How do I understand what it took in detail for big names to become successful?

This is related, because I want to go my own way and use the experiences of others.

I, like most of us, stagnate or are thrown back by depression, injuries and/or poverty.

And then there's people like will.i.am.

40 something, attractive, rich and he loves electronics.

I know what you say: survivorship bias. I don't know how hard he works and has worked to get where he is.

And you are right. I don't know anything. Because all I see is the end result. And I have no idea how to look behind the curtain.

I spent years trying to figure out other people's success to replicate it for me and I just couldn't.

Just take websites like amazon for instance.

It tells me nothing about how to replicate it.

Of course, you hear unspecific claims like "work hard", which don't tell you anything about how success was achieved.

Besides, people who clean the streets daily for a living are really working hard. But are they rich? Can they produce a song and then reap the benefits?

Will they ever have enough income and not live from paycheck to paycheck?

No.

Why?

The big mystery.

So my question is: how do I understand what it took in detail for big names to become successful?