Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

Looking In The Mirror… More?

Published on November 14, 2023

Why do we look at ourselves in the mirror so frequently throughout the day?

Like, we just saw ourselves 10 minutes ago after getting out of the shower… why must we check our appearance again after getting dressed? And again after getting into the car? And again after getting to work? And again in the store mirror? And again and again and again…?

Maybe it’s because we know things change—and can change rather quickly and unexpectedly.

Like, what if we got a piece of food stuck in our teeth? Or our hair got messed up? Or our clothing malfunctioned and a little more skin was showing than we intended?

…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check for these things throughout the day.

…And there’s nothing wrong with this.

My followup question however, is how often do you check the mirrors that reflect your inner state?

People are much more likely to mention a piece of food stuck in your teeth or hair standing up or a wardrobe malfunction than they might be to mention a sour mood, an unusually short temper, or a judgment malfunction…

People can help us with our outer reflection, but our inner reflection is mostly on us to check-in with.

…Which we do by meditating, reflecting, writing, and mindfully walking or conversing.

If this isn’t already a part of your day, maybe it’s time to make it a part of it. And, like physical mirror check-ins, maybe it don’t have to be so formal… after all, “look in the mirror” probably isn’t blocked into your days… yet you do it all the time.

…What if you did the same with your inner mirror?

Channeling Your Inner Golden Retriever

Published on November 13, 2023

The group I’ve been playing basketball with on weekends has grown as of late.

And a lot of the additions to the group are much better than me.

If I’m not careful, this could make me want to stop playing.

But, if I’m mindful, this will continue to have zero impact on my playing long-term.

Because what I have to remember is that I’m not there to be the best basketball player (I gave up that dream when I got cut from my middle school basketball tryouts decades ago). I’m there for the killer plyometric workout and connection.

And so I use the presence of increased talent and experience as motivation to practice and learn… and do my best to channel my inner golden retriever the rest of the time and run around, jump up and down, and just be happy to be there.

…An excellent strategy, I must say, when learning anything new while in the midst of talented and experienced practitioners.

Show Up and Add A Little Value

Published on November 12, 2023

When I have nothing to write about, I challenge myself to write as little as possible while still adding value.

It’s a trick I use to get started.

But, it isn’t really a trick—it’s the goal.

And I oftentimes have to remind myself of it.

Because there have been plenty of days when I’ve spent hours crafting these 1-minute messages… days when I’ve gotten a ton of great feedback on a piece… days when I was feeling myself and wrote something that felt so good it surprised even me… that could each easily contribute to making that new day’s writing task feel that much harder.

…All caused, at its root, by comparison.

When I’m pressuring myself to create something that compares to some of my best pieces… that have garnered some of my best known results… of course the starting from scratch feels harder.

…But, when I drop the comparisons and remind myself what the goal is—to show up and add a little value (both to myself and others), starting suddenly feels a helluva lot easier.

Which is as true for exercising, reading, meditating, working, creating, etc.—as it is for writing.

Room To Breathe

Published on November 12, 2023

With each reflected upon experience, we learn something about ourselves.

…Something goes well and we make a mental note to try and repeat that experience.

…Something goes wrong and we make a mental note to try and not repeat that experience.

The more we do this, the more self-aware we become. Until eventually, we get to a point where we feel like we know ourselves pretty damn well.

…We know what boosts us up and we know what brings us down. We know what makes us cheery and helpful—and we know what makes us irritable and withdrawn. We know what keeps us calm and we know what ticks us off.

And while there’s no doubt that this type of insight is invaluable to a person… it can also slowly become a crutch.

Oscar Wilde once said, “To define is to limit”—and this is precisely what we do to ourselves the more we “define” ourselves. The more sure we are that we’re “not a morning person”—the more we limit our ability to experience joy in the morning. The more sure we are that we “can’t function without food at a certain time”—the more we limit our ability to perform if we ever aren’t able to eat at that certain time. The more sure we are that we “aren’t the person who does that—whatever “that” is—the more we limit ourselves from ever trying.

Self-awareness is a superpower—don’t get me wrong.

