WE'RE A STARTUP and we love it: the beginnings of MADE
MADE started with discontent.
It might seem like the beginning of something always starts excitingly and boldly and bravely, (after all, that's a lot of what MADE is all about). But the real beginnings started when I (Sarah) was frustrated in a holy way with where I was in life.
I've always struggled with what to do with day-to-day life. It seems like it should be an easy thing. Thoughts rolling in my head:
"Don't other people just go about their day and are fine with all the small things?"
"Why do I want more?"
"Why can't I just be happy with making money, providing for myself, doing something I sort of like, and just hanging out with friends and watching shows I love or reading?"
Even though these thoughts swam around, the discontent continued. And I tried to silence these thoughts with the truth that I'd choose a purposeful life over an easy one any day. But what was my purpose?
That's a hard question to answer.
I know I found more of the answer, though, when I stared my discontent in the face.
There was one day when I was acting definitely not myself. I was being snippy and I just had a general bitterness growing and becoming a part of who I was. And my mom called me out on it. (Moms are good for that.)
Once we got past addressing the snippy-ness, I just realized the deep root of it was: I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy with where I was in life. I didn't really truly care about what I was doing throughout the day (even though they were good things, and even though I loved the people I got to see throughout the day.).
I had nothing I was striving for or shooting toward. I didn't feel like I was using my gifts to my full capacity.
So with tears, I bawled my eyes out at the realization I was just truly unhappy with where I was.
And that was an okay, good thing.
Some times finding our purpose starts with realizing the reality of where we are.
And we don't have to be okay with it.
Throughout the time of discontent, I struggled with feeling guilty, thinking I should be more thankful. My life was good. There was nothing inherently bad happening.
My heart just wasn't in it.
And when I brought my discontent to God throughout that time, He said, "I put this in you."
And He told me so often, "It will make sense looking back."
So as I sat there crying my eyes out, my mom asked me, "What would you want to do if you could do anything?"
And the dream in my heart for a contributors magazine was resurrected. You see, this dream has been there for quite a while. When I was in high school, friends and I started a nonprofit that used the arts to raise awareness about poverty, and we had wanted to make a contributors magazine as one of the ways to spread awareness, but it never happened.
And when I thought, "What would this mag be about?", my discontent was right there to greet me, and I'm so glad it was.
It has made sense looking back. Truly.
And so here comes MADE. It's starting as a blog, honestly, because that's what I know how to do. But I know that one day, we'll expand into a magazine. (In fact, one day I hope MADE can do a lot of things. But for now, I know where to begin.)
I say" "we" because I can't do this without others. I can't live the life I'm made for by doing MADE without the stories and words of other people who have come into their purpose and who are still figuring out what their purpose looks like in daily life.
We need each others' stories. We need to live life boldly and well. With each others' help. And MADE is how I get to do that.
What's better than getting to invite others to do the same?
