Health & Fitness
What Does a Tattoo have to do with Business?
What in the world does a tattoo have to do with business? At first, it wasn't even something I thought about. I got my second tattoo the week before Christmas.
What in the world does a tattoo have to do with business? At first, it wasn’t even something I thought about. I got my second tattoo the week before Christmas (pictured here). The verse is Micah 6:8 (NIV-New International Version):
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”
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Summarized:
DO justice. LOVE mercy. WALK humbly.
This was the theme for our church in 2011, and along with several other things (the biggest of which was reading The Hole in Our Gospel), this really hit home for me last year. So, I decided to make it a permanent reminder to myself; and because it’s on my right forearm, it also provides a possible conversation starter for those around me.
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Then it hit me the other day. This is not only the way to live our lives, but also a great mantra for how to run a business and how to do business with others. There’s another translation of this verse that I like, too. It’s from The Message:
“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.”
For those who don’t know, The Message is a more conversational translation of the Bible, trying to make it a little easier to understand in today’s language. THIS is where I think the business aspect of this comes into play.
Summarized again (my summary):
Treat people fairly. Be genuine. Put God (and others) first, not yourself.
Seriously, if this was the mindset of businesspeople…every day…in every situation, how great would that be??
While this verse offers a new way of looking at it more specifically, I believe I’ve put this concept into practice in my own business. My hope is that my clients, vendors, partners, and even friends and family would agree with that. Ultimately, when it comes down to it, all the success and money in the world wouldn’t be worth much if I couldn’t look back and say, “I treated people fairly. I was genuine in what I said and did. And, I put others’ concerns and needs before my own.” Both in life and in business.
Find more of Matt's thoughts at JoltCMS.com.