The Magnolia Story

by Chip Gaines

It all seemed to be working out in that perfectly messy way life works when you trust in God and his plans for your life rather than focusing on your own.

being in the same house and actually interacting with each other are two different things.

All our various projects kept us busy during the day. And our evenings were pretty filled up with making dinner and finishing up the day’s business, talking and dreaming together, and making plans for the next day or the next week. We couldn’t imagine setting aside even an hour to sit and watch TV.

They just said, “If you want that thing, here’s an idea as to how you can go earn it.”

If you can’t find happiness in the ugliness, you’re not going to find it in the beauty, either.

I had to go through those kind of “What is my intention behind these things?” questions.

Letting it all go is freeing. (And it’s cheaper too!) I am learning that getting our intentions right simplifies our decisions in life and changes our perspective. And in the end, what it’s all about is thankfulness and contentment.

it’s up to us to choose contentment and thankfulness now—and to stop imagining that we have to have everything perfect before we’ll be happy.

sometimes you’ve got to try something outside of your comfort zone to figure out what it is that you truly love.

Go and find what it is that inspires you, go and find what it is that you love, and go do that until it hurts. Don’t quit, and don’t give up. The reward is just around the corner. And in times of doubt or times of joy, listen for that still, small voice. Know that God has been there from the beginning—and he will be there until . . . The End.

it’s not really about looking out and around anymore to see what trends to follow. It’s more about honing in on who you are. I think when you find that place, that gut, whether it be your style, whether it be your lifestyle, that’s where you start finding life, because it’s you, it’s not the masses.