The real proverb — all ten characters of it.

What a Japanese person actually thinks
Warm and completely familiar — the register of a graduation speech. The meaning is fine; the length is the issue.

Meaning

Literally: even a thousand-ri road + starts from one step
Actually: 'Even a journey of a thousand ri begins with a single step.' A genuine Japanese proverb, from Laozi.

Scores

Naturalness●●●●●

Well-known proverb, correctly written.

Coolness●●●●●

Ten characters, four of them kana. This is a sentence on your body, and the kana will blur first.

Watch out

mediumLong mixed-script phrases are the highest-risk kanji tattoos: more characters, more chances for an artist to introduce an error, and kana ages worst.

Get this instead

一歩 ippo
one step

Two characters carrying the whole proverb for anyone who knows it — which is everyone here. Vastly better as a tattoo.
初心 shoshin
beginner's mind

If the idea is honouring where you started, this is the compressed, classical version.

On skin

千里の道も一歩から

Orientation: vertical

Mincho, vertical, and only with plenty of space.