People Share 20 Real Life “Cheat Codes” That Actually Work

There are times when you wish you could just pause or simply skip an uncomfortable situation in your life like you can in a video game. And while you can’t really do that in real life, some people managed to come up with clever little “cheat codes” that might make your life a little easier.

Some time ago, one Reddit user asked others to share some cheat codes that they’ve found in the game of life, and received a number of useful answers. Check out a collection of real life “cheat codes” that actually work in the gallery below!

#1

Several times in life I’ve cold called a company to confirm my interview time. I didn’t have one prior to my call, but in their confusion and inability to even find my resume I’ve managed to secure an interview about four out of five times. Twice I’ve gotten the job.

#2

Niceness gets you everywhere. I get free [stuff] from being nice. And no, it’s not because I’m a cute girl. Because I’m not. I’m an overweight, balding man. People respond to niceness. I’ve befriended the Comcast customer support person. I’ve befriended the most disliked, crotchety person in our office. I get special treatment at my cafeteria because I treat the service staff like actual human beings. I get fees waived because I asked nicely.

Be nice. It costs little and is worth a lot.

#3

Compliment your children with “you are a hard worker” and not “you’re smart”. Studies show that kids who think they’re hard workers outperform kids who think they’re smart.

#4

Introverts think than talk, extroverts think while they talk.

Took a class that said if you want to run a good meeting, wait 10 seconds before moving on. Introverts (such as myself) need time to process before they speak. Started running my meetings this way and I will be damned if the introverts didn’t start speaking more and providing really good input.

#5

When someone says something true, say “you’re right”, not “i know”. It’ll make them feel better and you’ve still shown everyone how awfully clever you are.

#6

No one stops a guy or girl carrying a pizza. It can get you backstage to concerts.

#7

Ask questions, about everything. Ask people about themselves. Be open about stuff you don’t understand, and ask questions about that. When you forget someone’s name, own up to it and just ask them.

I am amazed at how many people won’t acknowledge even a tiny amount of ignorance, or won’t show honest curiosity about something, can’t admit they’ve forgotten something they feel is important, and won’t ever ask for help. Guys…your life becomes so much easier if you just drop the [effin] ego and ask.

#8

You don’t have to always “give away the recipe”.

By that I mean, don’t over explain yourself. If you can’t do something, 9/10 times it’s okay to simply say “unfortunately I’m not able to do that”, “can’t swing it this time”, etc. You don’t have to go on and on about why, or make up reasons and list them off. Over explaining just ends up looking more suspect than simply being clear and concise.

#9

I am an assistant teacher in a preschool. Asking if kids can use their sitting muscles and listening muscles during circle time makes the kids want to show me how “strong” they are.

#10

The correct response to any compliment is “Thank you.” You can then follow it up with a comment if you’d like to continue the conversation. If someone likes your dress? “Thank you, it has pockets!” If someone compliments your art? “Thank you, I’ve been practicing.” If someone asks if you’re a professional singer because you have a good singing voice? “Thank you, I just sing for fun.”

Not only does it make you seem confident and self-assured, it tells them that they are right! That’s a friendly thing to do.

This even works if you don’t believe the compliment. Saying, “Oh, no, I’m ugly,” when someone compliments your appearance not only tells them that they’re wrong, it makes you think of yourself as ugly. A better answer would be, “Thank you, I really appreciate that and I don’t always believe it, so hearing that from you helps.”

#11

Just be nice, particularly to people in the service industry. Your job, your personal interactions, even your calls into customer service will go 100% easier if you’re just nice to people and recognize that they’re probably just trying to do their job, not screw you over.

#12

If you tuck a chicken’s head under its wing and wave the chicken in a circle, it will automatically fall asleep. It’s not a very good cheat code, but it’s still a cheat code to get you sleeping chickens.

#13

When I was in my old 500+ person building, I kept a stack of papers on my desk. When I was bored, or got tired of sitting down, I’d get up, grab my stack of papers and walk around. I called them my “walking papers” and did this for months. Got a lot of head nods and not one question the entire time. People always assumed I was on an important mission, but nope. Not in the least.

PS: worked on the executive floor / wing, too.

#14

If you admit you’re wrong and make changes to whatever it is that you’re wrong about, people will respect and appreciate you more.

Unfortunately this requires the swallow_ego.pill patch installed. Without this you will be incapable of being a civil person.

#15

I cannot overstate how much dressing well and being well groomed will impact your life. It’ll drop the difficulty by two or three levels. No joke. People will treat you VASTLY differently. The opposite is also true.

#16

As a doctor, I learned that earning grades, and learning are two different things.

#17

Once you unlock ‘not giving a [damn] about other people’s thoughts’ you basically double your mana indefinitely.

#18

Doing your own research especially on the important stuff. You would be amazed about the bad information people use to make life choices.

#19

Faking confidence usually leads to actually being more confident. I love the phrase fake it till you make it. Its incredible how much success is a byproduct of just acting confident about whatever you are doing.

#20

You become the people you surround yourself with.

Aušrys Uptas

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