Why I Spent Hours Learning How to Solve a Rubik's Cube Over the Weekend

Duane Rollins -

This weekend, I spent an inordinate amount of time learning to solve a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube and it was so worth it.

Solving the cube is not that hard. You can simply follow along with one of the many video tutorials out there to complete the cube. That’s what I did.

Why I spent so much time going down this rabbit hole is more important.

I learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube because it was a story I wanted to tell others about myself. It was that simple for me.

The stories you tell others about yourself are some of the most powerful things you have at your disposal. These stories can either propel you forward or hold you back.

So what does my Rubik’s Cube story tell others about myself?

  1. I’m smart. There’s a perceived connection between solving puzzles like the cube and being intelligent. I also learned how to solve the cube from memory in a day which says something about my ability to commit information from my working to long-term memory. To be clear, I don’t think I’m smarter than anyone in particular, I just think I’m smart enough to solve the problems that come my way. Like the cube, I can figure it out.
  2. I’m dedicated. There’s no real reason to learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube other than your own pursuit of a challenge or curiosity. I’m one of those people that thinks to themselves, “let me try it,” when I become curious about something or interested in a challenge.
  3. I’m willing to seek my own answers. I learned from a video and practiced until I got it. I’m adding “self-starter” to my LinkedIn profile as we speak.
  4. That I’m comfortable being myself. Me personally, I don’t think solving a Rubik’s Cube as an adult is cool per se, I just think it’s quirky. Having a quirk makes for interesting conversations because it invites others to ask questions.

Do things in your life that you’ll want to tell stories about. It’s been a good north star for me when I’m making decisions. Beware, you may also end up down some pretty deep rabbit holes but that’s the fun part.

If you want to learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube yourself, I learned from this video. Be careful on that last step though!