Reinventing the wheel?

For years, my vow has been "to become enlightened and help other people to attain enlightenment."

I had this isn't-it-obvious and why-reinvent-the-wheel flash thought when I opened my eyes in bed this morning. Didn't Gautama Buddha, the Enlightened One, saw Absolute Truth and laid out the method (the Buddha Dharma) plainly for every Buddhist practitioner to follow? Suddenly I am pondering on these questions: Have I, in effect, only been trying to find my own way to a so-called enlightenment while using the Buddha Dharma as reference? If so, why reinvent the wheel?

Indeed, time and has changed since the Buddha taught his lessons thousands of years ago, but the basics (for instance, human nature, essential virtues for a practitioner) should still be applicable.

Hmm....