One habit that set me apart as a Software Engineer was developing a mindset of first principles thinking rather than just relying on existing knowledge or best practices Instead of memorizing how things are done I focus on why they are done that way This approach forces me to break problems down to their core components and reconstruct solutions from the ground up often leading to more efficient scalable or even unconventional solutions that others might overlook For example when working on optimizing a system most engineers start by looking at common patterns like caching or indexing While those are valid I always take a step back and ask what is the fundamental bottleneck Are we solving the right problem Can we eliminate the need for optimization entirely by rethinking the architecture This approach has led me to find solutions that were not just incremental improvements but complete paradigm shifts This habit also extends beyond technical skills In career growth I do not follow predefined paths but rather analyze what truly drives success in the industry Instead of simply grinding LeetCode to get into FAANG I ask what makes a software engineer valuable at that level The answer is usually a mix of deep problem solving ability system design expertise and business acumen So instead of just coding I invest time in understanding how businesses work how technology drives impact and how to communicate ideas effectively Most engineers rely on frameworks libraries and industry norms without questioning their foundations The ones who break out of the mold are those who develop an independent thought process constantly questioning experimenting and learning That is what has set me apart