My Monday Rant: I can solve a Rubik's Cube in 3 mins compared to a world record of 3.13 seconds... and I'm still proud!

Here we go ranting again, 09th Sep 2024!

I can solve a 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube... big deal, right? I think it is! ??

I have since realised, over time, that there is different ways of solving it, which I grouped into two - intuitive and technical. What I call intuitive is those people who seem to just look at the cube and know what direction to go in order to put what piece, where; those guys that do this in seconds. And what I call the technical way is following certain, specific steps to the letter till the cube is solved. I fall under the technical group. I'm one of those that if I miss a step, more often than not, I have to start from scratch because I can't get out of that maze otherwise. Not very intuitive! But still, it felt refreshingly satisfying when I solved it for the very first time, it felt like quite an achievement I should say! It only took me 3 days for that particular run, all the pun intended.

Anyway, that time has come down significantly now and I can consistently solve it in under 3 minutes. Feeling invincible in my feat, I searched what the world record time is and I found out it is 3.13 seconds. Ain't that a kick in the head! Deflated a bit with the contrast to my average 2 mins 15 secs, I had to look back at the progress from 3 days to here. It is a long way.

Let's break it down a bit. Why would I even be bothered by a world record on something I just learned for recreational purposes? I have absolutely no intention to do this in any competitive capacity. I think the reason I searched is the unconscious competitive spirit in me, in a lot of us! The problem with it is that, if not kept in check, it could rob us even of the tiniest, yet important victories on a daily basis. I'm absolutely proud of my feat, yet that almost got lost in the midst of "worrying" about a record that has nothing to do with anything about why I learned this to start with. In another view, life's victories are hardly ever really a zero-sum game, where one's victory is balanced by another's loss. Max Park's 3.13 seconds time coexists with my 2 mins 15 seconds time, nothing is lost on my end to pad his victory.

The reality is, there are very few instances where we get to experience being the best at something, but that does not mean we have not experienced victories along the way. If being the best is the only source of happiness or the only trigger to feeling victorious, then we'd be much much restricted in that pursuit.

As I sign off, I'm being intentional about owning my victories without looking left or right; now in the moment!

Até proxima semana!