Everything is figure-out-able

I think this is what makes people good employees. Good entrepreneurs. And it is absolutely what makes you a good homeowner.

don't look at me

You just have to figure it out.

If you've read any of my stories, I hope you've noticed the trend: I had no idea what I was doing. I was googling "what is a mortgage" at 11 PM. I was googling how to install a Ring camera. I was googling how to hang curtain rods. And then — in a natural progression that will surprise absolutely no one — I was googling what happens if the curtain rods you just hung are falling out of the wall.

I was googling what happens if the curtain rods you just hung are falling out of the wall.

That's a whole other story.

What I can tell you is this: I am a proud graduate of YouTube University and TikTok University. There is so much incredible free content out there, and you can genuinely figure out almost anything if you're willing to look it up and try.

Will you sometimes learn the hard way? Yes. Will you occasionally create a problem that is significantly more expensive than the original problem? Also yes.

Which brings me to my professional recommendation: hire a professional to hang your curtain rods.

I know that sounds extremely specific. It is extremely specific, and I am speaking from experience. Curtain rods are surprisingly difficult to do correctly on your own, especially if you don't know what you're doing.

And the cost of hiring someone to hang them properly is a lot more reasonable than you'd expect — and a lot cheaper than paying someone to take down the rods, patch the drywall from all the holes you made, and then hang them up again correctly.

Not that I would know anything about that.

The point is: you try things. Sometimes they work. Sometimes you learn exactly where the line is between "I can handle this myself" and "I need to call a professional." Both outcomes are valuable. Both outcomes are part of owning a home.

Everything is figure-out-able. You just have to be willing to figure it out.

>>>>>>>UPDATE<<<<<<<<<<

Let me add one note to this thought.

Yes, everything is figure-out-able.

But also, within reason.

I'm not going to try to fix a water leak.

Or build a deck based on what I saw on YouTube.

And please go look at the picture at the top of the post - sometimes when you do it on your own, you do it WRONG. And then your curtains are falling out of the wall. And you have to pay a professional to fix what you did and then to do it correctly.

So I'm not advocating doing things the cheap and crappy way.

I am saying, you can do a lot.

But also be friends with a contractor who can come and show you what to do and how to do it, and fix your mistakes when you make them.

Okay.

Now, go do.