Make money doing what you love. Is this a pipe-dream or an achievable goal? Years ago I was asked the question “if you could do anything at all and not worry about the money, what would you do?”

I’ve revisited this question many times in my life. We spend so much time working that it can become disheartening, mundane and soul-sucking to work simply for the sake of working. We are much more likely to pursue and achieve our work and money goals if it involves something we’re really passionate about or believe in, and at the very least have some degree of enjoyment!

The other day I read a post titled 101 Tips to Help You Make Money Doing What You Love, by Paul Piotrowski. What an amazing list! I’ll let you visit the site to check out the rest of the tips, but here’s a couple of my favourite:

• Cut Out TV Time – Instead of watching other people doing what they love (actors, athletes, etc.) while you sit on the couch, why not invest the time into becoming an Inspired Money Maker. The average US home has the TV on for over 3,000 hours per year. A 40 hour/week job is only 2,000 hours per year.
• Have a Sense of Humor
• Be Yourself
• Visualize Your Goals Daily
• Compliment People
• Learn to Listen
• Be a Simplifier, Not a Complicator
• Be Humble
• Be Original. Be Grateful. Be courageous.
• Stop Being Negative – Stop justifying that you’re just being realistic. See things as they really are, not worse than they are. Then, take it a step further and see things better than they are.
• Take Action
• Stop Pretending to be a Victim
• Do Something New
• Never Stop Growing
• Have Integrity
• Model Successful People – Read biographies, books, Blogs. Study successful people. Find someone who’s already accomplished what you want to accomplish and model their beliefs, their behaviors etc.
• Smile and Make People Laugh
• Be Polite, But Don’t Be Afraid to Express Yourself Either
• Learn to Forgive – Stop wasting energy holding grudges. Forgiving someone is not the same as condoning whatever they did. It is simply letting go of the pent up negative energy inside you because it doesn’t serve you anymore. Let it go.
• Work on Your Communications Skills
• Have Patience – Everything won’t come all at once. Have the patience to trust that everything will come at it’s perfect time.
• Just Do It

As I mentioned, this is just a snippet of one of the best lists I’ve read for some time, but there’s some really solid material there!

Remember to stay motivated and focused this year and make it one of the best ever.

PS - Will It Change You has an exciting announcement to make in a few days time, so make sure you stay tuned by subscribing to the RSS feed if you haven’t already done so, or sign up to get free email updates.

Related posts:

1. Love Life: just a slogan?
2. Parenting: some things money can’t buy
3. Why I’ve always hated goals

 
I had to smile when I read a hospital chart the other day. “Patient is morbidly obese”. I wasn’t smiling about morbid obesity, that’s not so funny. Instead I was thinking about how blunt we can be when we don’t say things to people’s faces.

I’ve always been an advocate for telling it like it is (within reason!)

Obviously there are times when this works really well for you, and other times against you! The key is finding a balance without slipping to either extreme.

Take my wife for example. If she’s running late or has to be somewhere by a certain time, she will more often than not choose being nice to someone over being blunt. Her way of thinking is she doesn’t like to be rude to people, so chooses to listen to Aunt Ethel ramble on about the weather in Brazil, and (in detail) how her bed sores are progressing, while making painful expressions to me suggesting she’s certainly going to be late! Ok so maybe the bed sores are a bit of an over-exaggeration, but regardless, some people find it really difficult to say things like “actually I have an appointment in 15 minutes, could I call you back later?”

Finding a balance

Telling it like it is is something I really believe in. From addressing problems at work right through to handling phone calls, sometimes the best approach is to make decisions, take action and be a little blunt if necessary.

Some examples:
“I dunno, what do you want to do?” can often be substituted for
“I’d really rather not do that!”
Maybe you could suggest to your friend, “Cheers for the offer, but I’m really not up for going out this weekend - I’m cutting back on the drinking.”
Telling your co-worker “gee, your breath is horrible” on the other hand, probably isn’t the best way to approach things. It’s all about having the courage to be firm and direct to people, without being overly rude or abrupt. Bear in mind I’m advocating telling it like it is in situations where directness or an honest approach is warranted, certainly not if your intentions are just to hurt someone’s feelings or bring them down.

