I cheated 😢

Good Evening,

I have a confession to make…

…I cheated on a test.

Granted it was in 1999 in my college keyboarding class… but I cheated, and I got an A. Guess what though… I still don’t know how to type properly. That’s because you can’t be successful long term with shortcuts. Let’s continue the education system example. I don’t know if they still use them or not, but when I was in school tests were taken using these things…

…and every kid had a theory on how to “beat” them.

“Just pick C for all the answers”

“Fill in all the dots, they don’t check”

“Pick them in order A, B, C, D”

I don’t recall one person suggesting “learn the subject” as a way to pass the test.

I wonder where those kids are today. I certainly see a lot of people carry this mentality over into their adult life and even their business. People are constantly looking for tricks, ways around things, hacks and on and on.

  • “If I stay online I will get sales”
  • “If I buy a hundred cell phones and drive around with Google maps open, it will rank me in GMB”
  • “If I use different IP addresses I can leave more reviews and get my Amazon product to sell”

Even as adults and entrepreneurs people spend more time looking for ways to get around things… when in the end the person that just puts in the work, commits to their product, service, and craft will win in the end. Its also the easier long term path to success. Gimmicks like the ones above and countless others have a limited shelf lives, and you are going to have to keep fighting to keep up with them. But if you just get great at a marketable skill, treat people well, and put in the work you will have the type of long term success you can be proud of…

…not an and A you didn’t earn for a skill you still don’t have. Are you taking or looking for shortcuts? Let’s figure out how to cut it out and do what matters.

Talk Soon,
CMW