I didn’t know how to write music when I started playing an instrument. By studying patterns from popular songs, I learned to write my own.

I didn’t know how to design products until I started taking existing systems apart looking for patterns and intent behind design decisions. Now, most of my earnings come from designing things.

Most of everything follows a recipe. Understand how patterns fit together and you’ll be well on your way to understanding the structure of success.

Ask yourself Why things were made a certain way. Keep asking the question until you reach the core (5 Whys).

Logic has it that, if you can take something apart, you should be able to put it back together. But, for this to work, you need to have understanding. Being able to take a car apart won’t necessarily make you a great car engineer.