Success in any field comes from the formula.

There’s a formula for everything. How to write a hit song. How to write a bestselling book. How to make a blockbuster movie.

You need to understand the formula. Sometimes the formula is written down and readily available – ‘just follow these steps’. Sometimes you have to figure out the formula yourself. By examining what worked. Finding patterns. And of course there can be more than one formula in a given field.

Once you find the formula you can follow it. Or not.

Following the formula is optional, understanding it is not.