier than I ever have. I was losing weight, and I was feeling good. But I fell off the wagon. Now I’m tired most of the time. My body hurts. I’ve been eating cookie dough for dinner. I don’t feel like enjoying the beautiful weather that’s coming with the change of seasons. I watch a lot of TV. And I hate this. So I will try again.
It makes me feel like I’m starting over from the very beginning. But the truth is, I’m not. I have these experiences behind me to motivate me and to learn from. And although it is discouraging to think of the number of times this cycle has repeated, I can’t let that get me down. Because if I do, I will never start again, and that is a guaranteed way to make sure that nothing ever changes.
How do I know that this time will be different? I don’t. But I know with utmost certainty that nothing will change if I don’t try again; I know that the only way to open myself up to the possibility of real and lifelong changes, is to try again. So here I go.
Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters
a poem by Portia Nelson, published in her book
There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
Chapter 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.
Chapter II
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 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 … but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter V
I walk down another street.
Heather's Healing Journey 