Self-effort, of course, does play a dominant role. There is also the question of the presence of the seeds of an innate genius, in need of unfoldment and fruition. Yet, it is within the scope of everyone to attain the highest state in any field, if not today, then tomorrow, if not in this birth, then in the next. If you want to climb a hill, you have to plod on yourself, but you also need the help of someone who knows the path, and who can lead you to the summit through the safest route. Similar is the role of the guru, the spiritual guide.
Life abounds with numerous teachers.
Every object, every occurrence, everything has a lesson to teach. But there is also the basic need for a personal guide, with whom one could forge a sense of belonging, repose absolute trust and confidence, and hold him in high veneration, so as to prepare oneself psychologically to reap maximum benefit from his spiritual guidance. Expansion is the sign of life. In nature there is nothing static. Everything in this universe is set on a pattern that conditions the evolutionary process, until a cycle of creation is completed and returns to the creator.