Profile: Ernõ Rubik, Three-Dimensional Space and the Rubik's Cube

Invention begins with seeing familiar things in a new way. What can you learn from the Rubik’s cube and its inventor? Here we take a closer look.

“If you are curious, you’ll find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them.”

— Ernõ Rubik

The Rubik’s Cube has become a world-famous and instantly recognizable toy since its launch over 40 years ago. The toy is iconic as an intellectual challenge that people instantly pick up and start playing around with intuitive understanding of what the end goal (all same color squares on each side) is. This geometric puzzle is easily accessible, does not require written instructions and offers also a sense of order and completion.

In 1974, a 29-year-old Hungarian sculptor and architect Ernõ Rubik invented the Rubik’s Cube, which he initially called the ‘Magic Cube’ or ‘Buvos Kocka’ in Hungarian, as a way of teaching his students how to solve three-dimensional problems. The toy that he made that did not break no matter how much you twisted or turned it. Rubik’s architecture students at the Budapest College of Applied Arts (Iparművészeti Főiskola) loved it.

His toy became very popular in Hungary. The country was Communist at the time, with tight regulations on imports and exports. Rubik shared his invention at toy fairs. At the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1979, he met Tom Kremer who saw the potential in the toy and wanted to sell it worldwide.

Through Tom’s help, Rubik was able to sell over 100 million cubes of the newly renamed toy, the Rubik’s Cube worldwide. The updated version also was lighter. Soon there were competitions worldwide to see who could solve the Rubik’s Cube puzzle the fastest.

“Space always intrigued me, with its incredibly rich possibilities, space alteration by objects, objects’ transformation in space, movement in space and in time, their correlation, their repercussion on mankind, the relation between man and space, the object and time. I think the CUBE arose from this interest, from this search for expression and through increased acuteness of these thoughts.”

— Ernõ Rubik

Erno Rubik with his daughter Anna in 1981

Rubik revealed a keen awareness of what people liked and an appreciation for art and form. He also attributed his love of art and science to his parents. His father was a well known mechanical engineer who built gliders while his mother loved language and writing. Rubik initially studied to be a sculptor and then discovered that he had a keen interest and passion for technical applications. He went on to study architecture soon after. He credits the schools and universities that he attended as helping him in practicing his craft and giving him the necessary space and equipment to experiment, research and learn.

Rubik used wood for the blocks and rubber bands and paper clips to hold the pieces together in his first prototype. He used primary colors to help him bring some order to the cube rotations and used stickers on the finished cube. After his students had tested it out and loved it, Rubik found a plastics manufacturer to help him prototype his toy model. It was only after he met Tom Kremer that Rubik was able to build out his cube properly and then share his toy with the world.

“People like its beauty, simplicity and form. It’s really not a puzzle or a toy. It’s a piece of art.”

— Ernõ Rubik

People Love Order, Though Order is Harder to Achieve than Chaos

The Rubik’s Cube has 43 quintillion (43,252,003,274,489,856,000) possible configurations, with only one correct solution. Despite these odds, the toy itself has a wide appeal. Adults and children alike love to pick it up and attempt to solve the geometric puzzle.

Strategy can appear magical, when it is just well thought out and precise

Given the odds, solving a Rubik’s cube puzzle especially when someone hands you a random configuration, can seem miraculous. However, there are actual strategies that you can follow to solve this puzzle regardless of what configuration you receive. The key is to create order partially and to build on this since all ‘chaos’ cannot be resolved all at once. Systematically applying complex patterns can seem like magic to those that are unfamiliar, when in actuality, there is a strong logic and mathematical order to the process.

43 quintillion options definitely sounds daunting, but actually solving the Rubik’s cube puzzle follows a logical process of using 15 algorithms. No matter what configuration you receive, you can apply these 15 algorithms and solve the cube puzzle.

Don’t Be Afraid to Start Over and Try Again

Few things make starting over and trying again as appealing as the Rubik’s cube. In fact, the toy invites you to step outside your comfort zone, challenge yourself, think differently and learn something new.

Rubik said that the first time he solved the puzzle it took him weeks. Later on, it would take him roughly one minute. Some people are able to solve the puzzle in under 30 seconds.

