Here’s a fun little exercise from my friends at Praxis!  Crazy what you don’t realize about yourself until you have to write it down!

  • Location: Iberia, MO.  AKA: The middle of nowhere Missouri
  • Current gig: Mechanic, turkey farming, banquet serving, and Praxis participant.
  • Current mobile device: iPhone 8.
  • Current computer: Lenovo Yoga.
  • One word that best describes how you work: Heartily!
  • What apps/software/tools can’t you live without? I practically learned to live without technology for a year, so I have learned not to be incredibly tied to it.  That being said, I take a ton of notes on my phone’s note app and schedule quite a bit with the iPhone calendar.  I also use Spotify almost every day.  On my laptop, I tried apps for various things but have switched to using Google Chrome and extensions for almost everything I do.
  • What’s your workspace like? Dirty with rust and leaks everywhere…oh, not the mechanics’ shop?… The best way to describe my work environment at the house is that it’s constantly changing.  I have the ability to focus in almost any environment I am in, so as long as I have a place to sit and a little area to stretch out, I work everywhere and anywhere.  Though I do prefer using a table or desk.
  • What’s your best time-saving trick? Using every minute to work toward my goals.  I can get distracted before I start working, but once I am focused in, I don’t stop for almost anything.  I can often work on projects for hours and not get tired of them.  I keep the end goal in sight, and I act like I’m always sprinting the home stretch.
  • What’s your favorite to-do list manager? As of now, I don’t use one.  I keep the things I need to remember long-term on my phone calendar, setting up extra alerts to remind me, and I actually put short-term stuff on my phone alarm clock.  Though I am investigating Trello and several other ideas for task managing, so, stay posted on this one.  My guess is that I will be switching over to something more official soon.
  • Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without? I carry a foldable razor knife and a penlight with me almost everywhere I go.  I developed the razor knife habit while working construction and the penlight while working mechanics. I use both of them almost every day.  You can be sure of one thing, if I don’t have them with me, I could have used them 27 times that day…
  • What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else? Analyzing the needs of others.  I believe my spiritual gifts are serving and leading.  Because of this, I am constantly analyzing the things that happen throughout the day.  Everything from the general mood of others, to the words they use to communicate.  I am able to analyze the things that people do and need based on the knowledge that I have of their life.  However, the real challenge is then to use this insight to invest instead of disregarding it and moving on.
  • What are you currently reading? Things to Come by Dwight Pentecost, The Last Safe Investment by Michael Ellsberg, Green by Ted Dekker.
  • What do you listen to while you work? For as much as I love music, I actually often don’t work with music.  If I have a whole day to work, or really want to get in the zone, I might listen to some Jónsi or some soundtrack or classical music, but in general, I just work with the natural sounds around me.
  • Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? If you had asked me this three years ago, I would have said flat-out 100% extrovert.  I couldn’t go two days without being around people.  Because of living on a mountain for a year, I have learned to appreciate time alone.  I am still predominately extroverted, but I now thrive on both being alone and being with others.  However, I don’t like doing either for extended periods of time.  Give me variety and I’ll be happy!
  • What’s your sleep routine like? Non-existent.  I am a night owl by heart, but when I worked construction this past summer, I often got up around 4:30.  I made sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night because I averaged 2 hours of driving to the worksite each day and needed to be safe driving.  I have found I can function fairly decently on only 5-6 hours of sleep if I am keeping myself busy, but if I am doing any amount of driving, I need at least 7 hours.  In general, I always try to get up an hour earlier than necessary so that I can read my Bible before I start my day.  It helps me gear up and take the morning with joy!
  • What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? If God wanted you to have a million dollars, you would already have it.
  • Is there anything else you’d like to add? Working is often seen as a drag.  Something people dread doing.  I have had my fair share of jobs that are not what you might call “enjoyable jobs” but the truthful answer is, you can find joy in any job!  The joy comes from focusing on things above, not on the things below!  Take it from me, one of my jobs is picking up dead turkeys.  Work is a blessing!  Treat it like one!