Here’s a few ways to become better at telling it like it is while maintaining your squeaky clean image:

• Be honest but polite - people might just surprise you, and understand that now is not the best time for them to launch into a 20 minute tirade on something that you don’t need to hear about.
• Use compliments to complement your bluntness (no pun intended) - consider the following conversation: “Hey Jack, thanks for helping out with that project last night, you did a great job. I gotta tell you though, I’m not real thrilled about the shorts/t-shirt combo, you’d look much more professional in a suit. You still on for this weekend?” This approach helps soften the dig-your-heels-in reactions you get from something like “don’t ever come in here wearing that again!”
• Excuse yourself from situations if necessary - again, people can surprise you. I’m talking here about when you really do have to be somewhere else, not that you should skip out of any conversation you don’t feel like being part of! It’s quite ok to interrupt someone with a line like, “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to stop you there - I’m really late for something, could you possibly email me your concerns and I’ll get back to you?”
• Stay friendly - bluntness with an added twist of bitterness or smugness is a sure-fire way for things to backfire in your face. It’s all about smiling, being as kind as possible, staying polite, and telling it like it is.

Why bother doing all this? Besides the fact that it helps in times where you are being delayed or inconvenienced by someone, the fact of the matter is that people would rather hear the truth in most circumstances. Wouldn’t you? I’d rather know if I smelled bad, or someone was in a hurry, or if I make a bad lasagna!

Additionally, as I eluded to in Fake compliments don’t count! people often know, or find out when others are being insincere or have a hidden agenda.

What are your experiences with this? Have you ever swung to one extreme more than the other, such as being too polite and worrying that you’ll hurt people’s feelings, or too blunt that you come across as flippant and arrogant? Or have you found a balance between being straight with people yet remaining sensitive to their feelings?

Related posts:

1. Fake compliments don’t count!
2. Compassion vs Personal Growth

Happy New Year!

What a great opportunity to leave the past behind and start with a clean slate!

I love this time of the year when we can reflect on previous accomplishments and failures, and commit to making some positive advancements or changes in many aspects of our lives.

How will you start off this year?
I really believe that 2009 is a great year for community and humanity.

Let me challenge you as we enter this first week that is often filled with resolutions, hopes and dreams:
As we enter 2009, Will It Change You? Or will you be right back to your old self by February?! What value can we offer to other people this year?

Have a great year, you deserve it!

Related posts:

1. Inner wealth.. and realism
2. Get me out of this boring life!
3. Repetition = dull and boring? Sometimes…

 
From time to time I have a look at my blog stats. How people found me, how many people visited on a particular day, how many went “ooh yuk!” in under 10 seconds - stuff like that! (Side note - I used to be a compulsive stats viewer, checking every couple hours but I strongly advise getting beyond this and checking every few days or once a week instead! It does great things for your sanity and helps get the focus back onto writing whatever you want rather than being driven by stats.)

But I digress. Today I had a look at some of my blog stats, and as part of this I had a look at some of the search terms people had used to come across my site. Why do I do this? Well, frankly I like the fact that at least someone is reading what I have to say! And I’m curious as to what people are looking for.. Here’s some of the google keywords from this week:

• get excited about living life
• how to lose friends and make no one like you
• the desire to be liked
• the fragility of love
• change fahrenheit to centigrade (what the heck?!)
• personal quotable quotes

And then there it was. Staring me right in the face:

• finding the will to change your life

Wow… finding the will to change your life. I completely love it. Isn’t this really what many of us desire? Notice it’s not “how to change my life”, “where to start changing” or “what do I do first?”, but finding the will. In other words, what do we do when we know we want to make changes, we know there are so many things we can do better and improve upon, but need a bit of a nudge to get us there? How exactly do we not only create more desire for change, but also find the will to change our lives?

The answer is not an easy one, because people are complex! We all have different backgrounds, ideas, dreams. What works for you may not work for me, and vise-versa. Regardless, I’d like to put forth a few questions:

1. How does will power come about exactly? What drives us to want to put that extra effort in and get things done? Does it all come intrinsically, therefore meaning some people will never have it? Or is it a learned skill, one where practice makes perfect?

2. Can anyone do it?

credit: pimpexposure

Defining what we want

Answers.com defines willpower as:

“The strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.”
Or, in other words, creating a vision or plan for your life and having enough strength of character to carry out that plan.

