It is a good idea to obey all the rules when you're young just so you'll have the strength to break them when you're old. Learn from the accumulated wisdom of the ages. That's what it's been accumulating for. A doctor, for example, is a shortcut to health. A teacher, a shortcut to learning.
Any expert is a shortcut to success.
A picture may be worth 10,000 words, but a bit of advice from someone who has achieved a goal similar to yours is worth 10,000 pictures. Sometimes you learn how to do something by following advice. Other times, you learn to do precisely the opposite of what is recommended. Knowing a source of consistently bad advice is a godsend. Consult it regularly, then do the contrary.