Personal Improvement

I have been thinking about the subject of personal improvement lately. Like most other things that I spend a lot of time thinking about, this has been sparked by my upcoming marriage.

I believe that improvement requires an honest assessment of the current state of that which a person is attempting to improve. I suppose that technically one could improve something without understanding the degree of improvement that is taking place, but personally I don't feel that there is any point to improving something if a difference cannot be noted. Improvement requires a before and after comparison point to be fulfilling and worthwhile.

Benjamin Franklin wrote about several of the methods he used to improve himself in his autobiography. My favorite method was his systematic documentation of his flaws. He divided his life up in the 13 areas and would daily document his feelings in each area. One week he would focus on area A and document only his flaws in that area, the next week he would focus on area B – again only documenting his flaws in area B. He called this his path to virtue.

While Benjamin franklin and I would most likely disagree on the source of virtue, I appreciate his efforts to be virtuous, and feel that what he learned offers a lot of insight. Of particular interest to me is his admittance that after he documented his flaws he realized they were far greater in number then he had ever thought possible. Documenting his flaws allowed Franklin to successfully identify trouble areas, work to master them and, finally, to verify his mastery of them. Of course, as a Christian I don't believe that true defeat of vices is possible with out the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, but that is an issue for a separate post.

Enough about Franklin: what are my personal flaws? What areas do I, Matthew Nowlin, need to improve on?

I'll keep this to fairly nonpersonal issues – but know that more introspection is going on here then is readily obvious.

The first area that I feel I can improve on is my physical fitness. The serious and an ongoing battle for me and I'm going to attempt to use Franklin's method of daily journaling and analyzing to help me here. I am also going to rely on Sarah's help in this area. Honey, please hold me accountable!

The second area that I feel can be improved using the methods discussed here is overall discipline. I'm not a loose cannon or a rebel without a caused by any means, but I do not feel as disciplined as I would like to. I do immature things and I flat out do not like that.

A subset of discipline is mastering my time. I hope that in time I can develop a much greater discipline in this area and master my calendar. Like a child, I often have difficulty doing basic things like going to bed on time and waking up early in the morning. Sure, I get everything done that I need to, but those two basic daily tasks left unmastered have left me with a feeling of immaturity. I think that when Paul said " I beat my body and make it my slave" he probably did so with a sense of glee - if his body was indeed a slave to him, he had to feel incredibly empowered.

Maybe, Just Maybe, I've Found a Church

When I moved to Memphis, I didn't look for a permanent church home since I didn't think I would be here long term. I've visited a lot of churches (probably over 70 since I've been here), and had one that I spent more than my fair share at, but it just didn't feel like home at any of them. Ironically, there was one that I thought about trying at first that I didn't because a girl I knew from Minnesota moved down here and went there. Silly, huh?

Well, Sarah and I tried it out today, and we're going to attend again this evening. I'm thinking of making it my church home - it is First Assembly of God of Memphis. At least I think that's what they call themselves!

Anyways, here's hoping I can get plugged in.

I Love Working Out in the Morning

I got up at 4:30 a.m. and went to the gym. I seriously overloaded on lower body lifts - squats, leg press machine (did 90lbs more than previous best), etc. When I felt like I was going to fall down, I got on the elliptical and did cardio for 20 minutes.

I feel great now. The phrase "make this your best day possible"comes to my mind now. This is the kind of start to my day I want every day. Screw working out at night.
1. When I plan to workout at night, it just doesn't get done sometimes. Things come up. I'm in school. I work full time. I have a household to maintain. When I do it first thing, I control it. Something would literally have to come up overnight to make it not happen.
2. I feel better when I workout in the morning. I just do! More energy, better focus.
3. I have a sense of accomplishment to start the day.

Oh, for those keeping track, I was 312 on July 28, 2008. I now weigh 273. That's 39lbs gone. 33 more to go before I do a reevaluation.

Bike Comes in on Tuesday & Why Cool Downs Are Important

The bike that I ordered last Monday should be in and ready for me to pick up Tuesday... so eight days from ordering it. I'm not sure what to think about that, since I can have a used engine from New York to CA in about 3-4 days. I'm not complaining though. I'm really excited to get this bicycle. My fitness plan is really going well and this will only enhance things. As I get more fit, and as I keep on my plan, not only is my body feeling better but my mind feels much sharper. I no longer enjoy overeating either - it leaves me feeling bloated and regretful.

The dog and I went jogging today around noon. Again, we did 1.5 miles plus a cool off. I just want to take a minute to let you know why cool downs are important in fitness. Until recently I never understood this, so I didn't cool down after runs. Here it is in a nutshell: If you aren't in great shape and you don't cool down, your body will pool blood in your extremities. The last time I tried to get in shape, I didn't cool down and when I would do strenuous things, I would think, "Man, my ankles are swelling! It must be because I'm fat." Well, there might be some truth to that, but this time around as I am really keeping an eye on things and cooling down, I'm hardly getting any swelling. It's great. :)

I hope to hit the gym later today after I've had a chance to recover. In the mean time I'm going to head to the office and work on getting everything reinstalled on my computer.