Another definition from the same source is one I really like, check it out: “Unwavering firmness of character, action, or will.”

Unwavering firmness of character, action or will… Marvellous! I’ll have a double helping, thanks..

Have you, like me, ever really thought about the things you want to change in your life? I’m talking about being very specific. Ever wondered about finding the will to carry out those changes? Where do we start?

Putting it all together

By definition will power involves having the strength to carry out plans, ideas. The best place to start therefore is to make sure you have some kind of idea of what you want! Sounds simple, I know, but believe me - it’s difficult to find the will to change your life when you don’t know specifically what you want out of life.

For me, I’ve started by identifying the things I actually want to do and have.

This exercise can not be done without a pen and paper! I know what you’re thinking, I’ve read similar opening lines before and plowed on with my reading, completely skipping the exercise. Humor yourself and go and grab a pen! It takes less than five minutes, and can be more difficult than you actually think.

Brainstorm for a few minutes and write all the things down that you would like to do and have. Everything. This includes trips, traveling, holidays, material things, cars, boats - whatever. I’ve discovered this is a tough task to complete! What would you go and do right now if you have 20 million dollars in the bank? After you get past the things you think you want but really don’t need you get to the really great part: discovering what would excite you, make you enjoy life more. These are the things that we want to achieve, that are the basis for finding the will to change our lives. Ok, your five minutes starts…….. now!
 
Crunch time. Now’s a great time to reflect on your current life. Can you accomplish all the things you wrote down? (Or didn’t write down, for those of you who kept reading!) Why not? Is it because your current existence is incredibly limiting? Or is it because you don’t have “unwavering firmness of character, action or will”? In my own life I’ve found it’s easy to blame circumstances. “I don’t have enough income, cash flow…”, “I could never afford that…” “I don’t earn enough…”

Why not start to take action that will allow you to accomplish what’s on your list? When I am completely honest with myself, I’d have to say that for me it’s because I’ve become comfortable with where I’m at. Complacency. I make enough to pay the bills, have a holiday occasionally, buy a bottle of wine… But certainly not enough to live out my dreams, or accomplish my brainstorming list.

But that’s all about to change.

Finding the Will to Change Your Life

There’s no magic pile of money waiting for you with no effort required. Sorry to disappoint you! Waiting for a huge payout to come from nowhere is about as productive as buying lottery tickets. Finding the will the change your life comes from discovering what you want, brainstorming what you want to accomplish, formulating a plan and sticking with it.

Are you ready for that again?

• Discover what you want (by brainstorming and writing it down).
• Formulate a plan. Let me suggest you start by reading The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It’s an incredibly thought provoking read packed with ways to start making more, working less and enjoying life more. You can buy it from Amazon for around $14, money well worth spending.
• Stick with it. This one’s not rocket science, but can be easier said than done. With a little more willpower and action, we can accomplish so much. Don’t give up just because something isn’t working straight away.

And regarding my earlier questions? I don’t think everyone wants to change their life. Many people say things like “it’d be nice to have more money”. Or maybe it’s a new car, going on a holiday… But when it comes down to making changes to accomplish these things, they don’t try to follow through. And I’m just as guilty of falling into this pattern! One thing I’m realising more and more this year is that dreams don’t have to remain as just pipe dreams however - accomplishing what we want out of life takes a decision to make it happen, and the will power to follow through.

Can anybody do it? I’m not so sure. If you’re serious about creating a better life, really determined, and have started by perhaps researching ways to have more free time or create more cash flow, that’s a great first step. Keep going! If you’re that guy at work who whines how he wishes his life was better but does nothing about it however, well I’m not so sure that kind of personality will ever have enough will power to accomplish change.

What has worked for you - has will power alone been enough to make changes in your life?

How have you started to create the changes and lifestyle you want to live?

Related posts:

1. Reflections on three months of Change
2. Why change my attitude?
3. Change your stress levels

Merry Christmas, everyone! This year I’ve gone for a rugged, outdoor santa in the above photo. I think it really shows santa coming of age. Seriously it’s nearly 2009! High time for santa to be more personable, less elusive. Walk among the people a little, I say…

credit: Tanakawho

 
Anyway, I just want to say thanks to my supporters, and I really hope you have a great Christmas season with your friends and family.

