For my entire life, I've always envied those who could solve a Rubik's cube. Not only did I have a level of respect for what I thought would be an impossible task, but there was also a part of me that wanted to be able to join that "elite" group of people. Well, I'm proud to say that I can solve a Rubik's cube!

"What does this have to coding?" is probably a question that's going through your head. Well, after achieving this goal of mine, it made me realize that this view I had of people who could solve a Rubik's cube was similar to how I see a lot of those well respected in our fields.

If only I could create a beautiful animation like that...

What I wouldn't give to write amazing articles that have widespread recognition and respect...

Just in awe of how simple and elegant the solution to X problem is, if only I was that brilliant..."

And yes, those are sentiments I have definitely had. Yet, there is a brilliant quote by Patrick McKenzie that serves as the perfect counterpoint to this type of wishful thinking:

Every great developer you know got there by solving problems they were unqualified to solve until they actually did it.

Whether we like it or not, the end product that we see almost always fails to also tell the story of how something came to be. And the struggle and failures that go with every success story is something to remember because rarely (if ever) does anything just come out perfectly.

To me, solving a Rubik's cube was something that was never going to happen. Yet here I am in 2017, proud to say that I can solve one moderately quickly now. As far as the struggle behind that, look out for my post tomorrow on how I did it and the learning methodology I think is so often overlooked.

At the end of the day, what I want to remind myself you is this: If there is something that you want to do or achieve, don't wait for anyone's permission. You don't need to have X qualifications or be of Y intelligence to do anything. You just need to roll up your sleeves and keep trying until you figure it out. And don't worry, there will always be help along the way if you ever need it.