Cheat Code Satisfaction

For the longest time, I've been doing a puzzle online on a popular social media platform. After each puzzle, it would show me my time along with the times of a few others who'd done the same one. 

Every time I finished, I'd notice that the people I was "competing" against finished in a fraction of my time. And every time, I'd grumble that they had to be cheating, but I never actually took the time to figure out how.

Well, yesterday I thought about it a little more and searched for cheat codes for these puzzles. Lo and behold, there were a bunch of sites.

This morning, I decided to try one. All but one of the answers were right. For that one puzzle, the words were correct, but a couple of them didn't line up. 

I found myself getting frustrated because I wanted so badly to "beat the clock" and beat everyone else. And I did beat the clock. But I didn't feel fulfilled, because it wasn't really me who solved the puzzle. 

Sure, I filled in the blanks, but I was just copying from another source, kind of like looking over someone's shoulder during an exam. I didn't do that then, and I won't do it now.

I know cheaters are going to cheat. But there's something to be said for honesty being the best policy.

I've always said I don't like to reinvent the wheel; meaning it usually makes more sense to do what's tried and true instead of banging your head against the wall trying again and again. I still believe that when it comes to fixing things. But this isn't the same thing.

Bottom line: I just didn't feel the same satisfaction as when I solved the puzzles on my own. Now that I know why some people post such low times with no errors and no hints used, I'm going to keep doing it my way — the honest way.

I'm not saying this approach is for everyone. Like I said, cheaters are going to cheat and take whatever advantage they can find.

But until today, I felt real satisfaction doing it myself. Sure, I used a hint here and there; sometimes just to get to the next step, sometimes just to admit there was no way I'd have figured it out otherwise.

At the end of the day, it's the satisfaction of doing it myself that leaves me with a sense of what I'm actually capable of. Even if it's just a puzzle.

Until next time, stay Old, Bold, and Bald — and maybe a little grumpy too.