Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff

by Chip Gaines

  Boo.

  Unfortunately, I think most of us have become subconsciously obsessed with safety and comfort and make our choices accordingly. The problem with that is that nothing worthwhile comes easy. So behind almost every one of those decisions we make is an even bigger decision, the compass that determines the direction of our lives:

  •Do I want a safe, comfortable, and easy life?

  •Or do I want my days to matter?

  I’m guessing that at the end of most people’s lives, they’re not wishing they’d passed on more promotions or that they’d spent less time with their families. More likely, they’re grappling with whether or not they made a true impact on the world.

  I know I’ll be asking the same question of myself: How many people’s lives were actually better off because theirs intersected with my own?

  So I’m urging you (and myself as well) to find something worthwhile in this one invaluable life of yours. Find something to fight for. Something to live for.

  You may already know the thing that you were created for, and you may already be getting after it. If that’s your story, I salute you for making things happen. I get excited thinking about a world where everyone is living out their dreams for the greater good. But it terrifies me to think that we might very well live in a world with more armchair critics than torchbearers.*

  I value both logic and passion. To me they are both essential.

  Logic serves in many critical ways, helping keep us organized and make sensible decisions. But there is one job that it is utterly ineffective at. It cannot provide powerful motivation. That’s what passion is for. Even if your passion is to be an accountant—arguably the most logical career you can choose—logic isn’t what stirs you as you create spreadsheets and analyze numbers. Passion is.

  A logical approach makes a strong case for a safe major at a respected university. It paves the way for a high-paying job due to your sought-after skill set. Logic alone is not enough to convince you to be an artist, but a passion for art may well motivate you to go that direction. Any well-intentioned dad will tell you that seeking a career in art is impractical, but it sure wasn’t for Picasso.

  Yes, it may be hard to find a job after graduation. The word most commonly associated with artist is starving, after all. So why on earth would you consider it as a career?

  Because of passion. Because that little voice, the one not swayed by fear, is encouraging you to get after it.

  Passion is the thing that reminds you that no matter how seemingly unlikely, your art could impart something important to our planet. That using your God-given talent can’t not improve the plight of mankind. That’s why talents are called gifts—because they’re meant to be shared.

  When you combine this kind of bold bravery with a calling you’re passionate about, you become a force to be reckoned with.

  Finding your passion may not be as easy as it sounds. A lot of people simply have no clue to what they want to give their precious life—or at the very least, their time. If that’s true, let me see if I can help out a little.

  Take a look at some of the different facets of society:

  •government

  •science

  •technology

  •education

  •family

  •economy

  •military

  •faith/religion

  •media

  •business

  •sports

  •arts and entertainment

  It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that each of these categories—each and every aspect of our world—has some real room for improvement.

  Read through that list again, more slowly this time. Do any of these resonate with you? Maybe you feel angry about the current state of affairs in one (or more) of these categories. Or maybe when you were a kid you dreamed of working in one of these specific fields.

  Any emotion that is stirred in you by this exercise is not random. These feelings are smoke signals, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

  People tend to associate fire with something negative, but fire is the palpable ingredient of passion. Fire is cleansing energy, a channel for a fresh start. For change.

  When you think of a forest fire rolling through miles and miles of overgrown trees and brush, think of it like this. After an event like that, the nutrients in trees and plants are burned into ash and then are returned to the soil to support new growth. Brush and weeds are cleared to make way for smaller trees to thrive without competition. Harmful insects and diseases are wiped out. Sunlight is able to reach the forest floor, which means wildflowers will begin popping through in places that haven’t seen new life in years. I’m getting at the fact that a fire sometimes burns away the unnecessary to make room for the beautiful.

  If there’s something stirring in you now, and you know what it is, do that. There’s no need to overthink it. A mistake here and there isn’t going to kill you, so don’t waste time worrying about that. It’s infinitely better to fail with courage than to sit idle with fear, because only one of these gives you the slightest chance to live abundantly. And if you do fail, then the worst-case scenario is that you’ll learn something from it. You’re for sure not going to learn jack squat from sitting still and playing it safe.

  There’s actual, real work to do, and now’s the time to do it. Not one of us is getting any younger, and waiting for your “perfect moment” or for the “most convenient time” could very well turn into a missed opportunity. You’ve been given everything you need to call the shots and to make things happen. You were built for this, so get to work.

  If you are working in a cubicle at some company, shuffling from meeting to meeting, and you feel invisible, then go find something that inspires you, something you can give yourself to after you punch out for the day. The quality of the work that you do from eight to five will reflect that decision.

  You may be in your sixties, feeling that you’ve missed your shot. If your death calculator is anything like mine, you still have a good couple of decades to spare. It’s not too late. Until the buzzer rings, it ain’t over. No one is disqualified.

