I Wish I Stuck with Piano

I hear this phrase every once in a while.  "I played the piano as a kid, but I really wish I would've stuck with it."

The presence of this phrase is indicative of a way of thinking common in today's society: People want results without working for them.  In the case of the piano-playing, the person wishes that they could have the result of being able to impress others with their virtuoso-ness, while conveniently skipping over the years of their lives practicing.  If they were to go back in time and talk with their 13-year-old self, they would be reminded of how much they didn't enjoy it, and how much work it actually was.

This comment has another edge to it, one slightly more reserved.  It's the "Just so you know, I could've done x if I wasn't so y" attitude.  I would've gotten better grades if I wasn't so lazy.  I would've been able to play the piano if my past self stuck with it.

Not every person who says this falls into this way of thinking, but every time I hear it I stop and think a little more about their personality.  Just like how I briefly pause to think about where the B# key is.