Stephen Cope & Corot

Reading in Stephen Cope's book The Great Work of Your Life, on the subject of dharma', our deepest soul's 'calling'...vocation (not job), the author writes on page 111 as regards the commitment one makes to this soulful work. It is one's natural inclination, this work. It is desired, it 'burns' inside, it commits oneself beyond temporary or 'common life's requirements.

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Read a short article by the author on the subject here...

The phrase "blew" itself out of the book, as my wife, Sherry, read. It goes something like this (not verbatim): "Mastery never results from talent...it results from the blending of the gift with deliberate practice". 

Munching...munch...munch...

And it was brought out further by the author's reference to Camille Corot, a famous French artist, a painter of the 1800's. Says Corot to his friends and students (not verbatim): "Do not follow others...he who follows is always behind"...!

Munch...

Of course! If one follows one's 'dharma", one's dream-gift, one can NOT follow others. One would be attempting to incorporate, "in-soul-ate" (...?), a 'stranger's' life's purpose, which would not 'fit'. One's essence could not 'work' with that. Like mixing "oil and water": two different electrostatic surfaces, a surface tension phenomenon which would be impenetrable. And one would always "be behind"...! Yet, were one to work with one's nature, one's natural gifts and inclination/s, deliberate practice would be the calling, day in and day out, focused tireless-unwearying-indefatigable toiling, towards the object, one not really 'known', but one that thru "deliberate practice" would show itself to the surprise and pleasure of the "dharmist": i.e., the phenomenon cited by writers in which "the book writes itself", "takes a life of its own".

So...what's my "dharma"? Could it be...? really?...
...but now, at this stage of my life...? Can I now...?

Oooppps! This needs munching...