The Shortest Sequence

My son mentioned recently that any possible arrangement (there are 43 quintillion) of a Rubik’s Cube can be solved in 20 moves or less. (This is confirmed mathematically.)

But it’s not the solution most of us are going to take. We’re more likely to look at a scrambled cube and (a) leave it scrambled, or (b) search the standard algorithms and solve it with much more than 20 moves.

That’s like achieving success in any field. Sure, there’s a small chance that you make the right 20 moves and achieve long-term success quickly and smoothly. But it’s more likely that you work slowly, methodically, using a reliable progression to reach success.

Don’t worry if you haven’t solved the puzzle using the shortest sequence; there are plenty of other ways to get where you’re going, and getting there is more important than getting there fast.