About Me
Hi! I’m Luke Rowley and I want to help you stick to and achieve your goals. But that’s not what this website is about.
This is a place where I share all of my ideas and articles. Most of these are posted on and for Medium.com, but what I write on faith and fun will only be on this site.
I’ve organized my life and this website around the five areas of life that I focus on for balance, success, and happiness:
- Faith
- Family
- Finances
- Fitness
- Fun
You’ll see these referenced throughout the site and especially on this page because this is how I keep track of all that I do and all that I am.
I’m going to use this framework to walk you through who I am, what I do, why you might consider listening to me, and, most importantly, what you’ll get out of my writing.
My goal above all else is to help you have a better life, and that’s the main purpose for this blog!
If there’s anything I can help you with or if you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact me!
Faith
The most important part of my life is my faith. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
You might recognize some of these names who are also members of the church:
- Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma
- Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism
While my faith means a lot to me, I’m not going to beat you over the head with it. In fact, I’m not going to argue at all. That’s because I understand that it’s called faith for a reason and that I choose to believe.
In other words, I don’t KNOW that there is a God or that my church is true. But I do believe it and my faith in it and in God has brought a lot of miracles into my life.
I didn’t always know, but I felt that it was good and right as I read the Book of Mormon. Maybe you’ve heard of it from various sources, but the best way to understand it is to get a free copy and read it for yourself.
The Book of Mormon will change your life by helping you see how to become a better person. It did this for me so much that I was a full-time missionary for my church for 24 months in 2010.
One of the most important beliefs I hold is that it’s possible for families to be together forever because of what Jesus Christ did for us if we follow Him. Learn more by reading my articles about my faith.
Family
On August 28, 2011, I met Emily and it was like a moment out of a fairy tale.
Okay I know that sounds cheesy but I have a hard time describing it otherwise. I have a special place in my heart for her and for the overwhelming feeling of peace that we both felt that night we met.
We were instantly close friends and spent many nights hanging out with our group of friends and then talking late into the night after everyone else had gone home.
Although we didn’t date at first, I credit this as a large part of the reason we are so close. Emily is my best friend and I enjoy every minute with her.
We got married a couple of years later. I don’t know who says marriage is hard but they’ve obviously never been married to this amazing woman! Emily is more than I deserve and a far better wife than I ever dreamed I could have.
In 2015 we had James. Even though we didn’t feel completely ready to be parents we took the leap before I graduated from college, believing things would work out. They did and I ended up having a job lined up the day I graduated!
Two years later in 2017 Lyla came along. Although she was a little early she was a fighter and surprised everyone by making it home from the NICU quickly.
James is a kind brother and loves to laugh and play just as much as his sister. He could hike and chase bugs all day long!
Lyla is always smiling. Although she’s got a lot of energy, she doesn’t mind when I take a break from work to cuddle with her in the morning before Emily gets up!
Together we all love to hike, camp, and play at home!
"If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals."
Lou Holtz
Finances
Today I couldn’t be happier with my career and financial situation. I’ve got a credit score above 800, savings and investments, multiple income streams, and work that I love. But it wasn’t always this way.
I graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Civil Engineering in 2015 and started my first professional job. I liked the work, at first. But a couple of years into it, something felt off.
Not only that, but changes in the company meant that I had to work with a manager who was rather difficult. My mental health took a nose-dive under his micromanaging and demanding leadership style, as did my job satisfaction.
However, it was also around this time that I began to voraciously study financial books. Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Total Money Makeover were two of my first and favorites. That year I read almost 40 books.
I began to develop a deep hunger for financial success but didn’t know what I was doing. Feelings of the need to begin writing kept coming, but I waited, not wanting to make the same mistake I had with my first career choice.
It was around this time that I emailed Niklas Göke, a popular writer I’d been following for a little while, asking for writing advice. His answer? Just begin. And that’s exactly what I did.
Six months later I had published almost 200 articles on Medium.com and Nik was writing to me again asking if I wanted to write for him. I gratefully accepted and the rest is history. I’m now the managing editor of Four Minute Books.
It was perfect timing too because things with my boss were getting really heated at my full-time job. On February 13, 2019, I was let go.
It was just the push I needed. I finally felt free and decided, with Emily of course, not to go back to working for someone else. I soon began my first company for all the writing I was doing, and a few months later in August of 2019, I also started Lux Engineering.
I could have quit engineering, but to make a long story short I had a feeling I should spare it a little longer, so I did. I also found a niche within the field that I’m good at and that I really enjoy. By December of 2019, I was a licensed Professional Engineer.
Between both of my companies, I was earning twice as much as what I was at that old engineering job.
I’m also now finishing up a graduate degree in Civil Engineering. I decided to finish this also because it felt like the right thing to do, and because there were a lot of entrepreneurial classes I could take as part of it.
So that’s how I built for myself a career that I love, doubled my income, became a Managing Editor, a licensed Professional Engineer, and the owner of two companies! I’m now working to become even more financially free by taking advantage of writing opportunities with this site, my work on Medium.com, and Goal Engineering.
I’ve learned a lot from the last couple of years of career upheaval. I hope to let you in on some of that insight so you don’t have to be as hard for you as they were for me!
Fitness
I’ve enjoyed running since I was young and in 2016 completed my first half marathon. Later that year I also ran another half and in 2017 I fished a full marathon. They’ve all been tough but not as difficult as I thought. I learned a lot from each race though!
I also once lost 25 pounds in just 6 weeks for a weight-loss challenge at work. Although I regretted how I went about it, this also taught me a lot about health.
A major component to my fitness philosophy is mental health. I’ve had bouts with depression, seen a therapist a few times, and even got on medication.
Today, I’m in better mental shape than ever and I’m working on keeping up my fitness to take another shot at a marathon soon!
Fun
When I was a kid I loved to find, catch, and even raise bugs.
I remember many nights riding around the neighborhood on my scooter listening for Katydids and stopping to catch them whenever I heard one.
But I’ll never forget a creature that I discovered for the first time one day when I was about seven. It was at my grandparent’s house in Duchesne, Utah. The whole 2-hour car ride there my Dad had been telling us about these big beautiful yellow, white, and black caterpillars.
I couldn’t even wait for the car to stop when we arrived. I bolted to the backyard and found my very first Monarch caterpillar.
I was instantly hooked and learned all I could about them. I joined a Monarch organization that once sent me 200 tagged butterflies as part of a study they were doing on their 2000-mile migration path. I still remember how scared I was to talk to the news crew that came to do a story on the release.
Since then I’ve raised hundreds of eggs and caterpillars into butterflies. I still search for caterpillars and all sorts of creatures today, but now I get to enjoy them with my own kids.
As I got older I continued my habit of being outside as much as possible exploring, fishing, and even hunting a little bit too. As part of the Boy Scouts of America, I did a lot of camping and hiking and quickly got hooked on that too.
I hiked down into the grand canyon and swam at Havasupai, camped at least 50 nights including some in the winter, and had hours of fun exploring the outdoors.
When Emily and I met we were excited to learn that we both liked hiking and camping. They’ve been some of our favorite activities the entire time we’ve known each other.
Some of our favorite places to hike and camp include:
- Goblin Valley
- Mount Timpanogos
- Little Sahara Sand Dunes in Utah
- Arches National Park
- The Uinta Mountains
If it’s a weekend in the summer, chances are good that you can find us in one of these places. But we love exploring new ones too!