What does it mean to follow your own nature

The photo captures a kind of honesty we rarely allow ourselves: a machine built in the open. You can see the lines, the fasteners, the badge, and all its purpose masquerading as beauty. That’s the right doorway into the mind of Alfieri Maserati. His era wasn’t corporate, it was personal. Hands on, choices made close to the edge and a life given to what he loved.

Yes, the facts are hard. Alfieri suffered a severe crash in 1927 racing a Tipo 26 derivative. His health never fully recovered. He died in 1932 after complications related to kidney surgery. But the beauty in his story isn’t the danger, it’s the sincerity. He wasn’t building his “brand.” He was answering a call.

Taoism doesn’t treat “following your Tao” as chasing thrills but rather as alignment. It’s recognizing the current you’re meant to move with and stopping the habit of bargaining with your own nature. Alfieri’s devotion looks like what the Tao describes as steady attention, repeated effort and action without unnecessary struggle. The Tao is about doing what’s in alignment with your nature in the truest way and working with reality instead of fighting it.

That’s why this is a love story. Love, in a Taoist sense, is faithful and reflected in the return. It shows up again and again in small, quiet acts: hands returning to tools, mind returning to the problem, body returning to the work. Alfieri’s grace is that his days matched his nature. Many people live safely but never live honestly.

Following your Tao doesn’t require speed or a racetrack. It requires truth. Today, make one small move toward alignment. Say one honest “no.” Choose one perfect “yes.” Remove one thing that drains you. Not to be impressive to others but to be real to yourself.