Being: Me - From The Beginning
Let's go back to the beginning:
A little over a year ago, I sat down in a conference room and proposed this idea for a brand that I had called "Being: Me". I had no clue how to go about making it happen, but I was so passionate about creating a platform for young people to feel like they can be brave in their faith that I was determined to make it happen.
Fast forward one year and I can't even express how excited I am to see how Being: Me has been brought to life. There are so many times in life when we dream and envision certain things for ourselves, but it's figuring out how to take the next step that will help us turn those dreams into reality. I'll be the first one to admit that finding the next step in some moments seems nearly impossible. I feel as if my brain is running in circles trying to find a door to open to accomplish the next thing, but I can't quite figure out which door to take. Going through times like these are how I learned that it is okay to ask questions, to be curious, and to not always have an answer for everything.
Society likes to tell us what "success" is. We start comparing ourselves to others around us instead of looking at where God has perfectly placed us. It took me a minute to be able to really do that for myself. Honestly, I've always struggled with comparison. I didn't understand how I could be doing everything "right" and the person next to me is still 5 steps ahead of me. But, who is to say that person is actually 5 steps ahead of you? There is no book on success that can say, "By 25, you need to have a husband, a child, a successful career, and a house of your own. Oh, and $20,000 saved." Your success can not be compared to anyone else's but your own. Once I understood this for myself, I suddenly felt the freedom to really accomplish what I was meant to do. I spent so many years trying to do what my idea of the "right" thing was to succeed. I worked hard, was dedicated to my career, and in return, I was blessed with incredible opportunities and experiences. However, through all of those opportunities and experiences, I wasn't allowing God to fully be in control. I was still trying to dictate what would happen next.
All of those moments led me to the last few months of being 23. That is when I nearly gave up on my dreams. I was ready to go home to my family. I was homesick. My career was at a stand still. I was struggling financially. To add to that, I had a niece and nephew that stole my heart and were thousands of miles away. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to end one journey, and begin the next one that I always thought was waiting for me.
This is when I tell you, God works in mysterious ways. He is always planning, even when you think you've got Him all figured out. Those list of things I gave you as my reasons to give up and move home?
God decided to take care of those for me.
I will get into the specifics of how He so perfectly and graciously took over and guided me to this point in my life in a later blog post, but moral of the story? 2 days before my 24th birthday, 3 months after planning my "escape" out of LA, I had my planning meeting for Being: Me.
I wish I could say that there was some specific moment in time that made me want to do Being: Me, but honestly, it's the last 25 years. Every day, every person, and every experience is being built into this brand. I want to share what I have learned and what I am continuing to learn with young people who may be experiencing the same hardships, trials, and conflicts that I have.
With all of this, I also want to inspire people through the Being: Me merchandise.
Wearing a shirt that says Being: Me, or a hat that says "brave", or a keychain with a cross, will cause people to ask questions. Those questions present you with the perfect opportunity to share YOUR story. Not the one you think they want to hear. But the story that is genuine to what God is doing in your life.
Life is going to be messy. It is going to throw you curve balls. It might even scare you sometimes. The most important thing to remember is that not everyone will understand your story. But when you open up about those parts of your life with the people around you, you create a conversation that allows people to be open about their insecurities, and together we can turn our insecurities into positive, uplifting features about ourselves.
You have the choice to be brave in who you are. Take the risk. Because Jesus risked everything for you and He is taking you through each experience for a reason. Embrace it and together we can change the world's view of "perfection" into God's view of "perfection".
When you receive a piece of merchandise from Being: Me, you will be invited to join the "Being: Me movement" and continue sharing the message. Send in a video wearing your Being: Me merchandise telling the world what "Being: Kind, Being: Brave, Being: His, and Being: Me" means to you, or post a photo using the hashtag #beingme, and you could be a featured face of the Being: Me campaign!
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14
xox,
Madisen
To purchase the official Being: Me shirt, head on over to Rise Up Wear . For a limited time, get free shipping using code "freetobeme" . More designs are coming soon!
