I came across a poem recently that struck me deeply. It captures what it means to live without awareness and what other choices are possible when we become conscious.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson

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 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.

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.

The Founder’s Version

Every founder knows this story. We walk down the same street, repeat the same patterns, and don’t realize our part in it. Until one day, we finally see. And once we see, we have a choice. In business, it looks like this:

Not Delegating
You think others won’t do it right. You even have evidence to support this. But the deeper issue is identity. When mistakes happen, you think they reflect on your worth. So you over-control. By holding on, you limit both your business and your freedom.

Overspending or Underspending
Overspending to prove you’ve “made it.” Underspending because you’re not sure you deserve it. Both are unconscious attempts to manage insecurity. Once you become aware of this pattern, you begin to see money not as proof of worth or a hedge against fear, but as energy.

Confusing Business with Identity
Revenue rises and you feel great. Profit drops and you feel like a failure. What’s really happening is you’re relying on the business for validation, instead of recognizing your own intrinsic value and accepting yourself as a work in progress. Once you recognize you’re doing this, the illusion begins to lose its grip. You are not your business. You’re so much more.

Unseen patterns drive us more than we realize. And false certainty persuades us to keep doing what we’ve always done. Here’s what to do instead:

Simple Steps to Start

1. Pause: Interrupt the autopilot. Take slow, deep breaths often.

2. Notice: Pay attention to how you feel throughout the day. Write it down.

3. Question: What do I really want? (Hint: everything you want is a feeling).

4. Choose: Take one small action your future self would thank you for.

Why It Matters

When you’re conscious, you’re aware. And once you see how you’re creating reality, you can’t unsee. It becomes easy to choose another street.