Chip Gaines Talks Holding onto Faith, Fatherhood and 'Honoring Jo' with 'Everything I've Got'
Getty Images Chip and Joanna Gaines
Chip Gaines is staying devoted to his biggest commitments in life.
In PEOPLE's exclusive look at the summer issue of The Magnolia Journal , (on sale this Friday, May 7), Chip, 46, and his wife Joanna, 43, each penned notes about how they continue to stay dedicated to their commitments, which includes being good spouses to one another and loving parents to their five children. (Magnolia Journal is published by Meredith, PEOPLE's parent company.)
"When I look out across the whole landscape of my little corner of the world, there are plenty of places where I fall short," Chip writes. "I'm known to be easily distracted, for one thing. In general, me and time have this way of losing track of one another. And sometimes, I can let some of the commitments I've made slip through my hands."
"But there are other commitments—the big ones—that I hold on to with everything I've got. Honoring Jo, being a good dad, my faith, trying to do what's right even when it's not easy, building something that helps other people. Those are commitments I've made that I won't compromise. My nonnegotiables," the Fixer Upper star continues. "No matter how much the details and circumstances of my life may change, and no matter what storms come my way, you watch: I'm going to get those right."
Magnolia Journal
Chip goes on to admit that he can be distracted by the little things — "by status, by what kind of car we're driving or getting our kids onto the right sports teams or who said what" — but says he's constantly battling to make sure he focusses on the big picture.
For the HGTV alum and co-creator with Joanna of the forthcoming Magnolia Network, that includes his marriage and the five kids the couple share: Drake, 16, Ella, 14, Duke, 12, Emmie, 11, and Crew, 2
Joanna Gaines/Instagram Joanna and Chip Gaines
"When I start to feel the pressure of a world that is trying to sway or dictate my behavior to make one of my nonnegotiables negotiable, I go back to the list of things in my life that are an unwavering part of who I am," he writes. "It took me a while, but do this enough times and you start to realize the importance of safeguarding what matters to you most."
"'Cause I've seen the way it plays out," the home renovator says. "People who are willing to negotiate everything can end up standing for nothing. People who hold fast to their nonnegotiables, on the other hand, erase the space between who they are and who they want to be."
Pick up the summer issue of The Magnolia Journal on newsstands Friday, May 7.
