Walking your own path

You can't walk your own path without taking responsibility.  

If you follow the default path, you can forsake responsibility.  You can say, "I did what I was supposed to do!  I don't know why I had a different result!"  

The difference is that when you walk your own path you adjust.  You're constantly course-correcting.

If you follow the direct path, you're following a recipe.  Even if you follow the directions perfectly, life is random and you can end up elsewhere.  But you won't know to adjust the recipe, and you'll just wind up wherever fate directs you.

But if you follow your own path, it forces you to take responsibility.  There's no recipe, you're making it up as you go.  You can't not course-correct.