Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff

Capital Gaines- Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff

[bigletter]Today I am excited to share with you all a few points I really loved from Capital Gaines- Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff!  Last March I went on an adventure to Waco, Texas to visit the Magnolia Silos and Market. After visiting Chip and Joanna Gaines Magnolia fun, I thought it was time I learned more about this awesome family and read some of their books![/bigletter]

This book is full of lots of great incites, stories and action steps to a better you. It’s an easy read, but honestly the audible is really fun to listen to and would recommend that over reading the book because it is read by Chip Gaines himself! It only took me a few days to listen to it and was entertaining with lots of stories included.

Chip is a fantastic storyteller and takes you on a journey of his and Joanna’s life together developing their careers.  I cried several times from touching moments in the book. I felt so much love pouring out from it. After reading, it left me feeling like with hard work, applying action, and trusting in God, I could do anything.  It also made me so extremely grateful for Jake. He is such an amazing partner that I know together we can do anything.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be.  I am not sure what my expectations were for it, but it was very different than what I thought.  I guess I was thinking I was reading another self help book, but soon realized it was not your typically self help/business book. It was an amazing lifetime journey of Chip Gaines, a love story, a story of failures, success, passion, inspiration, projects, it was the story of how Magnolia all came to be- business edition! I haven’t read any of the Gaines other books, but now I want too!

I choose Capital Gaines for Februarys book club because out of any self help book I have read, this book had the most romance out of any! With Feburary known as the month of love it just seem right 🙂 So if you want a good love story, plus some motivation, this is a great book to get!

Seeing the love and respect that Chip and Joanna have for each other is truly touching.  After hearing how they acknowledge and love each other for what they are good at, it made me want to do the same with Jake. Jake has always been such an incredible man and someone I really admire, but reading this book made me want to express my love and appreciation for him even more.  I have always really tried to focus on the positives with Jake and on his strengths but now I want to even more so.

In short, let’s dive into some highlights from the book!

Look To God

If you know anything about the Gaines they are very loving and Christ like people.  I LOVE that about them. They really work hard at having a relationship with God and trusting in him.  The thing I love about them is they don’t pray to God and hope things happen, they put in the work, as well as some faith and trust in God! There story is a great example to me that you can have the life you want, all while having the family and faith that is meaningful to you.

Learn As You Go

In the book Chip talks about a learn as you go mentality.  I have heard this lots before but I loved the way he described it.  He said with building the Magnolia empire they have had to learn as they go.  They have spent the time doing trial and error, struggles of growing, and all learning together.  Because of that, some things have cost more than expected, but the experiences gained far outweigh the costs.  You don’t have to know all the answers or how to do something; go for it and learn as you go. You will never regret starting now!

Creativity Feeds Creativity

One thought that Chip mentioned briefly was that creativity feeds creativity.  Isn’t this such a great concept?! When you dive into being creative, more will keep coming!  Keep feeding that creative part of your brain and more creativity will come. Take time to feed your interests and fill your brain with things that inspire you!

The way I see it, there’s work and then there’s work. And there’s a big difference between your work and your job. A job is a task done for an agreed-upon price, and work is the effort directed toward accomplishing a goal. See what I mean? A job is something you do for money. Your life’s work is done for a bigger purpose, to fulfill a calling or a dream. And when you manage to find that work—that’s when it starts feeling like play. I want that for you and for me too.

Don’t allow yourself to get stuck grinding away on the job piece and lose sight of the work piece, the one that truly matters. There’s nothing admirable or respectable about laying yourself down, day in and day out, for a job you hate—not if you have a choice. Maybe you can’t up and quit the job you hate. I understand that there are extenuating circumstances that can prevent you from being able to take that leap. But if you are sticking it out because of fear or passivity, there’s nothing heroic about that. Do work that matters . . . to you.

Chip Gaines

Surround Yourself With Hard Working People

Early in the book Chip shares an experience about making new friends.  He loved these new friends so much because they were hard workers and they inspired him to work hard. Although they only spoke Spanish and Chip did not speak Spanish at the time, they had such a great respect for each other’s work ethics; it really bonded them all together.

This was a great reminder that it is so important to surround yourself with like minded people.  Whether you are a stay at home mom and don’t have time to go out, listen to good audio books! After listening to this book I feel like Chip and I are friends and I could go to him and ask him for help! (Even if that is made up in my mind!) Your time is valuable, surround yourself with people who lift you up, help motivate you and inspire you to be a better you!

