“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really are, far more than our abilities.” (J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
This week, I was reminded of a short little story by Portia Nelson entitled There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: Autobiography in Five Chapters.
Click here to listen to the 2-minute version of this article on the “Success is a Choice” podcast network.
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.
—-
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 me a long time to get out.
—-
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.
—-
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
—-
I walk down another street.
John Wooden, the great basketball coach, liked to say “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So, keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”
We are the sum total of the choices we have made in the past. Tomorrow, we will be better (or worse) off because of the choices we make today.
We may not be perfect but we can make progress each and every day. Similarly, those around us may not be perfect but we can encourage, uplift, and empower them to be their best.
What will we do today to be better? What will we do today to help others be better?
What will our journey look like? What choices will we make along the way?
Remember that success is a choice. What choice will you make today?