I fancy living a self-directed life. I’m not sure what I mean when I say that, but I have a much better understanding of what I think I mean after meeting Howard Roark. Do you know who I am talking about? I did not know this guy until very recently, when I picked up The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand.

Howard Roark is the protagonist in The Fountainhead. Hard to do him justice in a short blog, but I’ll try. This guy knows what he was born to do: design buildings. He knows his talent as well as he knows his own hands, or his own soul. In fact, his talent is not so much a part of him as he is of it. He is an instrument of his talent. He allows his talent to work through him. He services his talent.

How does he do this? By recognizing what his talent needs to grow and giving it that. By understanding what type of work will allow his talent to be put to its highest use and seeking that. By knowing what type of work will be a waste of his talent and saying no to that. By not letting anyone else decide for him what his talent is or how it will be used.

How often do we complain about our work? Wish we were doing something else? Agree to do things that do not service our talent? Do things in a way that devalue our talent?

For those interested in living a self-directed life, I highly recommend a trip to the bookstore and spending some quality time with my new mentor, Howard Roark.