  I believe each one of you still has important things to do, or you wouldn’t still be here on this earth. Hear me now: if you are able to read this book, you are able to change the world. It might be through small, everyday choices, but those initial sparks can set the whole world on fire.

  As for me, all I’ve ever wanted, when you get right down to it, is to change the world. I don’t literally mean the whole wide world. That would be nice, I guess, but what I really care about is changing the world around me. This means pouring into the lives of my wife and my kids, my employees, my friends, and my acquaintances. That’s the ripple effect I’ve always hoped to put into motion.

  Rather than taking the easy way out, I learned to trust myself.

  That voice we hear when we’re thinking about going out on a limb—tune into it.

  There’s one thing I want to leave with you: trusting your gut is the first step. Although that first step won’t be enough to get you across the finish line, it’s definitely the hardest—and the most important—of every single one that follows. Plus, once you’ve started, you won’t want to stop. Momentum, remember?

  Complacency is the enemy, and getting started is as triumphant as crossing the finish line. Your goal is too far off to have a straight line of sight to it, but I’m going to need you to keep it firmly fixed in your mind’s eye. The only way this is going to work, the only way that you’re gonna get there, is one foot in front of the other. You have to keep moving forward. And when you think you are about to die—trust me, it’s just a tiny bit further.

  All of your life has been prepping you for this moment in time. I get that you may not know what your next chapter holds. I don’t know what mine holds either. For Jo and me, the future is nothing but blank pages before us. But we have already started writing on them.

  Thanks for taking the time to read my story. An
d if you will, make me one commitment. Live a life worthy of being written down, so that at the next go-round, I’m reading your story.

  I can’t wait to hear it!

  What are you waiting for?

  Go get ’em!

  What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

  ECCLESIASTES 3:9–13

  WRITE IT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW

  Okay, now you’ve finished the book. Here’s what I want you to do next.

  Find one thing, one word, or one phrase in this book that speaks to you. Circle it and reflect on it. Why did that stand out to you? What is that voice inside of you trying to say?

  Don’t let fear bury it. If you let it sit still for too long, the fire is going to get stomped out by what-ifs.

  Now write down what you’re passionate about or what inspires you. Write it here. Right now. How are you going to get there? What practical steps are you going to take? Write those down too. Even if you can only think of one, write it down.

  Next time we cross paths, I expect to see progress. What’re you waiting for? Get writing!

  [Your Notes]

  FROM THE DESK OF CHIP GAINES

  I’ve had a handful of personal assistants over the years, and each of them, for various reasons, has changed my life for the better. Funny, because when word got out that I was writing this book, they each insisted that I let them speak their mind. I have no idea what they could be so desperate to tell the world, and I’m still not convinced that these things warrant space in this book, but alas, a promise is a promise.

  Behold, here are some of their accounts.

  ELIZABETH

  When I went in for my interview, all I really wanted was a quaint part-time job at this new trendy store in town. I remember Jo talking about what Chip needed: “He likes good communication,” she said. “Always reply to every single text message with at least an ‘okay’ or a ‘got it.’ He needs you to show initiative, drive, and a can-do attitude.”

  I went back to meet with Chip at two in the afternoon, and our interview didn’t end until around five, when everyone was leaving the office for the day. I barely spoke during the entire interview. (Chip remembers me as shy and mute.) I remember Chip using lawyers and football coaches as metaphors for most of the points he made. I’m not sure if he even asked me any questions. I think he just talked to me the whole time like a coach: “Hey, kiddo, here’s what it’s like here. Here’s what you need to do this job well.”

  I remember Chip would come in during filming breaks and give office-wide pep talks. Usually, his first stop was the design girls, and then he’d come sit in my office, take off his insanely stinky ten-year-old boots, throw them into the hallway, and put his feet up on my desk. He’d literally heckle me, listening to me answer the phone and even sometimes taking some calls himself. He’d ask about the e-mails I was getting, wave to people in the shop windows, and get up to take photos with them. Oh, and of course he’d tweet nonstop.

  He quickly proved his integrity and his love for people. He took every opportunity to be kind and generous, to encourage his family, and to invest in those around him. He is a true discipler. He doesn’t take the quick road. He gets into the mud with people and helps them grow. He wants to see people succeed. He celebrates people when they surpass their own expectations. And those are just a few of the really special things about Chip.

  Once Chip was out of town for the weekend, and he left me with a few “simple” tasks. He wanted me to get him a loan, buy a houseboat and preferably a couple of Jet Skis, too, and get the boat docked in Lake Waco in a slip on the end of the dock.

