Watch Your Steps

Life is about learning from our mistakes so we don't repeat them.  If you're anything like me, though, you may find yourself making the same mistake over and over.  We may even pray “Lord, if you'll get me out of this mess, I'll never do it again.”  Then we do it again.

Motivational speaker and columnist Rick Kraft tries to explain why we make a mistake and then turn around and make the same stupid mistake again.  He uses author Portia Nelson's book "There's a Hole in My Sidewalk!" to show us how to avoid making the same mistakes.

The book is only five short chapters.  Here's a summary:

Chapter One - 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 Two - I walk down the 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 Three - I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see that it is there. I still fall in...it’s become a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter Four - I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter Five - I walk down another street.

Kraft then analyzes the book by breaking down each chapter.  In the first two chapters, he says the writer fell into the same hole each time and claims both times that it's not her fault.  In Chapter 1, the writer is surprised she fell in the hole.

In Chapter 2, she pretends the hole isn't there and falls in again.  She made the same mistake twice!  She could have avoided the second fall if she had learned from her mistake the first time.

In Chapter 3, Kraft points out that the writer takes the first step to overcoming her problem by admitting it was her fault that she fell in the hole.  She says her eyes are open, but it has now become a habit. She understands that she is both responsible for falling in the hole and that she has the power to get herself out.

In Chapter 4, she puts herself in danger again by walking down the same street.  She realizes she has a choice.  If she makes the right choice by walking around the hole, she can save herself from falling in again.

Finally, in Chapter 5, Kraft says the writer now understands that she can avoid the hole altogether by walking down a different street.

Kraft's point is to show us we have a choice.  Each day, we have many streets we can walk down.  Some streets have holes.  Some don’t.  It all depends on what street we choose to walk down. 

 

He challenges us to identify the holes that we fall into and learn to avoid them.  His advice: Choose carefully and watch your steps!