Mistakes are systematic.

Mistakes are systematic; excellence, brilliance are individual.

What I mean by this is that people tend to make the same mistakes as large groups of other people, and that they fall into a few easily recognizable categories. I mean this in the broadest sense possible: in anything one could possibly make a mistake in, from cooking eggs to managing money to much larger life decisions, the mistakes made are basically the same from person to person. However, mastery of any of these is personal. That is, if grandma's recipe is delicious (I'm talking out-of-this-world-delicious), it's because she made it according to her own circumstances, and adjusted where necessary. If you mimic her recipe, it'll taste good, but it won't be the same. It'll be missing the intangibles. Now, if you take that recipe and use it as a base, learn the basics, and then adjust according to your taste and circumstances, and do it a thousand times until it's just right, your recipe will be out-of-this-world-delicious as well.

The less complicated this is, the less difference there will be between individuals, walking, say, or cooking eggs, though still, mistakes will be systematic, and brilliance will be individual.

But the more complicated the subject is, living one's life, for example, the greater the appearance of difference is between individuals, though they are making systematic mistakes (and so, the more and larger mistakes there are to be made) and the more infinite and incalculable the difference will be between those who do it well.

So, learn form others' mistakes, but know that ultimately at some point in your life you'll get to the point where models and predecessors are entirely unhelpful, if you're good at what you do. Unfortunately, if they're even aware of doing it, most people follow the examples of others too closely, and you get whole industries that build up around following in others' footsteps, parsing their words and actions and ideas for meaning, rather than just taking the leap to do it for one's self. Unfortunately, because the world would be much more diverse if this were not the case, and it would be easier in contrast to see what the tie that binds is. It's not bad, though, it's just the way we do things.

As a practical example, take playing the guitar.

At first, if you don't have a teacher (not necessarily a literal person) you'll suck, hardcore, and for a long time. However, following his or her example, you'll learn how to play, mostly things that have come before. But, if you only stick to the known, stick to playing in the styles of the master's, and playing their songs, you'll be no more than a recording of someone else, and you'll never be quite as "them" as they were. Think about how many really good guitar players there are out there (not to mention how many infinite more mediocre ones there are) and then think of how many truly great, unique ones there are. Getting stuck in others' ruts is not the only reason there aren't a billion immortal guitar players, another reason is just lack of practice, but it's one of them. The mistake is thinking that you ever could copy someone a hundred percent. Without their body, their mind, their past, how is that possible? Your fingers are unique, the guitar you're using is different, if only very subtly, and you are a different person. It's impossible! Use examples to learn from, but never forget that they are only examples, and you are you.

So, if you find a teacher (of anything) that tells you the way they do it is the only way, be very skeptical. They're probably caught in someone else's wake. Don't, however, make the opposite mistake of rejecting all examples and sliding back to the stone-age. One needs to get as high (or far) as possible on the path of others before striking out for one's self. When to do it? It really doesn't matter. Just be aware of it, and you'll know.

Also, be aware of the above, that it is impossible to walk in the literal footsteps of someone else, just as it is impossible to shape your fingers in the same way as your guitar teacher's and that every step includes your own individuality necessarily. Learn every stage, then play with it. When you've learned as much as anyone can teach you, if you've been playing your own tune and making the practice your own, you shouldn't find it so difficult to jump at the end.