What the Rubik’s Cube taught me about problem-solving

Back in the ’80s, solving a Rubik’s cube was the ultimate symbol of intelligence. The star attraction at most children’s parties and school breaks, everyone fervently wanted that feather in their hat. As for me, I would pull all sorts of crazy tricks to conquer the cube: unscrewing the toy, peeling off the stickers and pasting them back in order, pretending to be a Houdini of the Rubik. Like most children on this quest, I must have destroyed a few pieces in the process too! All this, to ‘rise up’ in the eyes of my smarter brother.

Yesterday, I picked up a Rubik’s cube once again after ages. This time, it was to ‘live up’ to my 11-year-old daughter. And to my absolute thrill, I solved it! Not with some late-blooming intelligence, but by following a process, a hack that we barely used in the ’80s. Just like the Rubik’s cube, our biggest challenges today, be it marketing or anything else, are solvable. The ‘hack’ you need is also available. But it takes that extra iota of effort to seek it such as to sit and read a book or to speak to a mentor. Over the last few years, I have in fact, taught myself a few marketing hacks that makes me less reliant on ‘half-cooked’ vendors and agencies. Instead of being that marketer (or anything else for that matter!) who depends on others, you too can solve your greatest challenges yourself - with the simplest of hacks. Will that make you a ‘genius’? It doesn’t matter. Like the Rubik, what matters is your ability to solve problems. Not intellectual mumbo-jumbo.

Do you have any fun hacks on solving the Rubik’s cube? Tell us in the comments below!