Investing in Confidence

In some cultures like Japan, tattoos are often seen as forbidden due to their ties with the Yakuza, and there are many establishments in Japan where you won’t be able to enter if you are “sporting some ink”. On the other hand, however, tattoos can be a sign of brotherhood or family. Some examples of this are back in the days of World War II where brothers at arms would get matching tats to represent what platoon they were from, or to signify a fallen brother they lost to the causality of war. Regardless of what a person’s perception is of this form of art, it’s safe to say tattoos have been around for generations and seem to have an impact on not just a person’s skin but their soul and personality as well.

I’m a 23-year-old male who is tall and lanky, with a face some might say “only a mother could love”. My personal appearance, as well as my confidence, has never been up to par, and I have struggled with this for most of my life. Most recently (about a month ago) I got a tattoo of something I was planning for well over a year. It was my first tattoo and everyone told me I should do the “one year challenge”, where if I still like the same idea for a tattoo in a year, I should get it. That mixed with my fear of needles gave me more than enough time to hesitantly pull the trigger on this idea.

After a series of events and two painful hours, I made my mother proud and got my first tattoo. Now, every time I look at my forearm and see this image, I somehow feel more confident. At first I was nervous that I was just conforming to typical millennial behavior and that getting something so permeate would be regretful later down the road; but even though it’s only been a month I seem to smile harder and harder every time I catch a glimpse of my right arm grabbing something as simple as a pencil, or it being the first thing I see in the morning. Sure, I could have put that extra $300 into my savings, or groceries, or my student loans; but at the end of the day, this investment was just more than some ink. It was an investment in me smiling more, it was an investment in me wearing clothes I never thought I would wear, it was an investment in my attitude, but most importantly: it was an investment in myself.

So if you or a friend are wary or nervous about your first tattoo; my advice to you is to obviously think about what you want to get, but don’t be too hesitant to pull the trigger. Because the right tattoo on the right person can be life-changing and can affect you in ways you may have yet to even consider.