I am a gigantic toothbrush.

Sometimes I look like a normal person, but other times – what can I say? – I’m a giant toothbrush, complete with a bristle Mohawk and moon boots.

It’s one of my part-time jobs in which I dress up like a life-size toothbrush and visit kindergartners to remind kids that oral hygiene is important and the dentist is always your friend.

The job is as ridiculous and as silly as it sounds. But I’ve been doing it for about a year now and, I assure you, it is a blast.

As far as odd jobs during college go, I can’t imagine a better one to spend my time doing. I have no intention of being a full-time toothbrush, so why not have fun with it now?

That’s what I wanted to write my article on this week. Work sucks. But it doesn’t have to.

You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it. You’ve said it, I’ve said it. “What time is it? Aw, I gotta get going to work – damn it! I hate my job and now I will cry for a moment.” We’ve all been there.

But realize that it isn’t that bad, buddy. You can make it not suck by having some fun with it. It’s a temporary job, you must realize, one you’ll have only while you’re in college.

That’s why you’re in college, right? So you can eventually move on to jobs you enjoy more.

So why complain about your present situation so much? Do you suppose anybody likes hearing how bad your job is? Do you suppose any of your co-workers like hearing how much you don’t want to be there?

I’ve been there, though. I’ve had jobs I loathed, employers I held in contempt. I realize now most of those jobs would have been salvageable and I would have a much better memory of them if I had been less negative, and if I’d allowed myself to appreciate it for what it was.

It was the toothbrush job, actually, that provided the paradigm shift – because the job is working with very young children who have a mind-boggling amount of energy, and the last thing they want is some jerk in a bad costume to half-ass it. Why should they be cheated because I’m selfish, I thought?

I assure you – nobody, but nobody, wants to see a mopey toothbrush.

Allow me to provide another example. Occasionally I will get breakfast through the drive-thru at McDonald’s, where I’m always greeted by a boisterous, cowboy-like voice: “Gooooood McMornin’, camper! Yah-haw!”

It’s a small thing, but it always makes me smile because nobody wants to work at McDonald’s – but allowing yourself to have a certain amount of enthusiasm and fun with it is contagious.

This is the point: There are many times throughout the day where you’re doing something you don’t want to do. The way I see it, there’s two ways to approach it – either by looking for someone to empathize with your pain or to sap as much enjoyment from it as possible.

So give it a shot. Next time you’re at work, force yourself to be a little more enthusiastic and see what happens. I think you’ll realize, at the very least, time passes more quickly when you’re trying to have fun instead of staring at the clock.