Shortcuts are a way of life in America. Want to lose weight? Pop a pill like Lipozene and it will melt away the fat like butter! Want to retire rich? Just pop on the tube at midnight or go online. You will find a million ways to lose your money while on the road to your yacht. Give me a break, already! Whatever happened to hard work?

I am all for helpful shortcuts and finding unique ways to make your life better but today's shortcuts are not helpful. Lipozene is glorified fiber, and getting rich comes from hard work and being in the right place at the right time. Why do we feel the need to try to reinvent the wheel?

Let us look at Lipozene for a moment. They purport to be a healthy alternative to lose weight. In their own commercial, Lipozene states that there is no "need" to change your current lifestyle. The minute that they said that, Lipozene shot themselves right in the foot. Even if this "miracle" pill worked, an obese individual would need to change their lifestyle. I realize that being overweight has many causes and I am not judging. I am simply saying that lifestyle changes are necessary to improve health and maintain weight loss regardless of any miracle pill.

Shortcuts are wonderful when they improve our lives, and give us more of a quality of life. If any of these shortcuts claim to allow you to skip out on positive steps to improving your life, they should be banned.

Getting rich quick is a perfect second example as it is probably the number one shortcut in America. If you see a commercial claiming to make you a millionaire, then ask yourself one question. If they are claiming to make you rich, then why are they selling the secret? If you owned a process that had the power to make you rich over and over, you certainly would not share it with the world. Maybe a close friend or relative, but not the world.

Additionally, why would these mega rich individuals put this information on at three in the morning? Obviously, they have a bottomless pit of wealth due to their unique idea so money for prime time slots is not the problem. The real reason is that people that are up at three in the morning are often depressed and searching for answers. They stumble on these get rich quick schemes that say they can make them rich, and order. Yes, I know that not all people at three in the morning are depressed or searching for answers, but a large majority are. This is why they put their get rich scheme on so late. If they truly had a miracle get rich idea, they would put it on prime time television and it would be the talk of every financial channel on cable.

Realize now that if it seems to good to be true, then it is. You deserve the success you earn in this life, and it is in your own control. What will you do with it?