The Science of Originals
We are all born unique, DNA guarantees that. But being an Original in life is not just about having a one-of-a-kind genetic code. Science shows originality is something that is developed. Through copying, practice, failing, and finally breaking the pattern, people become Originals. The kind who row across oceans, dive under Arctic ice, or invent sounds and ideas no one has heard before.
Through copying, practice, failing, and finally breaking the pattern, people become Originals.
This is about biology, psychology, and behavior. Let’s break it down.
Mirror First: Why We Copy
Every baby copies. Smiles, sounds, gestures. Copying isn’t laziness, it’s hardwired into our brains. Neuroscientists discovered mirror neurons in the 1990s. Brain cells that fire both when you act and when you see someone else act. That’s why you flinch when you watch someone fall on a skateboard or hold your breath when you see a freediver underwater.
This wiring means watching an expert is more than inspiration – it’s rehearsal. Elite athletes know it: Michael Phelps famously visualized entire races before swimming them. Research shows mental rehearsal can activate up to 70% of the same neural pathways as physical practice.
Exercise to try: Watch a video of someone you admire; a surfer, a climber, an artist. For one minute, copy their posture, their breathing rhythm, even the way they stand. You’re training your brain to run their script.
Practice Next: Why Repetition Shapes Us
But watching is only the start. Anders Ericsson, the psychologist behind the “10,000-hour rule” (later popularized by Malcolm Gladwell), showed that what matters is not raw hours, but deliberate practice: Targeted drills with feedback.
Serena Williams doesn’t just “play tennis.” She practices single shots again and again.
Musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Prince learned by copying others’ riffs, before twisting them into their own style.
Freedivers like Li Karlsén repeat breath-ups and relaxation drills daily, not just in competition.
Copy → Practice → Automate → Innovate. That’s the ladder.
Practical tip: Pick one small drill from your field; a breathing reset, a hand movement, a focus ritual. Repeat it daily for a week. Originals aren built in repetitions.
Fail Better: Why Breakdown Matters
Here’s the paradox: Failure shapes us more than success. Brain scans show failure activates the anterior cingulate cortex – the brain’s “learning alarm.” It makes the memory stick. Success feels good, but often fades. Failure rewires.
Athletes know it. Simone Biles has spoken about “falling more than she lands” when learning a new skill. Surfers like Christa Funk miss hundreds of shots to capture one wave photo. And every polar sailor has stories of broken gear and near-turnbacks.
Resilience research calls this stress inoculation: Exposure to setbacks in manageable doses makes us stronger for bigger ones.
Exercise: Write down your last failure. Don’t ask “why me?” Ask: What system failed? What adjustment could I make? That one shift turns failure into a feedback loop.
Break the Pattern: Where Originality Emerges
Copy. Practice. Fail. These steps build the foundation. But true originality comes when you break the pattern. When you take the habits you’ve mirrored and the skills you’ve practiced, and twist them into something new.
Pop culture is full of this:
Hip-hop was born from DJs looping funk records and scratching vinyl. Copy + twist.
Picasso studied classical painting for years, before shattering form into Cubism.
Tech innovators like Steve Jobs openly admitted to “stealing ideas”, but making them better, different, Apple.
The Science of Why This Works
Neuroplasticity: The brain changes with practice. The more you mirror and repeat, the deeper the neural pathways.
Hebb’s Law: “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Copying + practicing builds strong networks you can later innovate from.
Creative recombination: Psychologists Teresa Amabile and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi show that creativity often comes from remixing existing ideas in new ways.
Growth mindset: Carol Dweck’s research proves that seeing ability as learnable increases persistence – Originals endure longer.
Practical Originals Toolkit
Visualize → Mirror neurons in action. Spend 2 minutes a day imagining yourself doing the skill you want to learn.
Reset → Train resilience. Try triangle breathing (inhale, hold, exhale in equal counts) before stressful moments.
Fail log → Build data. Keep a short journal of mistakes + the adjustment you tried next. This makes failure a teacher, not a threat.
Break → Remix. Once you’re fluent in a skill, intentionally “bend” it. Play a song wrong on purpose. Take a drill into a new environment. See what emerges.
