Have you ever noticed that it seems like winners always end up prospering in the end? Many times I have witnessed and experienced the weirdness (almost like karma) of the saying, “cheaters never prosper.” I do believe that cheaters never prosper, and will sooner or later have to face the consequences of their wrong doing.

My first reason why cheaters never prosper is that it does not help you, it only hurts you. It can really hurt your friendships because they will not be able to trust you as often. Let us say that you are copying off of someone on a test. If that person bombs the test to get you to stop cheating, it will only affect your grade. Next let us say that you have been cheating on your homework assignments, and when it comes time for a test you do not know the content because you have not actually been doing the work. For instance I remember this one friend I had was consistently copying his homework from other people. Finally it came time for a big test and he bombed it because he never actually did the work himself.

My second piece of reasoning for the saying cheaters never prosper is that anyone who cheats has to deal with the burden of guilt, sooner or later. If you choose later, then your conscience will end up bugging you until you end up confessing. The guilt of having cheated will make you utterly sad because others are ashamed of you. Another scenario of cheating is if you are ashamed of yourself. I remember this one time I was so ashamed of myself for cheating that whenever anybody asked about the subject matter that I cheated in I lie to cover up what I did. What I didn’t know then is that lying only made the burden of guilt harder to carry. If you end up lying in the process of trying to cover up your fault, you are just digging yourself deeper into a hole.

I used to think that there were no consequences to cheating, and I had absolutely no idea of how much trouble it could get anyone into. I remember this one time, when my sister’s, husband’s, cousin in law (who lives in Las Vegas) had gotten in trouble for cheating. He and his friends had rigged a slot machine. Then they got caught and were arrested. Now I believe that cheating will only convicted me and hurt my relationships. Today I have more than paid my dues and sure as heck know the consequences that only cheating can bring.

Now I can enjoy my life as I live it with integrity, knowing I have worked hard to do that which is right and good. Because of my diligence my parents are proud and can trust me. This peace of mind strengthens me as I continue to face new choices each day. Whenever I look back at my reflection in the mirror, I can smile back with confidence and satisfaction.