The Rubik’s cube also offers a relaxed way to help you build your focus.

Engage Audiences in New Ways

The Rubik’s cube remains incredibly popular today, with contests, social media videos and exhibits such as Beyond Rubik’s Cube by the Liberty Science Center that promotes new ideas based on the cube.

Beyond Rubik’s Cube Exhibit by Liberty Science Center — **Beyond Rubik’s Cube Exhibit** by Liberty Science Center

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Profile: Walt Disney - It All Began With a Mouse

Known for his classic films that brightened everyone’s childhoods, wildly entertaining theme parks and popular movies today that carry his name, Walt Disney undoubtedly altered our culture forever and inspired countless artists and storytellers worldwide. Let’s take a closer look.

“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.”

— Walt Disney

There were loud, audible gasps from the audience and then laughs and shrieks as Steamboat Willie, a short black and white animated film kept going on. The audience was transfixed watching a little mouse drive a steamboat and see his various shenanigans along the way. No one got up to leave. “Who created this?” someone from the audience shouted as the short film ended to a loud round of applause.

A man seated in the back of the movie theater, who had created this cartoon character, laughed too. Walter Elias Disney, better known as Walt Disney, would end up winning 22 Academy Awards and being nominated an additional 59 more times for his innovative animations and motion-picture cartoon films. Few individuals have inspired the hearts and minds of so many children and adults alike, creating memorable and beloved characters that outlive their time period and persist in the imagination and popular culture as Walt Disney did.

Born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, Illinois, Walt Disney, would later become a world-famous animator and pioneer of cartoon movies. Walt created the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and founded the motion-picture company, Walt Disney Productions with his brother Roy and the founder of the theme parks Disneyland and Walt Disney World. He was both an exceptional leader and innovative artist. Beyond his animations and movies, Disney was also a successful entrepreneur, inspiring leader and excellent communicator. He inspired countless others to follow their hearts and be bold in pursuing their ideas. Here are nine essential lessons we have learned from this world-famous, beloved storyteller, animator, producer and entrepreneur.

1. Do Work You Love

Work consumes a large part of your life. Hence doing work that you have a natural passion for, is advisable.

“Money doesn’t excite me- my ideas excite me.”

— Walt Disney

From an early age, Walt loved to draw. He spent countless hours drawing and doodling as a child, giving his drawings away to neighbors and friends. In between odd jobs, Walt would draw and sell his pictures. He took drawing and photography classes at McKinley High School in Chicago and contributed cartoons for the school paper, while taking night classes at the Chicago Art Institute. He dropped out of school to go to the Army, but was considered underage and was turned down. Walt instead joined the Red Cross, working as an ambulance driver for a year in France. He returned home in 1919, pursuing a career as a newspaper artist. Walt never lost his love for drawing and storytelling through visual mediums despite taking on odd jobs. He was determined to create cartoons and draw for a living and that persistence paid off. Walt was incredibly successful in life, pursuing his passion and his legacy lives on through the production company and theme parks he founded.

2. Commit: Take Your Work Seriously

Yes, you got to have strong passion for your work to continue to do it year after year. But passion alone is not enough and your love for an idea or creating something, does not mean it is necessarily what anyone else wants. If you blindly pursue your own interests without any attention to what people want, you can have personal satisfaction, but you will find difficulty in making a career out of it. You have to focus that passion and pursue your passion in avenues that people are eager to engage with and want. This thinking is similar to our business model approach , where you find the intersection between what you love to do, what you are good at and what people pay you well to do.

“You don’t build it for yourself. You know what people want and you build it for them.”

— Walt Disney

Walt Disney was committed to his work. He was focused and paid careful attention to details. Disney was very talented, but he did not take that ability for granted. He did not procrastinate for hours on end or avoid pursuing his passion with excuses. He took the initiative to follow his ideas, creating them carefully. He applied himself.

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

— Walt Disney

3. Have Initiative

Disney knew he had a talent for drawing, animation and storytelling. He was eager to use new technologies and already had success winning the loyalties and affections of audiences through his own cartoon series and ideas he had pitched. But to take the plunge of launching your own business and putting your time, money and reputation on the line, is no small feat for anyone, especially when you are pursuing a path that has not been charted out before. Disney was a pioneer and he was unabashedly so. While he was considered a shy, reserved man in private, Disney did not hesitate to pursue commercial opportunities and market his ideas to grow his business. He had strong initiative.

