The pain of my insecurities.

I feel it every time I take a bite. The pain of my insecurity is glued to my teeth in the form of adult braces. Not just braces. Adult braces.

We all have our insecurities. One of mine is my teeth.

I grew up in a home that didn't have enough money for such vanities. I always swore it was something that I would do for myself because I had one tooth that was really crooked and when I looked in mirror that is what I would see.

That one crooked tooth is symbolic of all my insecurities. It stared at me. Mocked me.

I almost fixed it when I was 27. When I got my first significant raise, the first thing I did was call an orthodontist to get a consultation. I left that visit discouraged. They said it would be 2.5 years of braces (at least) and two surgeries.

I decided I would live with my insecurity. I would embrace it. And I forgot about it for awhile.

Well, like most insecurities, they tend to creep back into your life. Nagging you. Haunting every photo. So, at 34, I decided to take action and got a second opinion.

Now, one year and $5,000 later, I am a brace face. And, while it hurts to eat at times, and there are many awkward moments when food is stuck in there, I am so happy that I took action.

Some might say this is feeding into my insecurities and not accepting myself as God built me. Well, I bet those people are on a diet so I don't care what they think.

I am proud of myself for taking action, setting a goal to save the money for these, and following through. It's symbolic of so many things in my life.

If I don't like it, I need to have the courage to change it.

In one more year, I am going to have beautiful teeth. A beautiful smile. A stronger sense of courage.

And that feels really good.

#lovelessons #investinyourself #authenticity #health #insecurities