Thanks for hanging out at Will It Change You - it’s truly been great to have so much support these last few months as I’ve entered the remarkable world of blogging.

Stay safe, and stay tuned for big things in 2009!

NB - Extra credit for anyone who can come up with the best caption for the santa photo above…

-Ross

Related posts:

1. Reflections on three months of Change
2. Get me out of this boring life!
3. How to stay inspired in tough times

 
Today I was reading a post on IttyBiz where a reader stated “what I need the most right now is traffic to my website. Can you help come up with ideas for that?”

The reply is titled “Do You Really Need A Business Coach”, and you really need to read the post to be able to snap up it’s full impact, but basically it suggests that many people who ask this common question are quite frankly able to find the answer themselves easily enough, and in some cases may already know what they should be doing to get results.

This is quite an interesting reply, and to me it reinforces that the solution to this and many other “can someone help me?” scenarios found in life tend to revolve more around snapping into gear and getting off your butt, making things happen, rather than waiting for someone to solve your problems for you.

“Here’s the biggest problem I see.
People want to someone to give them a magic solution..”    - Naomi, Ittybiz

It was a timely post for me, as it ties in with another book I’ve been reading that discusses how many people wallow in self-pity and doubt without even realising it, looking for someone else to come along and solve all their problems.

I’ve been just as guilty as the next person in succumbing to apathy, so let me encourage you (and motivate myself) by saying:

Did I make that clear enough?! I’m speaking to myself here, too! Sometimes we tend to fall into a pattern of spending so much time looking for solutions, reading ‘how-to’ manuals, that we lose focus on actually putting more time and energy into trying new things, having a go, making things happen.

Whether it’s driving more traffic to your web site, making more money, working on family and relationships, saving more, starting a business, doing charity work, giving more to others, doing things around the house…
Whatever you want in life, you can make it happen.

Get cracking, and don’t give up!

Need another prod? Check out this video as seen on A Daring Adventure…

Related posts:

1. How to stay inspired in tough times
2. You see in your own life what you believe
3. Repetition = dull and boring? Sometimes…

 
It’s no secret that I’m a big reader. Fiction, non-fiction, magazines - anything and everything (well, actually that’s not entirely true - I’m not a fan of romance books!) I even ran into someone I knew while I was away on holiday and their opening line was “well there’s a surprise, Ross sprawled out beside the pool reading!”

Anyway, there are times when I like to read books that are recommended, and other times when I go for something random. Obviously there’s a lot of hit and miss with this approach, and It’s fair to say that sometimes I feel like I’ve wasted my time! But every now and again I stumble upon an absolute cracker, and it makes it all worthwhile.

I wanted to share briefly about an interesting book that I’m reading at the moment called Moving Forward: Taking the Lead in Your Life, by Dave Pelzer. This is the first time I’ve ever read any of David’s material before, and the book falls into the “woops, I stumbled upon this at random” category. Frankly, it was the front page and title that initially caught my eye (the copy I have has a more engaging picture), but the content is something else. I’ll revisit this book as I finish it this week, but for now I’d really like to share the opening paragraphs of the preface with you:

“I believe the lives we live are the lives we make. Call it self-destiny, God’s will, karma, good luck, bad luck, whatever. But when you finally sit down at the end of the day and look at yourself in the mirror — after you’ve scrubbed away all the grime and makeup and truly see yourself and where you’re at in this stage of your life, without any pretense or the trappings of your outer facade — the reality of life hits you right between the eyes.
 
I believe that no matter how many mistakes we’ve made; how badly we’ve really, really screwed up; how old, worn out, or dejected we’ve become; as long as there is true, steadfast ambition, all of us have an opportunity for greatness. We all can summon the courage to deal with issues, no matter how overwhelming, painful, or degrading, that may have plagued or even paralyzed us in the past — once and for all.
 
With determination we can stratch beyond the everyday barriers to better ourselves. Learning from our prior experiences, we can, and should, aspire to fulfill our dreams, making life better not only for ourselves but for others around us during the course of our life’s journey.”

I really like Dave’s take on life, and these opening paragraphs convey sentiments that I whole-heartedly believe in - giving up just shouldn’t be an option!

