Archives Archives · Matt Hogan's Blog

You May Not Know This But…

Published on April 16, 2025

Bring to mind somebody who helped you but you never formally thanked.

…Somebody who maybe inspired you indirectly via their presence or example they set.

…Somebody who might’ve casually said something that deeply resonated with you and had a big rippling effect on your life.

…Somebody who you follow online who you’ve never officially met who created (or creates) content that regularly impacts and improves your life.

And then… open up a blank email, text, or piece of paper and complete the following sentence: “You may not know this, but you really helped me by…”

Only take as long as you have available to you right now to complete this—whether that’s 1-minute or 10 minutes or longer. But, don’t wait to do this until later.

Once you’re done, send it to that person.

Unprompted. Imperfect. With no expectations of return.

One of the most useful times of my day… is the time I spend sitting at my computer… staring at its blank screen… as I allow my mind to replay and settle from the recent happenings… and patiently wait…

Feeling bored to tears and drawn to distraction…

Until, slowly, slowly…

I feel the noise… quiet… and ideas start to shine… and imagination start to run… and creative connections start to form… and what’s important resurface… and the urge to do inner work and create gifts and share learnings and make meaningful contributions and take proactive initiatives increase in size…

One of the most useful times of my day… is when I’m not doing anything useful per se—in the sense of getting tasks done and checking things off my urgent to-do lists…

…It’s when I’m unobtrusively being and introspectively observing.

Take Stillness Seriously

Published on April 15, 2025

One of the big benefits of stillness is that it allows you to take a break from the urgent and think about the important.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that stillness is a required ingredient for thinking about what’s important.

How can you think about and strategically plan your optimal/ideal career path without stillness?

How can you think about the most important relationships in your life and how you can continue to nurture and strengthen them without stillness?

How can you understand yourself… your creative potential… your unique keys to happiness and fulfillment… without stillness?

…If your life feels like a never ending fire fight against the urgent, then you have to wonder when the important stuff is going to be considered… because if you don’t make time for it soon… the answer is going to be: when it’s too late.

P.s. ICYMI you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week here.

It’s Never Coming Back

Published on April 14, 2025

There’s quite possibly going to be a day, at some point in the not so distant future, when you’re going to miss… the busyness.

A day when you’re maybe retired… kids are maybe grown up and living their own independent lives… spouse maybe isn’t around for one reason or another… and you’re sitting by yourself reflecting back on the days when, from morning to night, there was non-stop life.

When there was constant activity… emotional roller coasters… and never enough time to get it all done.

And you’ll be thinking about that while sitting in a living room chair… maybe eating a meal… wondering where all the life activity went.

Today, maybe try and appreciate the busyness of your day for what it is: life being lived. The very life you’re going to reflect back on at some point in your not so distant future. The very life you’re unknowingly rushing fast forward through towards a point that’s going to make you want to come right back.

Today, maybe try being here… with us… right now…

It’s never coming back.

Anything Forced Will Fail

Published on April 12, 2025

I had a long talk with a student today about a plateau she was experiencing in her health and fitness journey.

The short of it was that she couldn’t figure out what to do next to continue making progress. Every idea she would mention, she would talk herself out of in the same breath. The things she had done in the past, didn’t feel like they would work again. And the things that she was leaning towards to try, felt clunky and out of place in her lifestyle…

And she was exactly right to feel confused because everything she was trying to do felt—both to her and me—forced.

…Like some alien habit idea that would be transplanted into her lifestyle that she’d awkwardly have to remember and reinforce until it somehow became second nature and unconscious.

…This isn’t how habit change works.

What we discussed was aligning with something that’s already integrated into her lifestyle and building slightly on that. For example, instead of trying to add a random 15-minute weight lifting session somewhere into her day… maybe she starts a new habit of staying after her normal martial arts classes that she already takes 2x per week (and has been for 2+ years), and does a little extra strengthening, stretching, or conditioning work?

Or instead of trying to not eat sweets at all anymore (yeah, right)… figuring out what the healthiest dessert-like thing for her was… and preemptively eating that at the end of a day—knowing the cravings are coming and attacking them head on…

The bottom line is: anything forced will fail.

Align with current habits… align with momentum… align with yourself.

Better By Design

Published on April 12, 2025

Tilt your car’s rear view mirror up a bit higher than what’s comfortable… it’ll force you to straighten your posture whenever you go to look into it.

Put a sticky note in the center of one of your commonly used home mirrors that says a message you want to internalize… e.g. “You look great.” or “Be here.” or “Life is too short.”

Buy a chair that doesn’t have a back, where the seat is angled down slightly and there’s a pad for your knees… whenever you sit to work, slouching and hunching will no longer be options.

Add labels to the timers on your phone to remind you of the “real” reason behind it going off. e.g. Instead of a 6:00am alarm, add a label that says, “The Only ‘You’ Time Of The Day” or a 5:00pm alarm that says, “Family Time Starts Now.”

Get a dog. You will never have a better accountability system to go for walks. And walks make just about everything better almost every time you take them.

The best way to make long term changes is with enough short term feedback. Set yourself up for success by making your environment better by design.

The Road To Heaven Feels Like Hell…

Published on April 11, 2025

I stumbled across this image today:

And this is one of those quotes that has been stripped down too far and needs more context.

The big missing component in this quote is the duration of time spent feeling the heaven and the hell.

Because here’s the thing: A little time spent exercising might feel like “hell,” but can leave you in a heavenly state for a lot of time thereafter. A little time spent in gluttony might feel like “heaven,” but can leave you in a hell-like state for a lot of time thereafter.

But, that’s just the problem I have with this quote if you adopt this concept at all.

Because here’s my other thing: The road to heaven should feel heavenly and the road to hell will feel hell-like.

Who says exercise needs to feel hell-like? Who says enjoying a meal or dessert will lead you down a road towards hell?

Sure, Crossfit feels like hell to me—I’ll admit that. But basketball? Martial Arts? I very much look forward to these means of exercise. They’re heavenly for me.

And there should be no hell-like guilt felt for enjoying a nice meal or dessert. Everything in moderation.

…My final thing is this: Doing good feels good and doing bad feels bad. When we abide by the guidance of our inner compass and listen to our deepest desires for growth and contribution… that’s the heavenly road that leads towards heaven. And when we disregard this guidance… or maybe don’t take the time to understand it… or allow modern day devices to brainwash and distract us… that’s the hell-like road that leads toward hell.

Category: Archives