A percentage of the proceeds from every shirt purchased will go towards the non-profit organization, California Miss Amazing. Madisen has been working closely with this program for three years. To find out more, visit their website.
Fast forward one year and I can't even express how excited I am to see how Being: Me has been brought to life. There are so many times in life when we dream and envision certain things for ourselves, but it's figuring out how to take the next step that will help us turn those dreams into reality. I'll be the first one to admit that finding the next step in some moments seems nearly impossible. I feel as if my brain is running in circles trying to find a door to open to accomplish the next thing, but I can't quite figure out which door to take. Going through times like these are how I learned that it is okay to ask questions, to be curious, and to not always have an answer for everything.
Society likes to tell us what "success" is. We start comparing ourselves to others around us instead of looking at where God has perfectly placed us. It took me a minute to be able to really do that for myself. Honestly, I've always struggled with comparison. I didn't understand how I could be doing everything "right" and the person next to me is still 5 steps ahead of me. But, who is to say that person is actually 5 steps ahead of you? There is no book on success that can say, "By 25, you need to have a husband, a child, a successful career, and a house of your own. Oh, and $20,000 saved." Your success can not be compared to anyone else's but your own. Once I understood this for myself, I suddenly felt the freedom to really accomplish what I was meant to do. I spent so many years trying to do what my idea of the "right" thing was to succeed. I worked hard, was dedicated to my career, and in return, I was blessed with incredible opportunities and experiences. However, through all of those opportunities and experiences, I wasn't allowing God to fully be in control. I was still trying to dictate what would happen next.
All of those moments led me to the last few months of being 23. That is when I nearly gave up on my dreams. I was ready to go home to my family. I was homesick. My career was at a stand still. I was struggling financially. To add to that, I had a niece and nephew that stole my heart and were thousands of miles away. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to end one journey, and begin the next one that I always thought was waiting for me.
This is when I tell you, God works in mysterious ways. He is always planning, even when you think you've got Him all figured out. Those list of things I gave you as my reasons to give up and move home?
God decided to take care of those for me.
I will get into the specifics of how He so perfectly and graciously took over and guided me to this point in my life in a later blog post, but moral of the story? 2 days before my 24th birthday, 3 months after planning my "escape" out of LA, I had my planning meeting for Being: Me.
I wish I could say that there was some specific moment in time that made me want to do Being: Me, but honestly, it's the last 25 years. Every day, every person, and every experience is being built into this brand. I want to share what I have learned and what I am continuing to learn with young people who may be experiencing the same hardships, trials, and conflicts that I have.
With all of this, I also want to inspire people through the Being: Me merchandise.
Wearing a shirt that says Being: Me, or a hat that says "brave", or a keychain with a cross, will cause people to ask questions. Those questions present you with the perfect opportunity to share YOUR story. Not the one you think they want to hear. But the story that is genuine to what God is doing in your life.
Life is going to be messy. It is going to throw you curve balls. It might even scare you sometimes. The most important thing to remember is that not everyone will understand your story. But when you open up about those parts of your life with the people around you, you create a conversation that allows people to be open about their insecurities, and together we can turn our insecurities into positive, uplifting features about ourselves.
You have the choice to be brave in who you are. Take the risk. Because Jesus risked everything for you and He is taking you through each experience for a reason. Embrace it and together we can change the world's view of "perfection" into God's view of "perfection".
When you receive a piece of merchandise from Being: Me, you will be invited to join the "Being: Me movement" and continue sharing the message. Send in a video wearing your Being: Me merchandise telling the world what "Being: Kind, Being: Brave, Being: His, and Being: Me" means to you, or post a photo using the hashtag #beingme, and you could be a featured face of the Being: Me campaign!
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14
xox,
Madisen
To purchase the official Being: Me shirt, head on over to Rise Up Wear . For a limited time, get free shipping using code "freetobeme" . More designs are coming soon!
A percentage of the proceeds from every shirt purchased will go towards the non-profit organization, California Miss Amazing. Madisen has been working closely with this program for three years. To find out more, visit their website.
Comments
Post a Comment