There is a common belief that people become more predictable as they age. Perhaps it's true.
There is something called the Wilson effect. It means that the influence of genetics on intelligence grows as we get older. Compared with childhood, the differences in intelligence that stem from genes become larger with age. One reason given is personal preference. People with a genetic foundation linked to high intelligence prefer activities that sharpen the mind. After all, people generally like what they are good at. When this preference works as positive feedback, the gap widens over the years, and they move toward becoming even more intelligent than others.
But does this apply only to intelligence? I think it applies to many other areas too. The body, for example. As they age, people born with a strong body may exercise more and end up with even better physical ability. Conversely, people with a weak body avoid exercise, and their physical capacity declines as they get older.
Either way, we live out much of our lives as we were born, according to our genes. But as life goes on, there comes a point where we hit a wall. That is the moment when we need another self.
Try What You Resist
If you live as you were born, your strengths keep getting stronger and your weaknesses keep getting weaker. If you feel you've hit a wall in this flow, you need to try something you feel resistance toward. You have to step off the path you were given.
If you've only ever sat at a desk, for example, you could start exercising. Going to the gym once in a while isn't enough. You have to change your identity, as if you were an athlete from now on. Only then can you actually change.
If you're stuck at some point in life, it's better to step off the path at least once.
Is Stepping Off Really Right?
I know the maxim that you should build on your strengths is widely accepted. Stepping off the path could also be a mistake, because you might end up as someone who is neither one thing nor the other. But if you're stuck at some point in life, you need to step off. Dying in a situation that is neither here nor there is the same as dying as a person who is neither here nor there.
The advice to build on your strengths may be useful from an employee's point of view. A company hires someone for one thing they do well, and then places them like a part that does only that.
But for someone who wants to become independent, it's better to aim to be a well-rounded person, with mind, character, and body, like a holistic education. If you become someone who can do a bit of everything, you'll be better at breaking through the places where you get stuck.