3-12: A Different Finish Line
On Shortcuts and Where They Lead
My colleague recently passed Level III of the CFA exam. While I am proud of him and know how hard he worked to accomplish this, I was reminded of when I took and did not pass Level II. While I needed a magnifying glass to see that my score was one pixel below the passing line, I like to think that I put a great deal of studying in just to accomplish that. Thinking back and being somewhat critical of myself, I could have reviewed the assigned curriculum more intently, and have spent less time on the third-party exam prep provider materials (the “shortcut”). Regardless of the results, I did learn a lot, more so about life in general than how to calculate the duration or convexity of a bond.
I have thought a lot lately about how shortcuts in life don’t really exist. They don’t exist in the sense that you do not arrive at the same place as you would if you hadn’t chosen to take the shortcut. Sure, you will arrive at the finish line in a shorter amount of time, or having used lesser resources, but after closer inspection, you may realize it’s not the finish line you thought it was.
Whether skipping straight to the cheat-sheet when studying for exams, buying lottery tickets, or taking a jab of a GLP-1, there are countless shortcuts that present themselves to us throughout our lives.
While I have certainly played the lottery before, the hardest part about winning would be deciding how to thoughtfully spend the winnings. You’d have forgone all that you would have learned about allocating larger amounts of capital as you skipped so many steps on the ladder.
The same can be said of GLP-1s. When you lose weight the long way, you build formidable skills in sitting with the desire to eat while not acting on it. This skill of self-control and constraint is something that cannot be given with a shot or a pill. It can only be built through your own work.
I wouldn’t wish for anyone to skip past the most difficult times of their lives, nor shortcut around the times when they will persevere and learn the most. It is in these times when we grow. Ask yourself what shortcut life is presenting you with, and if you decided to take it, to which finish line would it lead?