Life Imitating Art!!

I have always loved Rubik’s Cube. At about 15 years old, I used up much of my study time trying to solve this fascinating little object which I got no grades for.

After relentless effort, I finally solved it but a new challenge emerged. I immediately began challenging myself for speed and eventually, I started solving it in just over a minute. This certainly cannot compare with the speedcubers, but I was happy with my achievement.

I still fiddle with it these days and I could still figure it out, but I no longer have any interest in solving it in the fastest time possible. In any case, I did put this energy elsewhere. When my daughter was about 12, I taught her how to solve it based on her interest, and with constant practice, she even beat my best time….ONCE!! The teaching or learning process was not easy, but she did it. #prouddaddy

So, during one of our recent conversations (because of an article I had seen on the topic), I asked her; “what do you think the Rubik’s Cube can teach us about life?”

Here are 7 key points that came out of our conversation:

Life is colourful!! There are so many “sides” of life to navigate. Many times, we don’t have everything figured out and regardless of how much we frustratingly search for solutions, life is still colorful and definitely worth our energy.

Patience!! This is not an easy puzzle to learn. It requires a tremendous amount of patience. So do many aspects of life!! But if you stick with it, the results will come!!

Master the basics first!! Understanding the basic moves will ensure that you have the ability the learn the more complicated moves. What I did realize about the cube, however, is that only about one-third of the solution requires skill. The other two-thirds is really a series of memorized moves. Just like life, understanding skills in areas of communication, goal setting, and self-management can take you a long way.

Every move impacts your next move!! Cause and effect are true in solving the cube just as it is true in life. No explanation needed!!

Action precedes motivation!! The achievement of solving one colour drives you to look further for the solution. When you don’t feel like doing something, the best motivation is starting. Take action. Progress is the real motivator!!

Sacrifice!! Even if you solve one colour, you will have to disrupt it temporarily to solve another. Giving up time, making tradeoffs, compromising, etc are all sacrifices we have to make in our lives to move in the direction we need to. Everything falls back into place.

Know your goal!! The cube comes “solved” in the box we get it in for a reason. What this tells us is that we must have clarity on the destination.

This can serve as reminders for both our personal and professional lives!!

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Tony Ragoonanan is the Founder of  V-Formation Training & Development. As a Trainer and Performance Management Specialist, he helps individuals, teams, and businesses to align behaviours and goals, create the right organizational culture and maximize capability. Outside of this, it’s all about family,  football, and fitness!!

868-681-3492 | tonyr0909@gmail.com