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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

“I Don’t Match The Energy, I Set The Standard.”

Published on September 19, 2025

…Is a powerful mantra to help guide you through days filled with difficult, annoying, lethargic, frustrating, unjust type people (and more).

A coworker hit you with a bunch of negative energy? Hit them back with a bunch of the opposite. Don’t match their energy; set the standard.

Eating highly processed fast food a norm in your family? Lead by example and prepare wholesome, easy, nutrient dense meals. Don’t match their energy; set the standard.

Find yourself in a situation where something wrong is happening and everybody around you is a bystander? Stand up and speak out. Don’t match their energy; set the standard.

Did you hate the way somebody taught you (or tried to teach you) a lesson? Teach that lesson to somebody else in a way you would’ve loved to have learned it. Don’t match their energy; set the standard.

Hate how divisive news, media, and politics is making our society? Turn it all off and volunteer at a local nonprofit or soup kitchen—something that’ll connect you to other humans regardless of their background, beliefs, or political standing. Don’t match their energy; set the standard.

Now go ahead and write this on your bathroom mirror or save it as the background of your phone. And keep it at the forefront of your mind so you can help us not only set… but raise the standard.

“It’s A Long Story…”

Published on September 18, 2025

One night, while dancing hysterically at Burning Man, three others who were dancing hysterically joined me—right in the middle of a massive crowd in front of an incredible DJ set.

In the heat of this incredible exchange, we all got to talking and one of these dancers mentioned that she was having a really emotional burn. And when I asked her why, she said it was a long story.

I told her to take her time and not to shorten it at all.

A little taken aback, she paused, looked at me to gather more information, visibly relaxed once she saw I was serious, and then leaned towards me and began…

And for the next few minutes, she told me about how one of her campmates had a miscarriage at burning man a few years ago… and how they managed to revive the baby… and how later that week… after the indescribable wave of emotions… the baby passed.

…And how deeply it effected everybody in the camp.

At the end of the story, she looked me dead in the eye, into what felt like my soul, and thanked me for saying what I said and holding the space for her to share that story.

I share this to serve as a reminder that “It’s a long story” is often a key that opens up deeper layers of a person, and to not miss your chance to open that door—if you feel like it’s appropriate—when it’s presented to you.

Q4 Check-In

Published on September 17, 2025

At the martial arts school I teach at, we’re doing quarter check-ins.

This is the time when we touch base on how the last three months went and we set a goal or formulate a plan for the upcoming quarter.

This not only gives students a sense of accountability, but it forces them to reflect and plan. Which, amidst the busyness of everyday life, can easily get overlooked and postponed.

But, without these reflection and goal setting blocks… how can we course correct? How can we identify a bad trajectory? How can we set a new trajectory?

The point is it’s very hard to do so without a time block devoted to it.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be long. Our quarter check-ins typically last 5-15 minutes. And the great news is that, generally speaking, those 5-15 minutes can alter the entire trajectory of your quarter… maybe even your whole life.

And the bad news, of course, is that if you don’t have time to do it, well… the opposite is just as true as well.

On Solving Problems You’re Used To Other People Solving For You

Published on September 16, 2025

The very first time my Burning Man RV-mate went to ride his bike, after just having purchased it the day before, the tire went flat.

He didn’t even get one pedal in when he sat on the bike and watched the rim sink into the ground.

Seeing this, my first reaction was to recommend he take it to one of the bike camps and have them fix it—stemming from the same learned helplessness I mentioned yesterday.

But, he had a much different, “This is no big deal” and “It’ll only take five minutes” type of attitude that had him already gathering supplies before I could even finish my thought about which camp to take it to.

…And it was maybe a total of fifteen minutes later when he was riding off on his completely repaired bike, well before any of the bike camps would’ve been able to do anything about it.

Watching him do this and working with my other campmate on fixing her bike gave me a confidence in not only working with bikes, but as I mentioned yesterday, in trusting myself and my own problem-solving skills.

