Wake Up Happy: Rule No. 5

Rule No. 5: Too many of us count ourselves out before we even
give ourselves a chance. Do the work. Be excellent. You’ll find
your place, and it may just be where you least expect it.

***

I bought a house a few years back and I wanted to fix it up. Not to sell it or anything, just to make it nice so I could live in it — give it my own personal touches and make it mine. But instead of hiring a bunch of people to come in and remodel and decorate for me, I wanted to collaborate and be involved in the creative process. I mean, it’s my house and I’m the one who’s going to live there.

And throughout the remodel, I loved the whole process. It turned into a serious passion.

After I was done with that first house, I bought another and remodeled it. Then, another house, another remodel.

I’ve got a few different things on my resume, but nothing I’ve ever done suggests I’d be any good at flipping houses.

The point is, after that first house, I could have easily said to myself, You’re not a contractor or an interior decorator. Stick to what you do and leave the house flipping to the pros. I could have counted myself out without even giving it a try. But I decided to follow that newfound passion. And now, to find out that I was able to create something that other people thought highly enough of to buy? That felt good.

And because I didn’t count myself out and I went for it, I found a passion I never knew I had — where I least expected it.

One day, when I retire from everything else, that will be my job. I’ll flip houses.

***

Michael Strahan is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who is the co-host of LIVE with Kelly and Michael, a FOX NFL Sunday Analyst and a special co-host of Good Morning America. His book, Wake Up Happy​: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide To Transforming Your Life, is available for pre-order now and hits stores October 13. Learn more at wakeuphappy.com.