But, try not to be so self-aware that you leave yourself no room to breathe into any new/fresh identities or take on any new/fresh experiences.

One Of Those DAYS

Published on November 10, 2023

I had myself A DAY today.

You know, one of those days where nothing seems to go right.

Like when you try and print stacks of really important papers… and they come out on 11×17 paper instead of 8.5 x 11 paper.

Or when you try and print a different stack of really important papers… and they come out on 8.5 x 11 paper instead of 11 x 17 paper—even though you triple checked the settings.

Or when you try to hurry past barriers set up in an open room by unhooking, swinging, and limboing under the poles… and you cause the entire barrier wall to tip like dominoes leaving each pole and draped cloth spanning over 100 feet collapsed on the ground.

(…All true stories from today).

Yeah. One of THOSE kinds of days. Ever have one of them? Well, here’s something I did that helped turn it around…

When I caught myself mentally complaining (it’s a rare moment that that actually happens)… I decided to consciously try to reframe my perspective with the question: what can I find that’s going right…?

Because, as is the case 99% of the time in life, there’s PLENTY going right.

…My health was in tact. I didn’t have a toothache. My friends and family were well. I wasn’t throwing up sick. It wasn’t snowing and icy. I woke up on time. Heck, I woke up. My tire wasn’t flat. And so on…

Remembering to count your blessings each and every time you catch yourself complaining about your problems is the secret to creating more blessings than problems in your life.

And the best part is: the former ALWAYS outweigh the latter.

My Reply To Thank You

Published on November 9, 2023

Hey Sonya,

It’s so great to hear from a fellow quote enthusiast. Love love love hearing that you have mountains of notebooks filled with quotes.

The act of reading quotes is definitely not the same as the act of writing quotes. The former brings the words in through the eyes which are quickly deposited into the brain, but the latter… the latter allows you to bring the words in through your body… through your fingers, up your arms, into your torso, and up your spinal cord and into your brain.

It’s the literal embodiment of the words.

So, while you may feel like there’s no sense or order to them all… just know that the process is not for nothing. You have embodied 10x more insight from this simple practice than your counterpart who merely read those same quotes and does nothing with them.

Cheers to quote collecting and embodying the insight that’ll guide us forward on our paths!

~ Matt

The reason I share this reply is twofold:

1) To remind you that reading insights is not the same as doing things with the insights. Whether that’s applying the ideas to your life (opting in to the expressed gratitude challenge); typing, tagging, ordering, and making them digestible and accessible (like I do at MoveMe Quotes); or simply writing them into notebooks (like Sonya)—it’s the application of insight that leads to better living—not the looking at it. And…

2) To challenge you to start doing things with insights, too!

…You’re not really just going to nod along and do nothing with these insights after reading them are you?!

Enough looking; time to start embodying.

…Your better life depends on it.

Thank You

Published on November 8, 2023

Hi Matt,

I just wanted to write and thank you so much for all your work pulling all these quotes together. I am a fellow quote collector and have mountains of notebooks filled with them, with no sense of order at all. Your website is a treasure trove, and I really appreciate the labour of love it must have been (and still is).

Many Thanks,

Sonya

Sent from my iPhone

The reason I wanted to share this email that I received this morning is two-fold:

1) It’s a beautiful example of expressed gratitude. Something I challenged the readers of this blog to integrate into their lives during the month of November. It’s pure, it’s short, there’s no ask or expected favors in return, and it was sent evidently on a whim—as is indicated by the “Sent from my iPhone” stamp which was included at the bottom of the email (which is why I included it above). If you haven’t started the challenge yet or are just hearing about this now, consider this your invitation. Because…

2) It’s a beautiful example of the rippling effect expressed gratitude can have. This email made my morning. It brought a big smile to my face, made me feel pride towards the work I’ve done building MoveMe Quotes, and inspired this very post that’s being sent out to hundreds of readers—something that never would’ve happened without the expressed part of the gratitude. And now, maybe some of you will go out on a whim and send an email / text / or note to someone you want to thank in your life.

I hope you will.