Hmm.. if you add the numbers together, your dad is talkign about the 9 path while you are asking about the 7 path. Both are spiritual, but 9 would be the Hermit, the one who leads by example, and 7 is The Chariot, which is all about self-rule and self-mastery, being a life scientist. Both are spiritual but the progression/evolution part is from 7 to 9.
Either way, you will have to be disciplined (4) to get where you want to go.