Matt Hogan's Blog

Trust Your Body (Not Your Mind)

Published on December 14, 2021

Trust the whispers of the body.

Question the yells of the mind.

Your body might whisper “sore legs” to which your mind might amplify to “TAKING THE WEEK OFF FROM EXERCISE!” Question the mind:“Is that really what sore legs means?” Listen to the body: “Sore legs—noted. Light stretching and upper body it is then.”

Before a public speech your mind might yell, “DANGER! RED ALERT! RUN!” while your body might be whispering, “you’re ready for this… you know this topic… stay calm.”

Or, after a hard breakup, your mind might be saying “GOOD RIDDANCE! WE DIDN’T NEED THEM! THEIR LOSS!” while your body might whisper, “that hurt.”

You see, the mind is in the business of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain which usually means staying inside of the comfort zone and fabricating situations to make them more—comfortable. But, that’s not what the body needs.

What the body needs is for the mind to respond properly to its signals; for the pain to be confronted, felt, and expressed; for the emotions and trauma to be seen and heard.

It needs for the mind to be a compassionate ear—an ally. Not a lazy megaphone that operates as an independent.

There’s More To You

Published on December 13, 2021

It never ceases to amaze me how much we can learn from ourselves when we actually take the time to sit and clearly write the content of our minds.

We have an entire lifetime of experience, have processed an unfathomable amount of raw information, and have one of the most powerful computers synthesizing it all 24/7.

Don’t undermine yourself. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t underestimate your abilities.

There’s more to you than you think.

The Freedom To Feel

Published on December 12, 2021

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Dr. Seuss

To which I would change to:

Cry if you feel to, smile at the wholeness of what happened.

Not as catchy, I admit. But, worth considering.

Telling yourself not to cry—to not acknowledge the weight of a hard situation is to reject a key component of any given experience.

Only focusing on the smiles will limit depth. Only focusing on depth will limit smiles. It’s the whole experience—the entirety of the human experience—that we should be after.

Allow yourself to flow freely between both—and all.

Do Right By Your Past Self

Published on December 11, 2021

After 20+ yrs of training, today is the day I got to test for my 5th Degree Black Belt in ITF Tae Kwon-Do.

As I was prepping for this day, I thought about what 11 year old me—the one who started Martial Arts all those years ago—would think if he watched me perform.

I imagined that overweight, self-conscious, always-hard-on-himself kid and I thought about everything he wanted to become: fit, confident, disciplined, looked up to, able to perform under pressure—and able to do cool moves, of course.

And it was an overwhelmingly emotional moment for me when I finished the test and thought to myself: I think he would’ve been proud.

The Real Key

Published on December 10, 2021

Sometimes, standing between you and your next level of growth is a locked door.

And quickly trying to kick it down doesn’t work (like it might for some other doors).

No. This door, needs the right key.

But, which one is it?

We’re told all of the time that:

Consistency is key.
Humility is key.
Gratitude is key.
Self-awareness is key.
Patience is key.

How to know which one is the real key?

Well, there’s only one way to find out.

Try each.

Here’s the thing: all of these keys are easily accessible and free for you to use. Heck, you can even add each of them to your key ring and use them daily if you’re up to it.

The real key is to stop trying to rashly kick down doors and to use what’s right in your hands.

Important Big > Urgent Little

Published on December 9, 2021

When you solve the big problems what you might find is that the little problems take care of themselves.

Like, when you solve sleep.

Suddenly, you won’t need to spend so much time thinking about snoozing, caffeine, being late, battling fatigue, managing grumpy moods, hiding bags under your eyes, etc.

Or, when you solve healthy habits.

Suddenly, you won’t spend so much of your day feeling like crap, thinking about your weight, battling your lazy mind, trying to hide your body, figuring out how to treat symptoms, considering fad diets, trying out trendy workouts, questioning your self-worth, etc.

Or, when you solve gratitude.

Suddenly, you won’t feel like you’re constantly in a state of lack; like you need to hustle for more money; like you need to beat the people you’re comparing yourself to; like you need to buy the latest and greatest; like happiness is forever on the other side of a fleeting finish line.

Don’t let the urgent little overtake the important big.

Talking, Edited

Published on December 8, 2021

Writers block is a real problem for many people. But, talkers block? It isn’t even a thing.

Well, what is writing but talking, edited?

If you try to turn your writing into something that sounds completely foreign to how you talk—of course it’s going to be a real problem.

You’re trying to write down words in a way you’d never usually use them.

Don’t do that.

Write how you talk.

Then, after you’ve said all that you can think to say—edit. Make it better. Cut out the fluff. Reorganize what you said for clarity. Give your trains of thought some tracks.

Authenticity is what makes great writing great—not fancy words and complex grammar application.

Commit to being more yourself in your writing and suddenly, writers block disappears.

Because what’s blocking you from writing isn’t the words you could say (I’m sure there’s plenty you could say about any given topic), it’s the pseudo-persona you’re trying to embody when it comes time to write.

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