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

— Walt Disney

4. Persist and Overcome Failures

Success did not happen immediately. It took persistence and commitment over a long period of time. Walt got a job at an art studio after he returned from his service with the Red Cross in 1919 and began experimenting with his own animations. He started his own cartoon animation series, Laugh-O-Grams with a friend, Fred Harman, whom he had hired previously. While the series was very popular, the company itself was not financially stable and went bankrupt after just one year. Disney moved to Hollywood, CA, with his brother Roy and started their own Disney Brother Studios.

Upon arrival in California, Disney succeeded in getting his first deal to create a new cartoon character, Alice and a series of shorts at $1,500 each for a New York distributor Margaret Winkler and her husband, Charles Mintz. Disney also created his own character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but unfortunately was unable to use the concept as the couple stole the copyright. Despite these setbacks, Disney did not give up. He went to work immediately to create an entirely new character, called Mickey Mouse. He made two short films, Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, with Mickey Mouse, but failed to win distribution. Filmmakers were just starting to experiment with adding sound to film and Disney hopped on the bandwagon, creating a short film with sound, starring Mickey Mouse called Steamboat Willie. Walt became the new voice for Mickey and the cartoon was an instant sensation. Disney’s persistence and hard work had paid off.

In 1929, Disney also created Silly Symphonies, featuring Mickey's new friends Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. The first color cartoon, Flowers and Trees, went on to win an Oscar. In 1933, Disney produced The Three Little Pigs whose title song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" would become a theme for the country in the midst of the Great Depression. Disney’s commercial success even though the country was in a depression was remarkable.

Eight years later on December 21, 1937, Disney premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated film, in Los Angeles. The animated color film with sound produced a whopping $1.499 million, despite the Great Depression, winning hearts and minds all over the country and raking in eight Oscars.

5. Embrace New Technology

During the 1920s and 1930s, technology such as Technicolor and sound were considered daring, risky and were even opposed by actors and directors. Despite this resistance in Hollywood, audiences would soon embrace talking pictures or “talkies” as predicted by Wesley Stout of the Saturday Evening Post in 1929. Film innovators like Disney benefited by adopting the new technology.

Walt Disney created the first full full-length animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which went on to become one of the most popular movies of its time. Disney was also the first Hollywood studio executive who was willing to work with television. He shared the “Mickey Mouse Club” on television, which children loved. The Disney brand grew in popularity through the television show and made an indelible positive impression on children everywhere.

6. Don’t Worry About Naysayers and What Everyone Else Thinks

Taking advice and letting other people make decisions for you are not the same thing. If you let someone else make your decisions for you, it becomes very difficult for you to express your own abilities and ideas. When Disney proposed his idea for the Snow White project, a full-length feature animated movie, animators, producers and directors opposed the idea, saying that it was not commercially viable and would be a disaster among audiences. His wife and brother were also apprehensive and did their best to convince him to drop the project. Half-way through the movie production, Disney ran out of money but he did not quit. He took the raw film with him and showed clips to new producers, seeking out funding. Eventually, he did secure funding, thus saving both his film and his studio. Disney was also advised to not mix human actors with animated characters as he did on television shows and that having a mouse character would scare away women. In addition to his friends, family and colleagues being worried about his ideas for theme parks, Disney faced financial disappointments when he aimed to get funding. Despite his commercial success with numerous movies, Disney was turned down over 300 times about his theme park concept, until he cemented a deal with television studios.

Aren’t you glad that Disney did not take those words too seriously and did not give up even when practically everyone he met, told him that his ideas would not work? His response was, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

— Walt Disney

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs via Disney

When Disney finally premiered Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Los Angeles, CA, the movie received a standing ovation. The film garnered $1.5 million during the Great Depression, an incredible feat that showed how compelling Disney’s characters were and how audiences loved the movie’s storytelling, use of color and sound. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was also the first film ever to have its own complete merchandising campaign in place when the movie was released.

