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Mathematics is contained in every part of our world. A droplet of water is a perfect sphere. Anything considered perfect in the language of mathematics, usually implies it has high degree of symmetry. The notion of symmetry is very special because mathematicians consider it to be an expression of elegance and beauty. Generally, mathematicians value symmetry because it makes difficult problems easier to solve and because there is a belief that something ground breaking will always be expressed in an elegant form. Some of the greatest discoveries have indeed proven to be very elegant. An example would be Einstein’s magnum opus: E=mc2. Although seemingly simple, this elegant yet powerful expression gave rise to several fields in modern physics.
Symmetry is ubiquitous in our universe, yet oftentimes the symmetry is hidden from the eyes of the observer. For example, leaf growth is an example of symmetry that is hidden in what is known as a 'golden ration.' This ratio not only present in leaf growth, but in other highly symmetrical objects or events. For example it is found in the faces of celebrities that are considered universally beautiful. A study done by a plastic surgeon found that George Clooney and other celebrities thought to have close to perfect golden ration, or symmetric features. The golden ratio is also used in building construction and in predicting stock market movements. Thus, these few examples illustrate how mathematics is ingrained in the fabric of our universe, yet it is illusive — it is hidden from the naked eye. Just as we cannot see the golden ration drawn on George Cloone’s, we also cannot see other principles of mathematics that are hidden in our world.
Scientist believe that mathematics describes our universe perfectly — yet we have limited capacity to understand it, so we say we must ‘discover’ it. Why do we use the word ‘discover’ and not ‘understand’? We say use the word discover because just like accepted truths, mathematics exists whether we understand it or not. Thus, for us to comprehend it, we first must discover it and then begin to understand it. Discovery must proceed comprehension.
The same is true with success — success is the perfect realization of our potential as a human being. We all hold tremendous capacity within us, but we have a limited understanding of our capacity. Thus, rather than understand, we must seek discover it step by step. Although we are all born with different talents and varying ideas of what the word ‘success’ means, I believe success can also be reduced to its generalized form. Success is the full realization of our unique potential. One route to professional success, parallels individuals journey in the study of mathematics; problems must be solved first, to begin to understand underlying connections. Mathematics - contrary to popular belief is not black and white there is not a right or wrong answer — rather there is a right or wrong way of thinking about a problem.
In math, we ask the question: have we picked the right set of assumptions under a set of conditions which would yield the true solution to this problem? Success is no different: there is no right or wrong path, rather there is a way of thinking which leads to favorable outcome given a set of circumstances. So, how do you get to be successful? Just like a great mathematician does not wake up to be a genius, but starts out by solving a lot of problems, in order to be great, we must solve a lot of different problems. In life those problems are colloquially known as challenges and obstacles. We all go through various challenges but they key is to learn from them and then use what we have learned as ‘connections’, to help us to solve further problems. In this way we can train ourselves to realize our potential by refining ourselves through solving problems.
