What I’ve learned from seven years of professional speedcubing
And it’s not about mathematics or logic
I started my professional speedcubing career in 2015, with my first competition being an utter disaster. From undergoing a slow start to ending up with consecutive Asian Championship podiums, a World Championship podium, and a Guinness World Record, I’ve learned tremendously along this journey. Here are my favorite takeaways.
Even though determination is essential, technique is equally important.
A bunch of us started speedcubing together in school, but only I was lucky enough to be addicted to speedcubing on Youtube. I watched world records, record-holders talking about their techniques, and tips and tricks on achieving that pace for hours. I could determine which algorithms to memorize, methods to learn, and practice strategies to implement to help me progress faster. It wasn’t intentional; I just got lucky to be addicted to this type of content and was motivated enough to replicate their techniques. On the other hand, my friends continued grinding the beginner method, which couldn’t take them far even after a significant effort. I experienced this again in my life, from the other perspective, when I became addicted to playing chess but never learned openings, strategies, or endgames. One of my friends did, and he rose through the ranks much faster than I did. Even though it might be tedious, investing in approaches and methodologies is worth it in the long term, especially if the objective is growth.
It’s hard to sustain interest in something that becomes competitive.
I started cubing because I enjoyed it. Learning and practicing algorithms gave me satisfaction. Watching cubing youtube was a source of pleasure. However, as time progressed, I got sponsored, my friends and family got involved in my progress, and it almost became a piece of my identity. Cubing transitioned from an optional hobby that relaxes me to something I need to do to not disappoint my loved ones and maintain my reputation in society. The pressure was never explicitly expressed, but I felt it from their happiness and support for my achievements. I can see this happening in everything I compete in professionally. How did I navigate this? Keep reading!
Doing utility calculations helps me get over questioning myself and the accompanying guilt.
My solution to the above problem is a utility calculation where I determine if an activity is worth continuing. I’ve realized the competitive environment of cubing makes me feel alive with adrenaline, the cubing community is a resourceful social circle, representing and winning for my country at championships fills me with pride, and I often need something to cool my head off from work or use as a fidget toy to help me think. The above benefits of cubing easily outweigh the downsides, such as time and energy investment or the lack of intellectual growth after a certain threshold. Thus, cubing is worth keeping in my life, and every time I think of quitting, I go back to my calculations and remind myself why I do this. If I’m still not satisfied, I’ll re-evaluate to ensure that circumstances haven’t changed. This habit has proven helpful in several other scenarios. This semester, I’ve been in a great headspace where it’s effortless for me to enjoy myself, and so it has been my primary objective. However, every time I observed my classmates pursue professional goals, such as side projects or interview prep, I would feel guilty for not doing the same. Once again, I did a utility calculation where I realized I’d have the summer for pursuing professional goals and that I don’t want to sacrifice my headspace right now for work that isn’t urgent. It’s a rare personal circumstance, and I want to make the most of it. Since then, I haven’t felt guilty for not working, as I can always go back to my calculations and remind myself why I made the choices I did.
Cut-throat competition and losing occasionally keep me at the top of my game.
When I have a winning streak, I’m very comfortable with myself and want to maintain my pace rather than push myself to accomplish more. In other words, I have no incentive to get faster, and supported by the fact that nobody else is challenging my times, I almost don’t even know if getting quicker is possible. It’s a toxic mindset. However, as soon as somebody beats my record, I know for a fact that going faster is possible, and I surprisingly improve significantly over a brief period. A big cause behind the jump is the mindset change, fueled by empirical evidence of possible faster times.
Similarly, losing is an excellent motivator for me. When I lose, especially when it’s least expected, my body is filled with vengeance, and I’ve never been more motivated to fight back. Practicing and learning new algorithms become effortless. However, both the mindset shift due to competition and the burst of motivation caused by losing are temporary. Even though I can’t sustain them, being actively aware of my laziness in a state of dominance keeps me persistent.
I’ve learned I value humility and why I do so.
Feliks Zemdegs, an Australian speedcuber popularly regarded as the best of all time, has been my idol and inspiration since the beginning of my journey. I met him for the first time at World Championships in Paris, and his humility was beyond inspiring. I just wanted a picture with him, but he initiated a conversation. He showed genuine interest and kept the chat going, even though he was probably tired from being bombarded with similar requests throughout the day. Even before meeting him, humility was a characteristic I’ve deeply admired and tried to inculcate in myself. However, I didn’t have a concrete reason for doing so. Meeting a classmate who’s so big on social media that she’s essentially a celebrity made me realize why. She never used her fame and accomplishments to make an impression on people but took the harder path starting from scratch to build genuine connections, which I admire so much.
Cubing has been a big part of my life and I’m very grateful to have discovered it. I don’t see myself quitting anytime soon. If you’re interested in how cubing turned my life around, this short post goes over my journey. And here’s my cubing page if you want to be updated on my journey. Thank you for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts or feedback in the comments!
