The Top 1%’s Cheat Codes
Here’s the thing about cheat codes: they’re everywhere. But they’re not shiny, they don’t come with a user manual or a dramatic voiceover telling you to “choose this path.” They look like early mornings, rejected pitches, failed products, and the thousandth rep at the gym. And yet, somehow, people keep scanning for shortcuts, ignoring the boring, tried-and-true paths to success for the hope of something… easier.
We’ve been sold the myth that success is about finding some hidden key, when in reality, it’s about showing up day after day and doing the work that most people dodge. You’re not going to build a six-pack by finding some secret exercise that no one else knows about. You’re going to do it by showing up, day after day, when no one’s watching, and hitting that last rep when your body says, “nah, we’re good.”
But we live in a culture that glorifies hacks — biohacks, productivity hacks, even “life hacks.” We’re addicted to the dopamine rush of discovering the next big thing that’ll save us 10 minutes. But guess what? Shaving a minute here and there means nothing if you’re still avoiding the heavy lifting. The cheat code is right in front of you, and it’s the thing you’re avoiding because it’s inconvenient, unglamorous, or worse… boring.
Look at the top 1% of performers in any field. They didn’t get there because they found some magical shortcut. They got there because they consistently outworked everyone else. They took the mundane, uncomfortable path. Steve Jobs didn’t change the world because he found an easier route to innovation; he changed it because he embraced the grind, the failures, the days of getting it wrong before finally getting it right.
Take relationships, for example. You can’t hack love. There’s no cheat code for empathy, connection, or trust. You have to put in the work: listening when you don’t feel like it, showing up when it’s inconvenient, and caring when it’s easier not to. Want a successful marriage? It’s not going to happen because you found some cool communication trick. It’ll happen because you put in the effort day after day, doing the things that don’t make the highlight reel.
The cheat code? It’s the hard stuff. The gritty, uncomfortable, soul-sucking stuff you’d rather avoid. That business you’re building? It’s not going to skyrocket because you found some new growth hack. It’ll take off because you spent years iterating, failing, learning, and growing. Your career isn’t going to ascend because of a clever networking strategy; it’s going to soar because you became irreplaceable through work most people wouldn’t do.
In tech, we talk about “minimum viable products” or MVPs. It’s the simplest version of something that works. The idea is to build something, ship it, and then improve it. Sounds great, right? Except most people never even ship. They’re so focused on optimizing and hacking that they avoid the actual hard part: getting it done, putting it out there, and risking failure. The cheat code here is simple: launch the damn thing. Refine it later.
But hey, there’s a reason we keep avoiding the real cheat codes. They’re not fun. The brain loves novelty, and we’ve been conditioned to crave faster results with less effort. The idea of putting in long, unsexy hours to slowly grind toward something better doesn’t fit with the TikTok, three-step-guide-to-success vibe that’s so in vogue. But look at anyone who’s made it, and you’ll see the truth. The shortcut is the thing you’re avoiding because it feels like too much work.
Let’s take fitness. You can spend your time googling “best exercises to burn belly fat” or you can just show up, eat right, and put in the work. Spoiler alert: that second option works every time, but people skip it because it’s boring and hard.
But guess what? That’s the cheat code.
Do the thing that feels inconvenient, unglamorous, and hard. That’s where the real progress happens.
Or take entrepreneurship. Everybody wants to be the next Zuckerberg, but nobody wants to eat ramen for years while they figure it out. People talk a big game about disruption, but they shy away from the pain, the rejection, the sleepless nights. The cheat code? It’s the grind you’re dodging because it’s easier to fantasize about an overnight success than to slog through years of work with no guarantees.
So, what’s the takeaway here? Stop looking for shortcuts, and start embracing the work you’re avoiding. That’s the real cheat code. It’s unsexy, uncomfortable, and often invisible. But if you’re willing to tackle it head-on, it’ll take you further than any life hack or productivity trick ever could. You want success? Consistently choose the hard, boring path. That’s the real cheat code — and it’s sitting right in front of you, disguised as the work you’d rather skip.
Brian Fink is the author of Talk Tech To Me. He takes on the stress and strain of complex technology concepts and simplifies them for the modern recruiter. Fink’s impassioned wit and humor tackle the highs and lows of technical recruiting with a unique perspective — a perspective intended to help you find, engage, and partner with professionals.
