I was living in Paris when Lance Armstrong was winning everything
My French colleagues despised him
They said he was obviously a cheater
I dismissed their claims as xenophobic
I moved to the US when Armstrong was still winning Tour de France races
Telling my US colleagues that the French were bad losers
When it finally came out that he had been using drugs
I felt he had cheated on me as much as his sport
Cheating crops up in all aspects of life
People cheat in exams
Some cheat on their taxes
Many cheat on their spouses
Cheating is not entirely black and white though
There are obvious extremes
If you get paid in cash without declaring your real income
Everybody would say you are a tax cheater
Billionaire real estate moguls employ expert accountants
Many of them pay little or no tax at all by claiming depreciation on their property
Are they legal loophole cheaters or successful businessmen
A yellow card may appear when a soccer player trips an attacking opponent
He will be branded a cheat by the opposing team and fans
Others will see him as just taking one for the team
Describing his action as a professional foul
Exposed cheaters often admit letting others down
But how do they feel inside
Knowing that they deliberately broke the rules
To gain an unfair advantage over others
Do you ever cheat on yourself
Breaking your own promises to diet or meet a deadline
Giving in to laziness or procrastination
Be noble and learn from it so you can forgive yourself