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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Life Changing Results

Published on December 20, 2022

Exercising regularly is one of the hardest things in the world for some people.

Which is why it’s SO important to not make it any harder than it needs to be.

I will be the first to admit that I take an easy route that ends with me under the bar each day:

  • I have an at-home gym
  • I have my clothes ready the night before
  • I take a long, hot shower
  • I drink a big glass of water with creatine
  • I foam roll for 15 minutes
  • I write my workout down for 5 minutes
  • I do workout specific stretches for 5 minutes
  • I play loud, vibed up music

…And THEN I’ll get my workout started.

Even after 20 years of working out religiously, the workouts themselves haven’t gotten any easier—I’ve just gotten better at showing up and tricking myself into doing the work.

I learned long ago that wake-up -> bar isn’t the path that works for me. The resistance (misery) eventually becomes too much and leads me to stray from the path. I’m the type that needs to ease myself in. This is what keeps me on the path.

Hard, misery-inducing workouts coupled with misery-inducing steps leading up to the workouts are glorified in today’s world and it’s no wonder regular exercise is so damn hard for so many.

Don’t feel pressured to go this route.

While it’s undoubtedly true that massive action will lead to massive results… it’s the consistent action that’ll lead to the life-changing results.

Dream People

Published on December 19, 2022

Do our dream people find us… or do we find them?

…Both.

I think the point is to be open to the infinite possibilities of the world and to constantly expose ourselves to others while simultaneously engaging with those who curiously cross our paths—both directly and subtly.

Waiting to be found isn’t a good strategy.

And neither is desperately searching.

Somewhere in the middle though? …I think is where the real magic of connection happens.

Grades Are Not Forever

Published on December 18, 2022

“Sleep is temporary. Grades are forever.”

Was said to me in a joking way the other day. Jokes aside, this is a truth that far too many people believe to their core. And let me be the first to say that this couldn’t be more backwards.

It’s the sleep that leads to a better forever and this twisted emphasis on grades that couldn’t be more temporary.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

The Actual Goal

Published on December 17, 2022

What I’m ACTUALLY trying to get people to realize when I teach/ train/ coach:

The reward of doing 1 hour of hard work >>>>> 1000 moments of media-based dopamine hits.

2023 Will Rhyme

Published on December 16, 2022

Before you start mega-phoning your New Year’s resolutions and lining up at your January 1st start line to sprint towards a new reality… it’s imperative you take a look back.

How did things play out for you from 2022? 2021? 2020? Etc. Can you dig up a record (or three) of what your goals and action strategies were from then? How they played out? What you were experiencing as you went?

This exploration will give you trends and insight that could be essential to playing out 2023 differently… more strategically… better.

Side note: if you don’t have a record like this, and you think having a record like this now would be valuable, maybe it’s something you could start this year?

Main train: One of the first quotes that I remember feeling deeply impacted by, as cliché as it sounds to me now, was: “If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting.”

History may not repeat itself exactly—but, have no doubt: history rhymes.

And 2023 will rhyme with all of your other years and resolution attempts.

So, don’t forget to look back before you floor it forward. You might learn something about yourself that’ll impact your pace, direction, ambition, accountability, strategy, etc. that you hadn’t quite internalized before.

And maybe it’s that one realization that’ll actually make 2023 your best year ever.

Upward

Published on December 15, 2022

Sometimes I set such a high bar for myself that I can’t even see the damn thing when I look up towards the sky.

At the same time… I like the idea of building my way up from the grips of the earth towards a bar that dances with the clouds.

Reclaiming Wasted Energy

Published on December 14, 2022

So much energy is wasted every day in limbo.

In that in between space where our temptations and disciplines clash.

In that place where we’re making up our minds; arguing against ourselves; stagnating.

It’s in this state where our energy drains its fastest. And the longer we stay there, the more likely temptation is to win against discipline.

The key to reclaiming our energy is redirecting our energy.

  • Trying to resist temptation? Don’t stare. Don’t engage. Don’t even look if you can help it. Quickly redirect your energy and walk away; open a book; play a podcast.; call a friend or family member; play with your dog—anything that gets you out and away.
  • Trying to improve your state of mind in a toxic environment? Even the best of us can’t override the effects of toxic environments. Trying to do so is futile. You’re better off redirecting your energy out and away from that environment and into a new, healthier, healing one. This goes for work environments, hang out environments, and even family environments.
  • Trying to move on from pain of the past? Actively investigating our past to heal is one thing… lingering aimlessly in the pain is another. Redirect your energy towards your future and away from your past. Hang out with new people. Take on a new project. Build an aligned side hustle business. Building something new is one of the best ways to move on from something old.

If each of us could reclaim even 1% of that energy—that human potential—that’s wasted in limbo and redirect it towards something constructive… I reckon we could build ourselves an entire additional calendar day in our year.