As you read the book you discover he has been though quite a lot. He is inspirational with his ideas, yet remains quite humble, and what I really like about the book is that the ideas are usable, applicable - not just airy fairy concepts that you read about then move on! If you’re someone who has a stable life and has it all together, you probably won’t make use of the tips in this book. But for anyone who lives in the real world and has ever held on to the past, wallowed in misery, made excuses for the direction their life has taken or just wants to move forward, this book is for you.

You can buy the book from Amazon for around $16.

Have a great week!
Is your life moving forward?

Related posts:

1. What are you looking for in life?
2. The fragility of life: a wake up call
3. Am I happy with life?

 
Yesterday I read a post about zen habits, where the reader suggested the content was becoming a little dull and repetitive. This sentiment was shared by many of the commenters, and it was suggested that the tone of the posts were becoming a little preachy, or tended to have a ‘look at me and all I’ve achieved’ kind of feel.

I haven’t really found this personally with zen habits, most of the posts I’ve read have been great, and Leo has achieved great success from a web site he built from scratch. However, I can also sort of understand where some of the people were coming from. It’s one thing to aspire for great things to happen in our lives, it’s another thing to be a ’self-help junkie’ who reads the same material over and over without taking any action.

Having sat on this fence before, I’d like to say all things in moderation. I think if you are waking up every day and reading the same type of posts over and over without implementing any of the suggested changes in your own life, I can see how the messages would become a little dull.

For those of us that are interested in taking charge of our lives and making every day count, coming across duplicate content is a regular occurrence. For example, how many times have you read about treating other people with respect, getting our attitudes right and never giving up? I would venture to say many many times before in some form or other! I’ve even fuelled this trend of repetition by posting my own thoughts on these same topics. Personally, It doesn’t really bother me when I read or revisit the same material (within reason) as evidenced by my recent series titled “So You’ve Heard It All Before”, as long as I believe in the message. Preferably it is also written in a new or fresh way, or from someone else’s perspective or personal experiences. Repetition helps instill patterns in our memory banks, but again - all things in moderation.

Sometimes it’s good to take a break from reading self help posts and live life a little. Case in point was my camping holiday last week - whilst I really love blogging and reading posts, it was uber-refreshing to have no internet access for several days! Might I suggest that zen habits and the style of posting probably isn’t the problem. There are always great tips and suggestions to be found, but they’re simply not always going to be timely and relevant for each of us all the time.

credit: *Zara

 
Maybe it’s better to try skimming posts from many different sites in a feed reader, and taking note of the ones that strike a chord with you. For myself I’ve found that sometimes I can relate to what’s on offer, and other times not. If you can take something away and give it a go in your own life, great! If not, no harm done.

What’s more important is concentrating on your own goals and challenges and making sure you are taking some kind of action in your life to get where you want to go, rather than just reading about how other people do it.

Related posts:

1. Get me out of this boring life!
2. Inner wealth.. and realism
3. Q&A with Leo Babauta of Zen Habits: Success

 
Well this post is a little different for me, it seems I’ve fallen victim to the vicious tagging epidemic that’s sweeping the globe!

A few months back I had to turn down a tag from Bill Gates because I just didn’t agree with his business strategy at the time (cough), however this time around I’m pleased to say my tag originated from a guy I hold in much higher regard - Eric from Motivate Thyself.

So are you ready for this? In the tradition of this tag’s theme, I’m happy to jump on board and throw at you six random things that you probably don’t want to know about me!

Six Random Things About Myself

1. I’m a book junkie! When I pass a bookstore I just can’t help wandering inside… I’ve also reformed from a former habit of starting several books at once but leaving one or more unfinished. These days I concentrate on one or two at a time, and read as much as I can in my spare time.

 

2. I can’t get enough of the Dave Matthews Band! - Fortunately for me they don’t have millions upon millions of followers in Australia, so when you see them in concert you can actually see them, as opposed to a picture of them up on the big screen from miles back! On the flipside, this also means they come fairly infrequently (sigh). Anyway, here’s two video clips to get you started! Crash Into Me, and Stay or Leave.