  Spending someone else’s money on big, important things like that is scary. The bank was giving me a hard time with the loan, but I knew Chip wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was literally one stressful phone call away from taking the money out of my personal savings account. I was still so new and wasn’t in a position to mess this up. I remember running all around Lake Waco begging people for the boat slip. Actually getting the boat to the marina was a whole other ordeal. But somehow or other it all ended up working out, and I didn’t get myself fired on that one.

  While on a trip to New York, Chip and Jo had seen some crazy nice apartment for sale. He called me and said, “Okay, Elizabeth, I need you to take this very seriously. Call these guys and find out how much this apartment is listed for. If you sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about, they won’t talk to you. If you don’t sound like an adult, they will hang up on you. You have to sound like a grown-up real-estate professional.”

  Oh, crap. I have the voice of a thirteen-year-old, and I don’t know what I’m talking about. But no way was I going to fail this challenge. I called my dad and had him tell me exactly what I should say to make these guys take me seriously. So full of nerves, and wanting to get this right, I called the listing agent. We talked, and he gave me the price, which was something like forty million dollars. So I texted Chip and gave him that message. His response? “Well, shoot. I owe Jo five bucks.” Really? I’d been stressing over this big assignment, and it was all over a bet with Jo?

  One day Chip was in the office and heard the music duo Johnnyswim’s song “Home” playing in the store. As far as I know, this was the first time he had heard the song, and he thought it would be perfect for the opening of the show. He told me, “Get that song as our theme song.”

  I e-mailed Sony and got a reply! I ended up on the phone with a Sony rep, then with Johnnyswim’s agent, and then with Abner and Amanda (the members of Johnnyswim) themselves. Abner’s family were fans of the show, and they thought it would be so fun to have their song as the theme song.

  I called Chip and told him the good news. He asked me how much it was going to cost, and I thought, Oh, I didn’t even ask them about a price, but they are fans, and they want to be on the show. So I told Chip it was going to be free.

  He said, “No way.”

  “Yeah,” I told him, “for sure it’s free.”

  He said, “Elizabeth, Sony is not going to give us a song for free. Call them back and ask the price.” I was embarrassed to ask, but I did it.

  Turns out it was not free. It was really not free. I hated to call Chip back and tell him I was wrong and admit how naive I was, but thankfully he just chalked it up to a learning experience.

  “Get Dolly pregnant” was on my to-do list for months. Chip had a horse that he wanted to have bred, and this became my personal responsibility. With the help of a breeder, a stud, and months of horse matchmaking, she finally got pregnant! I’m not going to lie to you, but the length of detail that the vet went into when he explained things had me blushing for weeks.

  Chip is a saint. I literally didn’t know anything about anything when I was hired, and he was the most gracious person during my time at Magnolia. He taught me so much. I truly credit him for helping me grow up, and he literally made me feel like I could do anything.

  RICHARD

  Once, Chip had me go buy a pig for him. When I got back to the farm, I let the pig out in the pasture with the other animals, and he immediately ran away. I spent half the night trying to find this animal and was sure he had been eaten by coyotes. Probably not my best first impression as Chip’s assistant.

  Probably the most stomach-dropping moment was the time I accidentally sent a direct message to Steve Forbes from Chip’s Twitter account. Maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal, but Chip’s Twitter is like a woman’s purse. You don’t mess with it.

  Speaking of Twitter, once Chip tweeted out that I was single and that everyone should follow me. Embarrassing. I had multiple grandmothers send me pictures of their granddaugh
ters.

  Oh, and more animal purchases. He had me buy goats. And then more goats. Then he asked me to breed the goats. This was a big learning experience for me.

  BETH

  I get asked the question all the time, “What’s it like working for Chip? Is he as funny in real life as he is on TV?” The answer to that question is a resounding yes!

  I remember my first day of work. Joanna was out of the office working on the finishing touches for a Fixer Upper house. Chip welcomed me to Magnolia, and we chatted in the office for a while. He told me to take it easy for the first six months or so of employment so that I could learn my way around and get acquainted with people. After that we would really get to work. I was thinking to myself, Noooooo! Six months with nothing to do? I will die of boredom if they don’t give me any work!

  I need not have worried. Less than twenty minutes later he bounded out of the office and gave me my first assignment. “Never mind on the six-month wait,” he said. “I need you to register our chickens with the Texas Department of Poultry so my girls can sell baby chicks.”

  Did I hear him right? Chickens? Yep, that’s right. Before I knew it, I had made arrangements to meet with the poultry inspector at the farm so that the chicks could be approved for sale. And that’s how the wild adventure of working for Chip began.

  I never know what I’ll be doing for Chip from day to day. One day he came flying through the office door, running late for a meeting. He called to me and said, “Beth, it’s kind of a long story, but I picked up a homeless guy, and he’s sitting outside in the parking lot. Can you go out there, talk to him, and find him a job?” And off he went into his meeting.