Month: September 2025

Fighting Back Against Learned Helplessness

Published on September 14, 2025

Walking towards the camp’s lounge one morning at Burning Man, I found one of my campmates curiously squatted close to her upside down bike.

Asking her if everything was alright, she distractedly replied that her outfit got stuck in the chain, was entangled into the derailleur, and bent some of the wheel spokes into the bike mechanics the previous night.

My immediate impression was that it was a complete mess and that it should be taken to a person who knew what they were doing and have them fix it.

…But that wasn’t even a thought in this campmate’s mind.

She had the derailleur completely taken apart, was balancing about ten pieces, three tools, and an entire bicycle in two hopeful hands… and was… remarkably focused… patient… and determined.

After a minute or two of watching the scene… my hands turned hopeful too and I squatted next to her.

We put it back together… wrong… and took it back apart.

Put it back together again… wrong… and took it all apart again.

Tried it a few more times… wrong… and repeated a few more times after that.

Until finally, after about an hour of trial, error, and head scratching: We finally got it.

And let me tell you… it was an incredibly rewarding victory. Not just because we fixed the damn bike… but, because we fought back against a learned helplessness that runs rampant in modern society. A feeling I was guilty of at the outset of this process.

And what this campmate reminded me is that we’re far more clever and resourceful than we think—we just have to give ourselves more credit… more time… and particularly: more trust.

Lessons From The Playground

Published on September 14, 2025

There is so much we can learn by watching kids play at a playground.

How does one start to play? By picking something, doing something with/on it, and making it fun. A much better strategy than watching and waiting for somebody to invite you to play.

How does one play with others? By inviting them to do the fun thing you came up with or by asking others doing fun things if you can join. Sometimes this happens without even exchanging words—it can be communicated in energy. A much better strategy than sitting on the bench bored or like you’re “too cool” for any of it.

How does one keep playing without losing the fun? By playing with others who are fun to play with; by sharing the playground and being open to others’ play ideas; by making sure you’re having fun and contributing to the overall fun of the space. A much better strategy than playing with those who cheat, are mean, or hurt others; who don’t share the playground and don’t listen to others’ ideas; and who aren’t having fun or contributing themselves.

At the end of the day, our daily lives aren’t that much different from what happens on a playground… it just seems that kids are so much better at doing it and that it’s something we somehow forget along the way.

What Makes A Path Not Beautiful

Published on September 13, 2025

There were a few nights at Burning Man when my friends and I spent more time chasing DJs than actually enjoying DJ sets.

…And when I say chasing DJs, I mean actually chasing DJs… on bikes… in the dessert-like environment… where DJs often play on moving art-cars… and park arbitrarily all over the event.

And I’m not just talking one or two DJs… there’s a plethora of world-renowned DJs playing multiple sets… in any given direction… at all times throughout the day… in this other-worldly environment that’s packed with shiny, neon lights wherever you look… and sounds and people and art, too… all calling for your attention and steer of your bike.

…It’s quite an impressive feat to ever find anything you aimed to attend. It’s much more common to set out for that thing and end up somewhere else completely because… squirrel.

Anyway, I digress.

The secret to maximizing your time at Burning Man is the secret to maximizing your time in everyday life—because the one isn’t that much different from the other in the sense that there’s always an endless array of things we can do…

And the secret is this: When given an abundance of choices… choose one thing fully.

If you decide to commit to a specific DJ set: commit fully.

If you decide to side-quest and have a “squirrel” moment: commit fully.

If you decide to skip it all and bring the party to you: commit fully.

And if you decide to not do anything at all: commit fully.

Each path is beautiful in its own right. What makes it not so is our desire for it to have been something else.

Guest Appearance On: Just Ask Em

Published on September 11, 2025

Just Ask Em is a podcast that aims to provide a platform for locally owned businesses, creative and entrepreneurial voices, and topics of conversation that are timely and/or deep.

In this episode (link here), we discuss the local business that captured my heart at 11 years old, talk travel and the many lessons that come from exploring new cultures, and discuss ways we can live more mindfully and present in a world that’s chronically trying to steal your attention (full topic breakdown with timestamps included below)—all in about 45 minutes!

