I’ve never worn braces but I’ve know a lot of people who have.  None of them would say they got them because they wanted to “express themselves” or because they liked the feel of metal glued to their teeth.  They wanted straight teeth.  They didn’t like having braces, but because they wanted straight teeth, they were willing to endure it.

When I worked as an academic advisor at UNT nearly every student I talked to about math told me they didn’t like it.  That was the excuse given for their poor performance in their mandatory math courses.  At first I began to sympathize with the students (because I don’t particularly like math either), but the more I worked with these students the more I started to see this was just doing them a disservice.  I was giving them the OK to give up.  Like a personal trainer who sympathizes with your addiction to doughnuts and junk food, I was just enabling them to do poorly.

Just because you don’t like to do something, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be proficient at it.  I love to cook mostly because I love to eat.  I also cook because it is way cheaper than eating out and it is a lot healthier.  When I hear people tell me that they eat out a lot because they don’t like to cook I have a little Dr. Phil moment in my head — “Well how’s that workin’ for ya?”  Everyone wants to be richer and thinner (check out the self help section at Barnes and Nobles), but only the people that endure the process will get to enjoy the benefits.  Who knows, the “process” might turn into a hobby