Sometime in the last four months, I decided to get serious about the Rubik’s Cube.
It started with curiosity. I was amazed watching Phoebe pick one up, glance at it, and immediately begin solving. There was no hesitation... just confidence and motion. I remember thinking, That looks impossible and not something I could learn to do. But instead of dismissing it, I felt a challenge was something I needed to do, so I set a simple goal to learn how to solve the cube.
At first, it was rough.
One day at work, a coworker noticed me struggling with it. He saw problem. The cube I was using was stiff, sticky, and hard to turn. One day on my desk was a gift. He had bought a speed cube and a copy of some instructions that worked for him.
He walked me through the basics and told me to learn the first level, then move to the second, and finally tackle level three. Get good at one step before moving on.
I still got stuck.
Despite the better cube and clearer instructions, I wasn’t making the progress I wanted. I could get the white layer, but failed getting level two. Frustration was what led me to YouTube.
I found a simple series of three videos that broke everything down in a way that finally clicked for me. The first video introduced the “dandelion method” and focused solely on completing the first layer. The second handled the middle layer. The third tackled the final layer... a level I had not gotten to before, but when I saw Phoebe or Eric do it, felt like magic.
Watching someone do it, pausing, rewinding, and then repeating the steps myself made all the difference. Slowly, something shifted. Patterns started to emerge.
From time to time, I still had to go back and watch a specific algorithm to remind myself of the steps. But each time, the reminders became shorter. The confidence grew.
Now, I can pick up a Rubik’s Cube and solve it.
It’s not impossible. It never was. You just have to know what to look for.
There’s something deeply satisfying about learning a new skill... especially one that once felt out of reach... and realizing that patience and persistence really do pay off.
Next up is trying to figure out how to 'win' at minecraft. This may take more time.
By the way, these are the three videos I used.