Have you ever been hopeless?
Have you ever been down on your luck?
Have you ever wanted to give up?
Have you ever had your back against a wall with no way out?
Have you ever had to completely restart?
Have you ever had your life blow up?
Have you ever been to rock bottom?
If you look at the first 2 photos in the top left...
That was us.
We were behind and working as hard as we possibly could but not getting anywhere when we took these photos.
We were supporting our family of 6 to the best of our ability but it just wasn't enough. I know so many of you know this feeling. I know so many of you cringe from emails in the morning from the bank and shutter at certain smells because of what memories they recall.
When Krista and I decided to open FMG. It was not out of blissful plentifilled hearts. It was out of the belief that we had a gift worth giving. That purpose would lead us to a better tomorrow. That we had been uniquley made for this call on our lives.
We were not sure of many things but we were sure of one another. We were certain that if we chose to believe and to act on a hope of a tomorrow that benefited our community it would also take care of our family.
The funny thing about hope is that hope is a verb. It is active. It is not blind optimism. It is active work, active faith and unwavering committment to a belief in something you cannot yet see.
We did not know if it would work. We knew the current was not our forever because we knew that we had what it took. We had both been successful before but this was different. We did not want to sacrifice our kids childhood or our own sense of worth just to get by or climb a ladder. We chose what was to many the hardest, most unstable path. That may have been true. It was hard, correction, it is hard. Every single day you wonder if you are worth your weight in a mustard seed. Everyday you give everything you have only to get kicked down by something and receive it with a smile, everyday you look yourself in the mirror and ask is it worth it? Is it worth the pain and suffering? Is it worth the death of so many versions of yourself? Is it worth the loss of friends and misunderstanding of others? Is it worth the sacrifice of possessions you could easily achieve in another manner? Is worth it?
If it were about the finances, then no. It wouldn't be. Any other industry would be far more beneficial. Any other community would be far better suited to right the ship were drowning on. On paper it was ludicrous.
but....Hope....
Hope that we could make a difference. Hope that we could help others know that they are not as alone as we felt we were. Hope that gave opportuinty for a safe place to fail and place to move forward. Hope that said you are enough, you matter and you can if you choose to.
Hope is a verb. It is active. It doesn't just happen. It is a choice. We make choices everyday to realize the hopes and dreams we have for this community. We have a vision that is global and a hope that the world could use SLOW + UGLY = AWESOME. That the future creators and creatives of this generation would know how to judge their actions instead of their outcomes. That they would know their value is not tied to the money they make but by who they are.
This is FMG. We started off in a room 150 Square foot. We built into thousands of square feet. Opened a coffee shop, closed it to grow FMG some more only to be struck by tragedy in a fire. We regrouped and rebuilt over the next 8 months and now.....
Now we are on a path to give away all of our best opportunity. Why? Becasue we are those same people who stood in a room, looking at a mountain that we had no business moving, simply believing it could be different and choosing different.
Hope is a verb.
You are the activator.
You are the decision maker.
You are the believer.
You are the the epic hero in the face of epic monsters.
Take it from a couple who lost it all, found eachother and failed forward more than we could ever recount.
Hope.
Is.
A.
Verb.
Peace.
Zack & Krista Schuyler
(Hopefull People)
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