You love the idea of getting somewhere faster. It’s why you use Waze for car trips and fad diets to lose weight; they are shortcuts.

A shortcut feels like a secret path to success. But shortcuts often lead you away from where you actually want to go. Take one of my favorite stories.

One night, four college students stayed out late, partying and having a good time. They ignored the test they had scheduled for the next day and didn’t study.

In the morning, they came up with a plan to avoid taking it. They put some grease on their hands and some dirt on their shoes then went to the Dean’s office. They told him they had been to a wedding the night before and got a flat tire on the way back to campus, forcing them to push their car all the way home.

The Dean listened carefully and agreed to let them retake the test in three days.
The students were thrilled. They studied hard and felt ready. On test day, the Dean placed each of them in a separate room and handed out the exam. They turned the paper over and saw only two questions:

The lesson was clear. If you take a shortcut, it doesn’t always lead you to a better place. Shortcuts may save time in the moment, but they can cost you trust, growth, and long-term success.

So stop looking for the easy way out and fall in love with doing the real work. It’s the only path that you can be certain leads you to somewhere worth going.

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