Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff by Chip Gaines is a great read! I also enjoy learning more of the backstory of Chip and Joanna Gaines as they were walking into everything Magnolia and Fixer Upper over the last several years. What particularly stood out to me in this book is how transparent Chip was about his faith and the way that he has relied on the Lord to order his steps. He talked about how he and Joanna work together to keep their eyes and ears on where God is leading them in decisions for both their family and their businesses. Chip also told a lot of hilarious stories that fit under the book’s tagline “Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff”. This book was a quick read and made me realize it might be time for a trip back to Waco soon! We had a blast the last time we were there.
I highlighted several things while reading and posted those notes below…
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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. Location: 317
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Every ounce of energy you invest in pursuing your goals will help you grow toward God’s plan for you . . . even if you end up somewhere you hadn’t counted on. Location: 457
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It starts with being willing to be seen and known and loved for who you are, as you are. Then you have to be willing to turn around and do the same, loving your spouse in their totality: flaws, blemishes, and quirks included. It’s from there that you can begin to forge a trust where creativity and compassion can grow strong. Taking on the world as a unified, fortified duo is not just a romantic notion; it’s a powder keg. Together you can set the world on fire. Location: 822
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I’m still a huge advocate for trusting your instincts and taking leaps of faith when it matters. There are plenty of things worth rushing into the unknown for. But don’t be dumb. Save your courage for when it counts. Location: 918
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This is a really important point to understand: when you aren’t trying to avoid failure, fear loses its foothold. The courage to take a chance is half the battle. The other half? Viewing failure as a teacher and not an enemy. Location: 990
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Fear dressed up as wisdom provides poor counsel. It lures you into thinking that if you will just trust it, it will afford you some level of control. Location: 1,094
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“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just, literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” Location: 1,119
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It’s never too late in your story to take a step away from fear. And the good news is that both optimism and courage are contagious. No hand washing necessary. Simply catch and spread. Location: 1,123
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Nobody remembers if you cross the finish line bruised and bloody. They just remember that you stayed the course. Don’t get hung up on how ugly the race may have looked. In the end, all that matters is that you finish. Location: 1,289
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What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning? What puts a smile on your face, the kind you can’t wipe off if you tried? What fascinates you? Motivates you? Overwhelms you in the very best sense? If you don’t know, I suggest not wasting one more single day until you find out. Location: 1,873
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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. Location: 1,887
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Vocation is a powerful thing. Don’t let it just happen to you. Chase after it, even if right now “chasing” feels a lot like limping. You’re going to spend approximately ninety-two thousand hours of your life working, so figure out what drives you and run, don’t walk, in the direction of making real, fulfilling work out of that dream. And even if that’s not feasible right now, carve out a chunk of your day, week, and life for the things that fill you up. Perhaps you can’t quit your day job, and I understand that. But never, ever quit your day dream. Location: 1,899
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It almost seems nonsensical to walk away from this miraculous gift from God, from the very thing that brought the world to our doorstep here in Waco, Texas. I understand that I’ve lapsed into new heights of melodrama, but I feel a bit like the biblical patriarch Abraham standing at his makeshift altar, arms around his precious son, facing the enormous sacrifice he believes he is being called to make.2 The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, and in all these things we’re to bless him! Location: 2,017
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The thing about walking closely with God is it has to be a minute-by-minute, day-by-day kind of relationship. No formula can suffice. You have to keep listening, keep following, keep being willing to act and to move on when it’s time. Location: 2,086
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I can say no to everything the world offers. But any gift God has for me, I’m taking it. Location: 2,107
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I believe with all my heart that it’s only after working side by side with another person that you earn the right to speak into that person’s life. It’s a basis of friendship that can forge a path toward common ground. Location: 2,176
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The idea of bridge building has become something of a mission to us and our team these days. As of late, our midnight planning sessions are spent dreaming up some sort of bridge-building summit, a time and place where people from all kinds of backgrounds and mind-sets come together to help figure out a way forward. It’s basically our own version of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet, albeit a lot larger and probably quite a bit rowdier. Location: 2,263
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When I’m on my deathbed, I don’t want people to only remember me for superficial reasons. I hope that when they think of Chip Carter Gaines, they think of me like a runway—that leveled strip of ground that gives aircraft all the space they need to take off and fly. What drives me these days is the idea of being a launching pad for others, someone who empowers people and believes in them even when they can’t quite believe in themselves. Location: 2,316
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Even if the company loses our valued employees to these dreams of theirs, that’s okay. It was our honor to be the runway for them, the launching pad that they needed to go for it. From there we’re anticipating a chain reaction of sorts with exponential impact. We believe our employees will go on to change the world in ways that Jo and I could never attain by ourselves. Our legacy is their legacy and vice versa. Location: 2,366
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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? Location: 2,448
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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. Location: 2,471
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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 Location: 2,530