Fwiw OP sn is socal1111. There is no social in it. But w.e.

I agre with the others that there is a certain process beginner's have to endure to grow as a player. First you get told how to do something and you start implementing it into your game. Later you start to realize just exactly what it is accomplishing and why it is good/bad advice to take. The good advice you keep, while the bad you disregard.

I'm pretty sure there isn't too many, if any, things that hasn't been tried in poker. While I agree that you shoudn't blindly follow someone's advice and when asked why you raise preflop with AA, say "because so and so said to". No, you must take their advice and delve deeper into it and understand why tht's the correct move.

In essence, you really shouldn't be focusing on how to create new ways to win. Instead you should be focusing on trying to learn and understand why the current winning strategies exist and why they do.