Extract from TA Today – A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis (2nd edition) Page 291-2:
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson
I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in
I feel 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 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.
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
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
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.
If you find yourself walking down the same street, falling in the same hole, and you’re stuck in habits, blaming others etc. then you need help to stop, make changes and move on.
Who can benefit?
There is a saying ‘You don’t need to be sick to get better’. In fact, you don’t even need to have problems; you can be a fully-functioning, fulfilled person, and you can still benefit from additional support simply in order to enjoy even more of what you want from life. No-one is 100% free of issues, most of us have an area of life where we walk down the same street, fall into the same hole and have bad habits, so what ever the issue, be it personal and or professional, seek out the support of a properly trained, certified, insured, experienced and accredited practitioner.
Select from our list of accredited practitioners here!