How my Rubik's cube made me a "finisher" | Cyrus Shams | TEDxYouth@WellspringLC

Cyrus Shams, 13, shares how a Rubik's cube got under his skin and helped him discover the "culture of persistence" in an era where kids want things fast, easy and with minimal effort. Funny thing is ... he has never felt more satisfied.

Cyrus Shams is a seventh-grade student at Wellspring Learning Community. He is part of the Robotics club and has an inexplicable obsession for the Rubik's cube.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

About eight months ago, at the beach,

a close friend of mine
picked up a Rubik's cube

and began solving in front of me.

It looked pretty easy,
the way he was handling it.

So I grabbed it and gave it a shot.

One hour later, I was
frustrated and lowered -

my confidence just ... gone.

I wasn't able to solve one side, not one.

About a week after,

a family friend bought me
a Rubik's cube as a gift.

Now, with the cube,
I could try and solve it,

without anybody there to judge me,

without me feeling stupid or foolish.

And so began a daily challenge
to learn how to solve the cube.

Within the first 24 hours,
I became obsessed with the cube.

I took it with me everywhere I went:

on the school bus,

at the dinner table,

in bed at night,

and yes, even in class,

where it did get confiscated
more than once.

(Laughter)

I threw myself at the cube.

I went on dozens
of instructional YouTube videos,

and very quickly, I discovered
many key algorithms that could help me.

So first, in order to solve the cube,

first you must solve a cross on any side.

Then fill in the four corners,
giving you your first side.

And then solving the first
two layers of the cube,

and finally solving
the last side, known as PLL,

and orient the last layer.

And with all this practice,

soon I was able to solve
one side, then two,

and with all this practice,
I was able to solve ...

the whole thing.

(Cheers)

(Applause)

I'd realized solving
the cube once or twice

wasn't the main part
of the cube addiction.

And, in fact, pushing
the challenge further,

learning how to solve the cube
with my eyes closed

or attempting to beat my speed record.

And by the time I'd cracked the cube,

I was already interested
in other cubes out there,

like the two-by-two,
and the three-by-three,

four-by-four, and the five-by-five,

and the pyramid and countless others.

Honestly, the world of cubing
is extraordinary.

During this long cubing experience,
actually I learned something pretty great.

Tackling the Rubik's challenge
one step at a time,

memorizing algorithm sequences
and techniques made me realize

us humans are capable of doing
anything that we put our minds to.

That may seem impossible,
may seem beyond our capacity.

I know.

Now, don't roll your eyes
at this neat little cliché,

because there really have been
practical results from this, for me.

For instance, before the cubing
world entered my life,

when I lost an item, I'd never bother
or take my time to search for it,

and I'd just buy a new one.

But now I think of different ways
and strategies to search,

and I'll search and search
until I find it.

Just another challenge to be cracked.

When I hear about something
that catches my eye,

a problem that needs solving,

something I've never heard of,

I immediately go on the Web,

search it up, and try to uncover
every single aspect.

For example, do any of you know
what sleep paralysis is?

Ask me; I know all about it.

Or how storms are caused,

or about astral projection,

or lucid dreaming, or the most bizarre
things you could think of.

Basically, if it grabs my attention,

I'll learn about it
until I am fully satisfied.

In short, because of this cube,
I've become a "finisher."

Now the reason why -

(Applause)

Now the reason why I think that
is because the other day,

a teacher pointed out
something really interesting:

Why are kids in other countries
more competitive?

Are they naturally smarter?

No.

The secret is - it's in their habits.

Kids that live in Japan, China,
India or Iran, where I'm from,

live in a culture of persistence.

That's right.

They persist at things.

They keep on trying and trying
until they finally get it right.

However, many of us kids

still live in a generation
of immediate gratification,

meaning we want things now.

If we can't have it, solve it,
fix it, finish it, complete it

within a short period of time,

we just lose interest,

we just give up.

Because of this cube,
this little colorful cube

has opened up a whole new way
of thinking in my life

that's really helped me with my school,
my work and my own interests.

But I am nowhere as perfect yet
as, of course, I would like to be.

Except if I want to do something,

within time, with a lot of practice,

I'll master it, I'll just go for it.

It's all a matter of curiosity,

persistence,

one foot in front of the other,

and best of all, satisfaction.

Try it!

(Cheers)

(Applause)