We were lucky to catch up with Aaron Zona recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Aaron , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Confidence, there is nothing as powerful that can come out of someone’s mouth telling you that you “cannot” do something . I always took those words as a personal challenge with the goal of “watch me prove you wrong” I can and will do whatever the challenge is. These challenges in life take discipline and hard work no matter what that challenge may be . ( gym goal . Business venture, housing, relationships, personal growth ). Once you tell yourself you are not capable of such task, the task at that point has beaten you . 11:11 Saturday feb 10 , Story time ! My youth was far from good and on most peoples scale they would say it was trash. My parental figures were never around much and it led to a lot of trial and error due to the fact of never really understanding the concept of right and wrong and said actions had a positive and negative reaction. Without a present parental figure at a young age you wander aimlessly and lot of my youth was led off emotion which as children is a whirlwind of. Through constant schooling issues and suspensions they would just send me home but mom wasn’t there so home wasn’t really a punishment and was more of a vacation to ride bikes or whatever we felt like doing whenever we wanted , as a kid that doesn’t sound so bad right ? Through schooling I had two teachers that had a parental impact, and these two teachers somehow saw some shine on a dirty stone and did help me get on a path that was in a positive direction , to which I am forever grateful for . My grades started getting better and I wasn’t getting in “so much” trouble. I recall one day a teacher that was also our JV baseball coach ridicule me in front of a class telling me I wouldn’t amount to anything in life , granted I was an @sshole I imagine dealing with bc again zero guidance . But this teacher made something in my brain click out of pure anger I wanted , I needed, to prove him wrong no matter what it took . This was in my opinion my challenge ! Years of holding that in as a grudge and a chip on my shoulder telling myself to do better than my family and my so called expectation. I graduated ! First in my family , went to college @ 17 started summer courses thanks to the 2nd mother life gave me last minute to help with things I had no clue about ( Joanne P ) my best friends mom and a very special person in my life . That woman had my back with whatever I needed and me grateful wouldn’t be giving her enough credit .
Fast forward ! I was 21 roughly and I had saved up enough cash from working @ a local auto garage that I can start my 1st business venture , that didn’t go exactly as planned but I had learned a lot about different aspects and I didn’t let that get in my way because again it taught me life lessons .
Fast forward ! I buy the current business I have at this moment ( SickBoy Tattoo Studio) 12 years ago and have become a figure in local community helping other people with lot of same problems I had by just being a mindful ear and giving positive feedback to help them become the best version of themselves . Ended up buying a house next to said teacher earlier and it reminds me every day that you can turn life into better things with hard work dedication and CONFIDENCE .
Self Esteem
Self esteem ( confidence in one’s worth , abilities , or , morals ). This ties into a lot of what I have written about confidence .
* be a good person – it’s really easy to do , congratulate someone on an accomplishment , support a friends business , help someone in need if you are able , ask a stranger “how are you today” smile , open a door for person behind you . We lose focus on this due to life being “busy” but are we that busy ? I think being a good person ties up all aspect of this, Being a good parent , partner , sibling , neighbor . On any given day we do not know what another person is feeling or going through and YOU MAY BE THAT PERSON TO HELP THEM GET THROUGH A TOUGH TIME !
Surround yourself with loving friends and partners that support you and make you try harder , when you are happy , they are happy for you
Personally I love seeing people do well , I want you to succeed in all efforts of life . You can do the near impossible and you can beat the odds life may have put in front of you . Biggest question is how bad do you want it ?
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Am a tattooist @ SickBoy Tattoo in Pennsylvania and a guitarist for original group “soul satellite”. Tattooing is a modern therapist for most people . We listen to your problems and give insight or at times just become an ear . While putting lifelong art pieces on bodies and lasting memories for you and us . Meeting great people along the way and hearing so many stories is a plus of this job . Music is another form of art . Soul satellite is my 1st original group which started days after the passing of my father ( also was a touring musician ) this group just fell into the right pieces it seemed with everything we did . It all just somehow came into sync . With songs on the radio and a couple music videos you can find on iTunes Spotify YouTube if you enjoy rock music with a touch of southern vibe it may be for you . I currently play guitar in this group and have also toured across country in other projects in past .
As for expansion . Musically we are still making music so yes we will have more for you . Tattooing I would love to open a 2nd shop at some point given the ability to man it . I do have a couple business ventures in the works which I can’t disclose as of right now with a private group of people that will hopefully have some groundwork this year . Would love to get more into painting and creating canvas art.
As for non profit , I donate a lot locally to help charities and other benefits , as well as running local adult softball leagues and fields for the public to use which keeps our usable months very busy . Working with other local business to make happenings run together for all to benefit . We love the fur kids and have done numerous benefits to help the local shelters out as well .
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1- don’t give up Business and life will have a lot of ups and downs . Learn to navigate and prepare for both moments
2- don’t get stale
Meaning stay with your times , something relevant in 2010 may not be relevant now . Stay up with trends and scenes
3- listen to your local economy
If you have 5 burger shops in your town and you want a restaurant you should try a niche in a different type of food . Same goes for all business , ask yourself what does your area need .
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Your circle !
These are the people that help push you to do better , people that you can bounce ideas off of with true criticism . As a circle you all carry strong points that differ from one another in most cases .
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @aaron_z_official
- Facebook: @aaronzona @sickboytattoostudio
- Other: Spotify – soul satellite iTunes – soul satellite
Image Credits
Margo Hibbard Keith perks