The tremendous success of the film enabled him to continue his dream and finance new feature films. After all that he had gone through, Disney could have taken his large profits and gone on to other things like numerous artists and entrepreneurs have done. He did not though because his dream was much bigger and he still had a lot that he wanted to achieve.

7. Don’t Rest on Your Laurels, Keep Going

Walt Disney did not settle with his first success of Snow White, but immediately began his next projects - Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and more. After creating his iconic character Mickey Mouse, Disney went on to create additional characters, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and many more. He also kept refining his characters so they would continually improve.

Walt Disney Studios would go on to make a string of full-length animated films, Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942). The animated movies that Walt Disney Studio produced, stood out for their lovable characters and compassionate storytelling, affecting the perspectives of both children and adults worldwide.

Disney’s growth led to the creation of a new campus for Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA by December 1939.

8. Support People

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

— Walt Disney

Disney was an inspiring storyteller and his stories extended beyond his films and television shows to the studio with his employees. He would tell his employees stories in a lot of detail and inspire them. Disney was known for being exacting and also very appreciative. He would hire people more talented than himself, pay for their additional education and encourage them to be their best. Disney also gained the support, strong loyalty and affection of his employees.

Video via PBS

9. Keep A Child’s Curiosity and Love of Play

“Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won’t do that.”

— Walt Disney

What would the world be like without Disneyland and Walt Disney World? Stepping on to the grounds of Disneyland reminds you of being a kid immediately and offers a place for both children and adults to relax, have fun and play, enjoy themselves and be inspired. When Disneyland, Walt Disney’s first theme park, opened in Anaheim, CA, actor and future president Ronald Reagan inaugurated the new theme park. Over the years, Disneyland has expanded to Florida with Walt Disney World and overseas in Japan, France and more. The theme park is beloved to children as a place where they can explore Disney stories they love through games, rides, events and meeting Disney characters. While Walt Disney has passed on, his legacy remains and continues to flourish as Walt Disney Studios has grown over the years, expanding its offerings to include the popular Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Today the name Walt Disney is known all over the world and is synonymous with a child’s imagination, colorful animation, storytelling and movie magic.

About Our Profiles and Why We Create Them

We’ve written these profiles about individuals whose innovations or creations offered significant benefit to society. In a few instances, we also have profiles about people who each executed one unique and remarkable act that had a tremendous positive impact on a large community or the world at large. We have created these profile stories to learn more about these individuals and to inspire you, our reader, to take positive action in your own life.

For aspiring entrepreneurs or individuals who wish to create new products and services and bring their ideas to life, it is more important to know the motivations and processes of high achieving individuals than all the specific details of their achievements. By learning more about these processes, environmental influences and their personal lives, you can gain more insight into the qualities, motivations and methods of these highly successful and unique individuals. This in turn, can help you achieve more in your own life. Read more of our Profiles and learn with us! Have an individual in mind that you would like us to profile? Tell us at hello@elf.agency.

Profile: A Few Leadership Lessons in Doing Your Best from Chloe Kim, Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and More Winter Olympics Athletes

As many of the world's finest athletes gather to compete at the Winter Olympics now underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea, all eyes are steadfast upon them. The Olympics represent many values to people worldwide, notably high performance tied to health, well being and discipline. Here we take a closer look at some of the lessons we're learning from Winter Olympic athletes.

The Winter Olympics of 2018 offers more opportunities for showcasing and testing talent through more events than prior Olympics, ranging from downhill alpine skiing and snowboarding to free style skiing, figure skating and bobsled racing. There are many compelling athletes competing today. Team USA had the largest number of athletes competing in this year's event than any prior Olympics. Here are some lessons we're learning from these wonderful athletes.

Do what you love and love doing it.

When you do what you love, you bring an energy and enthusiasm that is invigorating and helps you push on further to achieve more and more. By choosing a pursuit that you excel at and enjoy doing, you can become better and perform at a world-class level. Many athletes choose to go into different professions after their sporting careers end. There is a time and place to do things. Knowing what you excel at and being able to seize opportunities when they come and apply yourself fully to doing it to the best of your ability, requires focus and commitment.

Watch Chloe Kim on YouTube land back to back 1080s and win Olympic Gold in the halfpipe final.

Be willing to sacrifice for the bigger win.

