Growing up, we have always been told to never get a tattoo. Why? Because getting a tattoo means you will be deemed unprofessional and unfit for any future job or career. It means that people will look at you differently, that they won't want to do business with you because of the ink under your skin. Growing up, we have always been told to never get a tattoo, but getting one might be the best move you ever make.
For most people, the tattoo they get permanently inked onto them has great meaning. Whether it be for a parent, a struggle that was overcome, or an important piece of your life, it's incredible to have that reminder with you wherever you go. It's amazing to be able to look down and see that symbol, those words, or that picture, that sparks positive words, energy, and thoughts in your head.
For other people, tattoos are simply art, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just as we have freedom of speech, we have the freedom to do whatever we may wish to our bodies, it does not change who we are as a person on the inside or out in the workforce. It's a beautiful thing, that people love themselves enough to create living, breathing artwork, to be on display for everyone to see and not care if people don't appreciate their canvas.
My tattoo means everything to me. It means strength, it means courage, it means bravery, it means overcoming obstacles I never believed I could climb over. My tattoo reminds me every single day that I am a better person because I allowed myself to reject societal norms, to push aside the idea that I won't get hired because of the ink underneath my skin. If someone doesn't want to work with me because I have a tattoo, or two, or 30, that says nothing about me, and everything about them. If someone is willing to pass up my skills and talents for something as simple as a tattoo, then so be it, I am better off elsewhere where I can live and work freely and openly.
Getting a tattoo is something that has changed my life forever, and not just because it will stay on my skin forever, but because of the constant reminder it serves as to me. I can wake up every single day now, look at it, and truly believe that I can take on whatever the world may throw at me because that extremely important piece of my life is forever stuck on me for me to never forget.
So next time you hear someone telling you to never get a tattoo, or telling you that you will regret it, remember that its you who will benefit from it, no one else. Only your opinion matters. Don't worry about the wrinkles when you get older, either. Wrinkles are only a sign that you have lived, you have grown, and you have prospered. Just as you have changed, your tattoo, your constant reminder, will change along with you.
