Traveller: What should I do with my life?
Wise man: Let’s suppose you are travelling. You have a destination to reach. But you don’t know which way to go. There are people around. What do you do?
Traveller: Certainly, I approach some of them and for for a direction.
Wise man: And if you’re not satisfied with the answer, what do you do?
Traveller: Ask another one.
Wise man: And if you’re still not satisfied?
Traveller: Approach another one, obviously, and ask them.
Wise man: And does it help you?
Traveller: Well, usually no. Actually, if anything, the more advice I ask, the more I get lost.
Wise man: Exactly! When you ask somebody which way to go they kind give you their map to follow. And they assure you that it works. The thing is, though, that it works for them and might not equally work for you, not to mention that it might not work at all.
So when you ask me which way you should follow, I, honestly, don’t. It’s for you to decide. You need to draw your own map to reach your life destination.
Traveller: OK. Got it. And as to advice? It doesn’t help at all, does it?
Wise man: Well, you, obviously, cannot draw something from nothing, can you?
You need some paint to draw your map. And advice is like paint. Yet, you need to be creative with it, you need to be flexible, critical and careful enough in order to use those paints sensibly so that you won’t ruin your map and draw a really beautiful picture. Creating such a picture might take some time, effort and patience. However, it’s up to you what it will eventually look like. Nobody can draw your own map, but yourself. Asking somebody to draw your map for yourself is like asking them to eat your breakfast for yourself.
So be the painter of your life. And don’t let fancy colours blur your vision for your picture of life.