Trust In Each Others Strengths

Reading this book Chip explains how different him and Joanna are.  He shares their strengths and what they each bring to the table. Through different experiences they have had together they have learned to trust in each other’s strengths and as well as learn to grow together.  Jake and I have been trying to do this ever since we read “Strengths Finder” but hearing Chip Gaines sharing this exact principle reconfirmed it to me again! (You can catch our Strengths Finder post here). It’s ok to do what you are good at, and help others do what they are good at!  Whether it is a spouse or a team you work with, trust in each others strengths and be willing to learn from one another strengths.

Figure It Out

This one goes with learn as you go, but I feel it is slightly different.  If you don’t know the answer, figure it out. Chip has a mentality of figuring things out. This can be a hard concept because it can mean we don’t succeed, it can mean we fail.  But when you are able to figure it out yourself you are able to gain the knowledge, confidence and understanding to take the next steps.

For instance, Jake and I we have been blogging for 8 years going through this journey.  Meanwhile a lot of our friends who blog new exactly what their niche was. To be honest, our readers knew what our niche was before we did!  Through years of 8am to 2am work days of self discovery, trial and error, it finally all clicked. In short, that’s when we knew we wanted a space that would be a positive place for anyone to come to feel love, support, creativity, and inspiration for their everyday lives.  Yes it has been an 8 year journey, but to be honest I feel like it’s just beginning! (Which is exciting to me!)

If we didn’t spend time figuring it out, I know the way I feel as I create a blog post or new content would not be as rewarding as it is now. When I sit down to write a blog post, I pray for love to shine. I think of those I care about taking the time to read through this, and I strive to share uplifting things that can truly bring a smile to someone’s face.  That wasn’t part of my routine when I first started blogging, or even part of our goals.

Take the time to figure it out.  Subsequently it can be time consuming, but it is worth it!  When you hear Chip talk about figuring it out with Magnolia, he said he wouldn’t change a thing looking back at his journey!  Although it may seem like their dreams came true in a few years, it was life time of years and years and years of hard work and laying down a foundation that made those dreams come true.

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Each time you muster up what it takes and go for it, the next go-round becomes that much easier. Real and important changes begin with small, courageous acts.

Chip Gaines

Work Side By Side

Chip shares some stories of how he likes to work with his teams.  He wouldn’t ask anyone to do something he isn’t willing to do himself. As someone who runs my own business and have teams I work with, I loved hearing this! Not only can it be a bonding experience working side by side, but it sets you up as a trustworthy leader. I wouldn’t want to follow someone who hadn’t put in the work, so it makes sense that I would need to put in the work!

Take Risks

This is something the Gaines did over, and over and over.  It’s important to step out of your comfort zone and take risks when you feel right about them.  The more you practice it, the better you will get at it.

Change Is Good

Although change can be hard, Chip brought up the concept that change is good. Be open to change and working through change! As much as I like adventure doing new things everyday, my mindset is something that I really needed to change on a lot of things in life. Things I was scared of doing, or things that held me back. Last year I started listening to a motivational book while I got ready and it really changed me, for the better! Change can be hard, but looking back at my life seeing one little thing I worked on and how much it impacted my life made me want to do more changes! Like Chip said, change is GOOD!

Leave Your Legacy

Importantly, leaving your legacy is such a fun topic to me! Growing up I heard a talk when I had just graduated high school when I was on a trip to London about “leaving your legacy”. I remember writing in my journal from that trip what an impact that talk had on me. As a result, it really paved the way I did things because I realized the importance of leaving a good legacy for others to follow. To sum up, this is something I need to get back on track and work on and focus on again!

Chip asked what kind of legacy are we going to leave? What is our purpose? Why are we on this earth? Those are some deep questions to think about and figure out! Likewise, I love his advice to figure it out and work hard because if you have that kinda of ethic, pretty soon you will figure out what you are capable of and ment to do!

You were uniquely created for a purpose. I have no clue what that purpose is for you specifically, but I am perfectly confident that you do, in fact, have one. And you would be wise to stop being your own biggest obstacle. Your purpose is just like mine. It’s big, and it’s important, and there’s no one else anywhere on the planet who can fulfill it. So quit jacking around and go get after it.

Chip Gaines

Have you had a chance to read Capital Gaines- Smart Things I Learned By Doing Stupid Stuff yet?!? I would love to hear your thoughts on what you liked about the book in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by today and going through some highlights of Capital Gaines for our book club this month!  Hope you have a fantastic day!

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