If you don’t have time to listen to the whole episode now, I hope you’ll at least bookmark it for later. Enjoy :)

0:00 – 13:45: Martial Arts Background—Why I started training; how it became my profession; who I train under and what the mission is; and more.

13:45 – 24:35: Unpacking A Recent & Life Changing Trip To Bosnia—Why Bosnia; what was different about it; life lessons from the trip; and more.

24:35 – 29:06: Lessons from Solo Travel and Music Festivals

29:06 – 37:32: The Daily Blog—Why I write every day; why I share it with others; prioritizing inner work even when you’re busy; and more.

37:32 – 45:41: Challenges with Modern Society—And ideas on how you can reclaim your time, energy, and presence of mind.

P.s. You can watch or listen to my other podcast appearances here.

Special Is Defined By You

Published on September 10, 2025

“My dear Matt ~ I was just watching the video of us celebrating Drew. Thank you from my heart for instigating that. A few people told me that was the best moment of their Burn. It was beautiful. It was magical. It was profound. Thank you thank you thank you. Be well. And I love your move at the end of the clip. I am so grateful. My friend had the time of his new life.”

Here’s what I did: knowing it was one of our campmate’s last burns (for declining health reasons), I saw him walking home after a night out, and I instigated a dance celebration in his honor.

…Although I can’t take full credit because another campmate was playing the most phenomenal music set and I had several other campmates who were dancing their hearts out with me.

All I did was yell, “DREWWWWWW” a bunch of times really loudly… dance wildly around him… leaned into the moment that I felt was uniquely for him and got the rest of the campmates to dance on board.

It was an incredible night featuring some of my favorite moments from the burn. There wasn’t a lot of us, maybe 12 people celebrating this man’s legacy as a part of our camp, but it felt like there were 1,200.

…What’s interesting is that there were shows happening that night that probably had crowds of at least 1,200. But, what we shared right at our camp that night, with Drew being the central focus, was special. And not because it featured some major headliner at some incredible art car at some magical dawn/dusk time of day… but because we made it so.

Keep Your Eye On The Ball(s)

Published on September 9, 2025

A lot happens throughout the day.

And a lot of what happens isn’t given enough time to be fully processed, addressed, or resolved.

Taking 5-15 minutes at the end of your day to just sit and actively replay all of the happenings that unfolded can be an excellent strategy.

Maybe not to fully process, address, or resolve every single thing that comes / came up…

…But to at least plan it into your schedule or calendar to be addressed at the appropriate later time.

Because when tomorrow comes and a lot more happens throughout the day… guess what’s going to get pushed further into the background of your mind?

…You guessed it: everything you haven’t given enough time to either process, address, resolve—or schedule and later prioritize.

If you want to prevent that feeling of having “dropped the ball”—this active replaying is an excellent way to keep your eye on all of the balls that came your way throughout your day.

The Ripples Of Help

Published on September 8, 2025

Yesterday, I mentioned how during periods of prolonged rain (at Burning Man), people went out of their way to gift those who were struggling.

Let me share a story with you as an example.

Towards the end of one of the worst periods of rain, as my RV-mates and I finished our umpteenth game of rummy, I peeked my head out of the side door to look for signs of life.

There was some really great music playing somewhere in the vicinity, there was murmuring and rustling in the nearby tents, and—what really caught my eye—our camp’s bar appeared to be open. The lights were on, the curtains were pulled back, and there was movement.

Letting my curiosity take hold, I called it quits for rummy and placed my bare feet into the cold, sludgy, cement-mix-like ground and trekked towards the bar.

When I got there, I found one of my campmates walking drinks to passerby burners and offering them a place to rest before they finished the rest of their journey back to camp.

The gratitude on their faces at the sight of a drink and a chair, after having traveled much too far in the exponentially-more-difficult-rained-on-terrain—was inspirational.

Needless to say, I jumped on board and helped how I could—And did so for a while into the night.

…But, you know who it was helping just as much as anybody who was passing by, exhausted and demoralized? …Us.

It was helping us get through the misery of the weather and it brought all of us closer together.

…It was a beautiful reminder that helping is never just about the one on the receiving end.