I hope you have a great day. Again, if you have anything you'd like another believer to pray with you about, please just leave a comment and I will pray for you!

A Great Weekend in the Cities

When I left Minnesota last fall for the oilfields, it was my intention to visit the cities as often as I could. I was thinking once a month. That was realistic with me working on the oil fields. Obviously the oil fields didn't work out, and neither did my travel plans.

I've been tremendously busy in Memphis, working late nights at the office and on car deals. This experience been tremendously rewarding at times, and tremendously painful at other times. In other words, I needed a break.

I flew into Minneapolis, which is "God's country." It was great to visit friends and family, but it was a little difficult getting around. Note to self - rent a car next time.

For those that care, a recap of what I did:

• Friday night - brief meal with Pastor Alan. It was so good to see him. I love that man like a brother.
• Saturday - shooting with my friend Ben at his brother's house. It was a blast. He has a super nice family. Good people.
• Saturday Night - Saw Vanman, looked at the house he's closing on. I think he can make some money on it if he keeps it a while and keeps it full of renters.
• Sunday - Church in the morning, had lunch with Pastor Troy and did a little shopping, then had dinner with my cousin in the evening.

I stayed with Shawn Roehl, and it was great to see him. I put him right up there with Pastor Alan on the brother feelings.

It was good to get home - I'm now more motivated to work and get out of Tennessee, back to God's country.

Things Are Looking Up

Things are definitely looking up for me. In a way, my mechanic problems are turning into a blessing - instead of splitting profit on vehicles, I'm simply paying a guy by the job now. He's doing the work faster, better, and for less. I've sold the guy a ton of engines in the past for his customers, and I don't know why I didn't think to use him for my stuff. Irregardless of past details, it's a huge blessing to have his company do work for me.

Also, Dad and I are thinking of getting into remanufacturing engines. We handle a lot of newer, high dollar engines (late model Jag, Mercedes, BMW) and are pretty much wasting the "core" engines (some of these rebuildable Jag engines are worth $1500 bucks for the old core!). On Jag engines, you can literally quadruple your money - it's worth it, if you don't mind sitting on the engine for a while.

Today, I ordered several books on accounting and bookkeeping. I think we can cut our company accountant loose and save significant money by working more closely with our CPA and doing more in house... but I have to convince everyone else of this.

Back to Blogging

I woke up this fine Saturday morning and realized that I miss blogging. Blogging is, in a way, therapeutic for me. I'm able to sift through the torrent of thoughts I have and figure out which ones are important - even if I don't write about them.

So, a few updates.

The car situation in Memphis is going both good, and bad. The mechanic I really want to work with, and that I worked with at first, just flat out isn't getting my stuff done anymore. In fact, I send customers to him, and he's not getting anything done for them either. He's literally the best mechanic I know - when he works. It's like a month ago, he just decided he was done. So, I have a few vehicles over there, but I'm sending all of my new stuff to a mechanic we've sent engines to in the past, that customers have been very satisfied with.

Organization of all of this is fun. Tracking parts throughout the country, planning work timelines, creating profit estimate spreadsheets - I love it. It's a lot more fun than organizing my own life, to be honest.

On that note, my financial situation is greatly improving. I have good cash reserves, which I have to have to do what I'm doing with cars, and that reserve is growing. Bills aren't dreaded now - I can pay them without worry. Hopefully, I can get out of here and get on with my life on my planned timeline!

Packed up, Leaving

Well, my car is packed. To the brim. Literally. I had to open the back windows to fit stuff in, and was worried they wouldn't close! I'm about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Two years into my Pastoral Studies degree, I'm taking a break to head out west, stop being a slave to lenders. God is also giving me the awesome opportunity of preaching to students and connecting with their youth pastors/other staff in churches and conventions all across the west. It really is going to be a blast.

On the way, I'll be stopping by Pikes Peak. Hopefully at some of the higher altitudes I'll get to see some leaves changing. I grew up as a boy in Middle Tennessee, and since we've moved up north I've longed to see a full, lush forest changing. Sorry, 94 just before the 10 breakoff to St. Cloud doesn't count! Gatlinburg has been the closest I've come since we moved... but we went at Turkey Time! Too late!

For those of you that read this and support me as a friend, thank you. Please pray for safety as I travel through the mountains in my 211,000 mile car. It is reliable, but you never know what can happen! Please also pray that I would maintain the discipline I've had in my life this summer and grow in it, that I would continue to strengthen my body, and that I keep my eyes open to learn this year.

I was treated to a concert last night - one of my best friends bought me the ticket as a bday present. The band was tool. The guy ended the concert by saying "Peace the **** OUT!" Well, I don't hate the world like he does, but I have as much energy as he does right now. Peace out my friends! I no longer live in Farmington!