While a competitive event may range from a few minutes to a few hours at most, winning it takes a lot of preparation. Doing your best at anything requires a willingness to work hard and practice, again and again. To even qualify for the Olympics, an athlete has to win and compete at a higher level. This requires commitment and discipline. Well trained athletes eat, sleep and live their sport. This drives how many hours they sleep, if they indulge in alcohol or any desserts, how much exercise they do every day and their mental and emotional training. It affects choices they make about vacations and other pursuits their friends and families may be doing that they will need to give up in order to keep practicing and get closer to meeting their goals. Being able to work and train regardless of distractions, bad weather or indulgences, is key to athletic success. Winning takes sacrifice, commitment and discipline.

Jamie Anderson after winning Olympic Gold.

Approach success and failure with grace.

Not every competition results in a win. Olympic athletes can spend the entire prior four years preparing for their events and still lose or fail to achieve the goals they had set. Being able to enjoy the process regardless of whether you win or not, is important. Olympic athletes constantly demonstrate that they are more than just winners of sport competitions through their resilience and character. Big moments can be exhilarating and also stressful. American snowboarder Shaun White has seen both exhilarating successes such as his perfect score at the X Games in Aspen in 2012 and most recently again at the X Games in 2018 where he qualified for his fourth Olympics and also failure where he did not win any medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Being able to stay steady under extremes and learn from ups and downs takes fortitude and grace.

“I’m walking into it [the 2018 Olympics] with a better peace of mind and a better outlook on things … I’m just hoping to show up and ride like I know I can, put the runs down. If I can do that, I’m totally content.”

— Shaun White

Last night, Shaun enjoyed hard-won redemption with his final run, winning Olympic Gold for the third time. Watch on YouTube.

Fail, get up and try again.

Nowhere is resilience more evident than when you see an athlete repeatedly pursue goals despite failures and setbacks. A great example of this is American skier Lindsey Vonn who has won Olympic medals, World Cup medals and others and is the most successful American ski racer in history. She has suffered painful crashes and injuries, and overcome them to continue to compete again and win! Her remarkable strength is inspiring and powerful. Failure is undoubtedly an integral part of success and part of the journey to victory.

“When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it. You are only limited to what you push yourself to, you know? You can always get better.”

— Lindsey Vonn

Most recently during the surprise upset at the Super Bowl where the Philadelphia Eagles soared to victory, quarterback Nick Foles also said some inspiring words about embracing failure.

Do your best at every opportunity.

Olympic athletes push themselves to do their best. They are known for pushing themselves and practicing to develop their skills at the highest level possible and perform at their best. Chloe Kim, an American snowboarder, who just won her first Olympic gold medal, epitomizes this. Even if she is joking around with her fellow athletes prior to competing, when it is her turn, she is completely focused and ready to engage. At 17, Chloe has joined a shortlisted group of athletes worldwide who have won their first Olympic medal before the age of 20. She's just getting started!

Work hard and tap in deeper into your talent.

Mikhaela Shiffrin was the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history at 18 years old in Sochi in 2014. Now she's returned to the Olympics after numerous World Cup wins and is the reigning Olympic and World Cup champion in slalom. Since her debut in 2014, Mikhaela has expanded her range, competing in different and challenging events that are new for her. She's consistently shown high performance, strong work ethic and remarkable talent, so much that former Olympian and alpine skier Bode Miller has said, "I think she's maybe the best ski racer I've ever seen, male or female."

Give back.

Training for the Olympics requires funding and not everyone can afford that. While some athletes can and others have wonderful parents who give up their careers to help their kids achieve their dreams, that is not possible for everyone.

Some athletes demonstrate a high level of commitment and caring beyond themselves. An example of this is snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who also just won Olympic gold, who set up a foundation to sponsor equipment, season passes and travel for young winter sports athletes.

Live fully and celebrate passion.

The 2018 Olympics slogan is "Passion. Connected." This is evident in the athletes competing and the audiences that have gathered to support and cheer them on! Passion is essential for achieving anything at a higher level.

On a last note, the Olympics represent much more than winning medals - they demonstrate human commitment, energy, grace, endurance and focus under pressure. There's a lot we can learn from the Olympic Games and from the compelling stories of individual athletes. You can watch the Olympics live at NBC here.