Flying is typically boring for me, but I actually enjoyed one of my eleven flights in the past month. It wasn’t because of a hysterically funny Southwest Airlines flight attendant. No, it was a gentleman obsessed with solving the Rubik’s Cube in less than a minute! His name is Chris, and with his permission, he is the topic of this week’s Cornerstone Moment.
Chris is a brilliant young entrepreneur who was traveling to a wedding in Pennsylvania with his fiancée. For nearly the entire trip from Denver to Philadelphia Chris was laser-focused on solving the Rubik’s Cube in less than 60 seconds.
Erno Rubik created the Rubik’s Cube in 1974. His solid cube was supposed to be impossible to solve. It took well over a month for Erno Rubik to work out the solution to his own puzzle. Today, there is even a sport called Speed Cubing. I think that may have been what Chris was preparing for on that flight.
If Chris had spent his time talking to his fiancée or me, he likely would not have progressed as well as he did. He dropped his time to solve the puzzle down to one minute and 17 seconds before exiting the plane. I was incredibly impressed by that accomplishment!
Solving the Rubik’s Cube takes a lot of concentration and intentional focus. Chris was not distracted by anything around him as he solved the puzzle. He was able to simplify his surroundings while focusing on the task at hand.
The point of this blog is to help illuminate that fact that we as humans can become very distracted, and often overlook ways to solve problems and overcome challenges in our everyday lives. I’ve worked in the healthcare industry for more than 22 years, and witnessed my fair share of havoc wreaked on providers and health systems due to the mounting changes in the industry.
There are a great deal of distractions in life that can make situations seem more complex. From family matters and health issues, to finances and vocational challenges. In healthcare alone the complexity is incredible. Take the enrollment process as an example. There are so many moving pieces, and one mistake can saturate tremendous resources as well as cause claim denials. This takes away from the focus needed to take care of patients, the lifeblood of healthcare. Simplifying and automating enrollment is the solution to that Rubik’s Cube-like puzzle. There is software available that takes care of this for organizations, saving them tremendous amounts of money while improving patient satisfaction.
The successful people that I know are very focused and don’t get distracted during their quest for success. They simplify the things they can and remain on task until they’ve achieved their goals. Whether in healthcare or in life narrow your focus and find the solution to your Rubik’s Cube.