"You’re not supposed to go far on a path that was never yours to walk”
“Maybe you don’t need to find more energy, maybe you just need to find a dream that makes you actually want to get up in the morning…. Maybe you need to stop trying to be good at the hundred things that do not light up your soul, and finally choose the one that does…. You’re not failing because you’re not motivated. You’re not supposed to go far on a path that was never yours to walk.” —B. West
This quote brings to mind the endless angst-filled DMCs in high school when we struggled mightily to figure out deep and important things like our purpose in this world. There was an ongoing debate about whether one should pursue that which came easy or spend a lifetime trying to master that which was hard. Somehow the hard seemed more glamorous, but it appears Chazal were more in favor of pursuing one’s natural tendencies.
Rabbi Yisroel Roll developed a self-awareness model called Conscious Therapy (discussed in his book StayWoke and Ignite Your Soul), based on the 13 Middos of HaKadosh Baruch Hu as explained by the Tomer Devorah, wherein each person studies the middos and identifies the one with which he most closely resonates. This then becomes a template and guide for that person’s work in This World. For example, the middah of “Chanun” represents one who is empathetic, sensitive, and sincere — a gentle soul. One who identifies this as their primary middah would probably feel most gratified pursuing a life of caring for the emotional needs of others.
Living in sync with one’s natural temperament is the key to high energy and vibrant living. Sadly, there are those who go through life following the steps that have been tread before them, giving no thought to their own individual path. Not only does this result in endless drudgery, it also deprives them and the world of their unique gift.
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