 

3. I play guitar and keys - I’m certainly no professional and it’s really just for my own personal entertainment, but I really love coming home from work and playing around on the guitar for a bit. Ahh music! Right now I have a pitiful excuse for a guitar, but I have my eyes on a beautiful, amazing piece of work - the Martin DC-16GTE. Unfortunately for me, this elusive treat retails for $1999 USD, and can only be found in Australia for around $3500 AUD. ($2700 AUD on sale, which converts to around $1800 USD). This is well beyond my price range, so if anyone wants to buy me one for christmas, I promise to post a video of me playing it!

 

4. I love coffee. I really love coffee! I’m even in the middle of starting up a little coffee blog just for fun because I love coffee so much!

 

5. I’m really tall, measuring in at around 6 foot 6… Here’s some of the comments I field on an (at least) weekly basis! “Do you play basketball?” “How tall are you?” “How’s the weather up there?” “Can you come and grab something down from this top shelf for me?” But in all seriousness, I don’t mind being tall and have grown to be quite accustomed to it.

 

6. I’ve never really grown up, like adults are supposed to! I’m just as goofy and crazy as I was in high school (well, ok - I’ve toned down ever so slightly), but really - I’ve made a decision to continue this trend until I’m just too old to walk! It really helps me to keep a positive outlook on life and continue to have as much fun as possible. That’s my take on it, anyway - in reality, it causes people to roll their eyes and mutter “what a child” quite frequently!

Ok, well there you have it - my apologies for those of you who are completely uninterested with my personal life! Here’s the link to my original tag, Eric’s post at Motivate Thyself. Stay tuned after these rules to find out who I decided to tag…..

Addit: just before posting, I realised I was also tagged by Jack at Simple Sapien! Thanks mate..

THE RULES:

1. LINK TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU
2. POST THE RULES ON YOUR BLOG
3. WRITE SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
4. TAG SIX PEOPLE AT THE END OF YOUR POST AND LINK TO THEM
5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG
6. LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP
7. DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN (not actually a rule)

You’ve Been Tagged

Ok, so here’s who I’ve picked (for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of their loyalty and insightful comments!) My apologies if any of them have already been tagged, my fault for not keeping up to date I suppose:

• Bunny Got Blog
• Dee at Blogger Newbie
• Mike King from Learn This
• Chris from Lifestyle Project
• Marc Alexander and the rest of the crew at Raised Path
• Carla from green and chic

Please note (taking a leaf from Jack’s book!) - if you don’t want to do a complete post, you can simply reply with some random stuff about yourself in the comments section below… Cheers all!

Related posts:

1. Q&A with Leo Babauta of Zen Habits: Success
2. Movember 2008 - Changing the face of men’s health
3. What I’m grateful for…

 
As an interesting exercise, today I took my watch off for the day (insert gasps of shock and horror!) This may not be such a big deal to some people, but I’ve been attached to watches for many years! Not only am I a fan of the variety of styles and types available, I also like to keep my finger on the pulse so to speak when it comes to what I’m doing in a day!

Granted I’m on holidays at the moment so my schedule is not as busy as it normally is, but on the flip side you would think this is the best time to run such an exercise… not so, I discovered!

We rely so much on time, it’s hard to get by in a day when you don’t have easy access to a clock. What time is the bus? When do we have to be there? What time should I call you back? When you rely on time as much as I do, it’s a real eye opener when you spend a day trying to ignore it!

I lasted approximately an hour in my state of “not-knowing-time bliss” before realising we were meeting with some family that morning, and I wasn’t sure how long I had until we had to leave! And so the theme went on for the rest of the day. We had to be back by a certain time, we wanted to know when the movies were on, and so on and so on.. I discovered I spent much of the day asking everyone else what the time was, making the exercise a little pointless!

Or was it? I did come to a few realisations - firstly, I rely on time a lot more than I thought! Secondly, I’d like to try this again on a day that I have completely free - I think it would be nice to have days where I don’t worry about time so much! Thirdly, I really missed my watch!

How much of your life revolves around the time of day? Everything moves so fast these days it’s good to stop and relax once in a while without worrying so much about what time it is. Food for thought, anyway…
(By the way, my watch is off again today - take two!)

Related posts:

1. I’m so freaking lazy!
2. Worry and ‘what if?’
3. Great relationships don’t happen by fluke