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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Playing Outside

Published on November 19, 2023

Today, I played pickup football with a group of 15 people, ranging in age from 11 to 55+.

As you might imagine, the ones closer to 55+ than 11 were making their fair share of comments about feeling old, rusty, out-of-shape, etc…

But, something interesting happens when you get 55+ year olds and those who think they’re close to it outside in the sun, playing an impromptu game, with a group of fun-loving people, calling plays and running routes, and doing it all how they used to as kids…

…You can almost see the years melt away, right off their bodies and faces, in real time.

Their outer shells soften. Their smiles come easier. Their physiology relaxes. The conversation lightens. Their bodies heats up and move more freely.

See, playing—in all of its forms—isn’t what makes us feel old… it’s what keeps us young.

And it isn’t until we decide that we’re “too old” to play that we truly start to age.

A Reminder From The Universe

Published on November 18, 2023

Driving home the other night, I got stuck behind a car that had its hazard lights on.

There wasn’t anything evidently wrong with the car, the driver probably just parked it on the side of the road to run inside their (or someone else’s) house, do something quickly, and put the hazards on so they didn’t get a ticket.

…Understandable enough and something I’ve certainly done before.

It didn’t, however, stop me from feeling a quick rush of frustration as I waited for several cars to pass in the opposing lane… delaying my journey home by an appalling 10-ish seconds.

…Here’s the crazy part though.

Just as I was passing the car, about 10-ish seconds down the road in front of me, a cat BOLTED across the street.

Like, unhesitatingly from behind a car, completely unseeable from the road until it was already in the road, full blown sprint… kind of bolted across the street.

And it was an instant reminder from the universe that sometimes… things happen for a reason.

And sometimes… you just need to chill the heck out and trust it.

A Better Fill

Published on November 17, 2023

One of the reasons people fear death is they won’t be able to see what happens next.

…They won’t get to see their families grow up.

…They won’t get to see the impact of their work.

…They won’t get to see how technology develops and what the future will behold.

And yet… so many of us just turn on the TV and try and forget about it all, all of the time, anyway.

One of the beautiful things about being here right now… is we get to actively see what’s happening next.

…We get to witness the things our ancestors so deeply wished they’d be able to see.

…We get to see our families grow up.

…We get to see the impact of our work.

…We get to see the impact of technology on our ever developing world.

Maybe if we invested more time into really seeing... into noticing from a place of presence… into soaking it all in minus the distractions…

…Maybe we’d get a better fill of what we’ve been miraculously granted the ability to see… and have less fear about not seeing every single bit of it when it comes time for us to finally close our eyes.

P.s. Want to live a life with less regret? My guide will help.

Don’t Be Dull

Published on November 16, 2023

I’m the type who likes to obsesses over time efficiency.

Once I discover a way to do something in its most efficient manner, like take the most efficient, time-effective route to work, I lock in.

And I’ll do it the same way day-in and day-out until I find a better way.

Now, because of this, and because I’ve been maximizing the efficiency of my days for two-ish decades now, my days are pretty locked in.

My morning routine is on lock… my afternoon routine is on lock… and my evening routine is on lock…

Which has me leading very “locked in type days” that can start to feel awfully monotonous.

But, generally speaking, the efficiency side of me is more stubborn than the spontaneous, just-do-whatever-the-heck side of me is persuasive.

And it’s at times like this, when I’m feeling the monotonous grind, that I have to remind myself to book something that I can look forward to.

This has been the key for me for years.

If I have something in my calendar that’s going to strip me from the daily grind and immerse me in a new world with new experiences… then spontaneity comes completely naturally to me and I have zero problem doing whatever, whenever, however.

In fact, it’s my time to NOT be time efficient and I relish in the opportunity by going all in.

Being time efficient is a beautiful thing. It’s a sign that you’re effectively managing your life’s most precious resource.

But, as is the case with many things in life, too much of a good thing can make you… dull.

And today’s message is just that: don’t be dull, dear reader.

The Beauty Of The Streak

Published on November 15, 2023

The beautiful thing about doing something for long enough is that eventually your subconscious starts doing most of the work for you.

Today is my 1,415th day of consecutive daily posts.*

(*Minus the days I was at Burning Man, off the grid).

And the beauty of this streak is that the task has seeped its way into my subconscious.

Which means, rather than needing to remember that I have to send a post out, actively blocking out time in my calendar, doing time-intensive brainstorms for topics, and stressing out about the final product like it was being graded by a college professor… my subconscious takes care of most of that for me.

I don’t need to remember to write—it’s an automatic reflex in my day.

I don’t need to actively block out time in my day—it’s already accounted for before I do any conscious blocking.

I don’t need to do any time-intensive brainstorms for topics to write about—my brain bubbles up ideas all day long… because it knows the writing is coming.

And as far as the stressing out about the final product? Well, after you do anything for 1,415 days in a row… hitting the submit/publish/ship button becomes a helluva lot easier and increasingly less intimidating.

This is all to say: don’t make things harder than they need to be. Do less now… so that you can do more over a longer period of time.

Eventually, the daily habit will start to take care of itself and require a fraction of what it used to when you were yo-yo-ing.

P.s. I also published: How Do I Know If Meditation Is Working?

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.