Have you talked with someone who achieves success effortlessly, only to fumble when you ask them how they did it? Their go-to response is usually something vague like:
You've got to find what works.
Just do what works for you.
At first glance, this advice seems harmless—even practical. But dig a little deeper, and you'll realise it’s just a polite way of admitting I got lucky and I have no idea how to replicate it.
Here is the Problem
Just Imagine a chef who makes a great dish but doesn’t know the ingredients or the cooking process. The dish might be delicious today, but can they replicate it? Of course not. The same applies to success in any field—business, marketing, writing, fitness, or even relationships.
You're at the mercy of chance if you don’t know why something worked. You can’t refine it, scale it, or teach it. And worse, when it stops working (which it eventually will), you’ll have no idea how to fix it.
Knowing 'Why' is Key
Real mastery comes from knowing the principles behind success.
Why did that marketing campaign go viral?
Why did that sales copy convert so well?
Why did your last blog post resonate with readers?
When you know the ‘why,’ you’re in control. You can tweak, optimise, and apply the same principles in different situations. That’s how you create repeatable success rather than relying on blind luck.
Principles Over Hacks
Principles are timeless. Hacks are temporary.
A hack might give you a quick win, but without understanding the principle behind it, you’re just throwing darts in the dark. Principles, on the other hand, can be applied across different contexts and still produce results.
Take for example:
Marketing Principle: People buy based on emotion and justify with logic. Knowing this allows you to write better messaging across different platforms.
Business Principle: Solve a painful problem, and people will pay for it. Whether you're launching a SaaS product or selling handmade crafts, this remains true.
Writing Principle: People don’t read content; they scan for value. Knowing this helps you structure your content to keep readers engaged.
Time For a Change.
If you’ve been coasting on what “just works” without understanding why, it’s time to change your approach.
Start asking deeper questions.
Reverse-engineer your wins.
Learn the principles behind success.
Because when you know why something works, you don’t just win once—you win repeatedly.
So, next time you hear someone say just do what works for you, ask them: Do you know why it works?
And watch them struggle for an answer. 😉