Model the best, but don’t become a clone. Make success your own.
Most people try to copy experts exactly but end up frustrated.
- They mimic techniques but don’t understand the thought process.
- They repeat what experts do but don’t adapt it to their own style.
- They follow the rules blindly but never innovate.
🔥 True mastery comes from modeling, not mindless copying.
✅ Learn what works.
✅ Understand why it works.
✅ Make it your own.
🚨 Insight:
- Copying limits growth—modeling accelerates mastery.
- The greatest minds don’t copy—they steal ideas and make them better.
Let’s break down the right way to learn from experts without losing your originality.
🔥 Keep this mantra ingrained in you: “You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”
1. The 3 Levels of Learning from Experts
When learning from an expert, you go through three levels:
1️⃣ Beginner Level – “I Have No Idea What I’m Doing” 🤯
✅ Copying is OK at this stage.
✅ You need to imitate first to understand structure.
✅ Focus on developing basic skills, not originality.
🔥 Example:
- A new artist traces great drawings to understand proportions.
- A beginner writer imitates Hemingway’s sentence structure.
- A musician plays famous songs note-for-note before composing their own.
🚀 Key Principle: “Copy to Learn, Not to Stay.”
2️⃣ Intermediate Level – “I Can Do It, But I Need Guidance” 🎯
✅ Understand the thought process behind expert decisions.
✅ Analyze patterns—why do they do what they do?
✅ Experiment with small changes instead of blind imitation.
🔥 Example:
- Instead of copying an artist, you study their brushstrokes & shading techniques.
- Instead of copying a speech, you learn how the expert structures arguments.
- Instead of imitating a coder, you adapt their logic to different problems.
🚀 Key Principle: “Learn the rules, then question them.”
3️⃣ Advanced Level – “I Make My Own Rules” 🔥
✅ You understand the expert’s method but no longer need to copy it.
✅ You combine insights from multiple experts to create something new.
✅ You develop your own style, strategies, and improvements.
🔥 Example:
- Instead of following an artist, you create your own unique style.
- Instead of copying a speaker, you develop your own voice & delivery.
- Instead of following an exact coding method, you create new solutions.
🚀 Key Principle: “Steal Like an Artist – Make It Your Own.”
2. The “Reverse Engineer & Rebuild” Method
🚀 Instead of copying an expert, do this instead:
✅ Step 1: Identify Patterns (What Works?)
- What are the recurring strategies they use?
- What makes their work stand out?
✅ Step 2: Understand the Why (Why Does It Work?)
- What problem is this method solving?
- What makes this approach effective?
✅ Step 3: Adapt & Experiment (How Can I Make It My Own?)
- What happens if you modify the technique slightly?
- How can you apply this method to different situations?
🚨 Insight:
- Blind copying keeps you average. Understanding makes you a master.
- The greatest breakthroughs come from remixing and adapting, not imitating.
🔥 “Geniuses don’t copy— they study, adapt, and innovate.”
3. How to Learn from Experts Without Becoming a Clone
Here’s How to Learn from Experts Without Copying Them Step-by-Step:
1️⃣ Study Multiple Experts, Not Just One
🚀 If you copy one person, you become a copy.
🚀 If you learn from many, you create something new.
✅ Example:
- Instead of only following Steve Jobs, study Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Da Vinci.
- Instead of copying one musician, analyze multiple genres and artists.
- Instead of writing like one author, mix elements from different styles.
🚨 Insight:
- The best innovators combine ideas from different fields.
- If you want to be unique, mix influences creatively.
2️⃣ Focus on the Thought Process, Not Just Techniques
🚀 The expert’s mind is more valuable than their method.
🔥 How to do this:
✅ Ask yourself: What problem is this solving?
✅ Look for patterns in their work.
✅ Break down decisions they make, not just the results.
🚨 Insight:
- Experts don’t just have techniques—they have a way of thinking.
- If you learn how they think, you can create your own techniques.
3️⃣ Experiment & Break the Rules
🚀 Don’t be afraid to challenge what you learn.
🔥 How to do this:
✅ Change elements of what you learn.
✅ Apply their methods in new ways.
✅ Test if their rules hold up in different situations.
🚨 Insight:
- Every expert was once a beginner who challenged the status quo.
- The real breakthroughs come from breaking the old rules.
🔥 “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” – Picasso
4. How Masters Learn from Masters (The Bruce Lee Model)
Bruce Lee was a master because he:
✅ Learned techniques from multiple martial arts.
✅ Discarded what was useless.
✅ Modified what worked to fit his own strengths.
🔥 His philosophy?
- “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.”
🚀 Apply this to your learning:
✅ Study different perspectives.
✅ Take only what is useful.
✅ Modify techniques to fit your strengths.
🚨 Insight:
- The best learners steal ideas, but make them unrecognizable in their own work.
- Creativity = Combining old ideas in new ways.
5. The Ultimate Formula for Learning from Experts
🚀 Want to master anything without being a copy? Follow this method:
✅ Step 1: Observe (What Do Experts Do?)
- Watch, analyze, and identify patterns.
✅ Step 2: Understand (Why Do They Do It That Way?)
- Look for the logic behind their methods.
✅ Step 3: Experiment (How Can I Modify This?)
- Change variables & apply their strategies in new ways.
✅ Step 4: Innovate (What Can I Add That’s My Own?)
- Mix, match, and adapt to create something unique.
🚨 Insight:
- Mastery isn’t about learning one method—it’s about building your own.
- The goal is to stand on the shoulders of giants, not live in their shadow.
