Anchors and Highways

Earlier in life, I felt that I was bobbing the oceans in the way that jellyfish do: it is said that they do not swim, but are rather carried along by the ocean current. Yet I felt that each human being has the duty to come to understand themselves, and to master their surroundings - at least as much as is given to us to master.
When I graduated from high school, I suffered from terrible stomach pains, which led me to the discovery of a book called Bodymind, which was as good enough a book as I could have encountered back then, because it acknowledged the importance of the emotions. I felt so much anxiety at figuring out what my path was. In the ensuing years, I did my best to figure it out, but feel - like Jacaob Riis describes in his autobiographical story Entering Journalism - that destiny ultimately played a role in my life. Which is not to say I advocate taking the back seat: rather, it is by knocking on doors that one day, a door will open before us.
I have recently done much thinking about the idea of responsibility when it comes to pursuing the path that seems most fruitful to us. There is responsibility involved because at the beginning of one's career, there will be a very, very difficult path in front of us, and those that mean well may even advise us to choose a different path. Especially at the beginning, there is no guarantee of success, so one learns to take responsibility for the choices one makes.
I think everyone can achieve fulfillment, but not everyone is willing to pay the price to do so. Not only is there the risk of failure, but there is even the inconvenience of pursuing totally wrong choices before one arrives at the better direction... Not for the weak at heart, not at all.
If we can sense the general direction we are meant to be going in, we ought to summon all our resources for the ride: it will be very bumpy, especially at first (beginnings are most difficult, and nobody told me how long they last) - but isn't this still the better option than walking outside of oneself?
I am not saying that, in arriving at our path, we will always be jumping up and down with joy along it; in fact, not only will there still be moments of doubt, but there will also be times when one would simply rather be doing something else. But all in all, when one looks at the bigger picture, one can sigh and say, this makes sense. Or, like the balanced athlete, one feels good pain. Or, like a parent, one can say: yes, this is challenging, but it is worth the burden.
Which are the values that anchor your vessel along the path?

Elements: doily frame, paper strips, button, embroidery: minitoko; frame: maybemej;

font inspiration: puglypixel.