…Skills I realized grow not only with formal teaching, but with experimentation and time invested—something I knew cranially but knew better viscerally after getting down and dirty and actually having done it myself.

Because at the end of the week, on the biggest night of Burning Man—the night of the man burn—as I hopped on my bike to join the camp squad going, guess who got a flat tire?

That’s right.

…And guess who fixed it in about 20 minutes and still made it in time?

That’s right.

Fighting Back Against Learned Helplessness

Published on September 14, 2025

Walking towards the camp’s lounge one morning at Burning Man, I found one of my campmates curiously squatted close to her upside down bike.

Asking her if everything was alright, she distractedly replied that her outfit got stuck in the chain, was entangled into the derailleur, and bent some of the wheel spokes into the bike mechanics the previous night.

My immediate impression was that it was a complete mess and that it should be taken to a person who knew what they were doing and have them fix it.

…But that wasn’t even a thought in this campmate’s mind.

She had the derailleur completely taken apart, was balancing about ten pieces, three tools, and an entire bicycle in two hopeful hands… and was… remarkably focused… patient… and determined.

After a minute or two of watching the scene… my hands turned hopeful too and I squatted next to her.

We put it back together… wrong… and took it back apart.

Put it back together again… wrong… and took it all apart again.

Tried it a few more times… wrong… and repeated a few more times after that.

Until finally, after about an hour of trial, error, and head scratching: We finally got it.

And let me tell you… it was an incredibly rewarding victory. Not just because we fixed the damn bike… but, because we fought back against a learned helplessness that runs rampant in modern society. A feeling I was guilty of at the outset of this process.

And what this campmate reminded me is that we’re far more clever and resourceful than we think—we just have to give ourselves more credit… more time… and particularly: more trust.

Lessons From The Playground

Published on September 14, 2025

There is so much we can learn by watching kids play at a playground.

How does one start to play? By picking something, doing something with/on it, and making it fun. A much better strategy than watching and waiting for somebody to invite you to play.

How does one play with others? By inviting them to do the fun thing you came up with or by asking others doing fun things if you can join. Sometimes this happens without even exchanging words—it can be communicated in energy. A much better strategy than sitting on the bench bored or like you’re “too cool” for any of it.

How does one keep playing without losing the fun? By playing with others who are fun to play with; by sharing the playground and being open to others’ play ideas; by making sure you’re having fun and contributing to the overall fun of the space. A much better strategy than playing with those who cheat, are mean, or hurt others; who don’t share the playground and don’t listen to others’ ideas; and who aren’t having fun or contributing themselves.

At the end of the day, our daily lives aren’t that much different from what happens on a playground… it just seems that kids are so much better at doing it and that it’s something we somehow forget along the way.

What Makes A Path *Not* Beautiful

Published on September 13, 2025

There were a few nights at Burning Man when my friends and I spent more time chasing DJs than actually enjoying DJ sets.

…And when I say chasing DJs, I mean actually chasing DJs… on bikes… in the dessert-like environment… where DJs often play on moving art-cars… and park arbitrarily all over the event.

And I’m not just talking one or two DJs… there’s a plethora of world-renowned DJs playing multiple sets… in any given direction… at all times throughout the day… in this other-worldly environment that’s packed with shiny, neon lights wherever you look… and sounds and people and art, too… all calling for your attention and steer of your bike.

…It’s quite an impressive feat to ever find anything you aimed to attend. It’s much more common to set out for that thing and end up somewhere else completely because… squirrel.

Anyway, I digress.

The secret to maximizing your time at Burning Man is the secret to maximizing your time in everyday life—because the one isn’t that much different from the other in the sense that there’s always an endless array of things we can do…

And the secret is this: When given an abundance of choices…  choose one thing fully.

If you decide to commit to a specific DJ set: commit fully.

If you decide to side-quest and have a “squirrel” moment: commit fully.

If you decide to skip it all and bring the party to you: commit fully.

And if you decide to not do anything at all: commit fully.

Each path is beautiful in its own right. What makes it not so is our desire for it to have been something else.