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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

What’s New?

Published on March 31, 2024

When you see people you haven’t seen in a long time, a commonly asked question is, “What’s new?”

And if you can’t think of a single thing to say…

It might be a sign that you’re too set in your ways.

Because while routine is excellent for getting tasks done consistently and efficiently…

If the byproduct of your routine extended out over a “long time” is nothing new…

You might not be aligned with a routine that’s leading to growth.

…What you might actually be aligned with is a rut that’s keeping you distracted and comfy.

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

Family Traditions

Published on March 30, 2024

For the past several years, my grandma, mom, and I would drive 6ish hours to my aunt’s house for Easter weekend.

It was a nice little family tradition that gave us long car rides to chat the deeper than usual chat and catch up with my aunt and her family who we only ever saw that weekend-ish.

We would watch movies, get live piano and violin concerts in her living room, play board games, tour the local book shops, airplay photo albums on their giant TV recapping the highlight moments of our year, take long walks, explore local parks, and of course eat fantastic meals.

Earlier this year, my aunt and her family decided to move across the country and so our little family tradition unfortunately ended.

This is a reminder that at some point, your family tradition(s) as you know it/them—will end. And to go into family tradition weekends with as much presence and warmth as you can.

This isn’t to say that they can’t/won’t change for the better… it’s merely to say don’t take them for granted. Change is always, inevitably, on the horizon.

Maybe It Wasn’t Stupid Only…

Published on March 29, 2024

I bought tickets to a 2-day event that was happening over Memorial Day weekend only to find out that I got the weekend wrong and it wasn’t, in fact, over Memorial Day weekend.

…Which meant, of course, that I didn’t actually have the weekend off and I wouldn’t actually be able to go.

And, of course, there was a no refund policy.

So there I was, $180 in the hole for an event I wouldn’t even be able to attend.

And, of course, when I emailed the customer service folks, they reiterated that there was a no refund policy and that there was nothing they could do.

…But, said I should try selling them on SeakGeek, StubHub, etc.

And you know what… I always wondered how that might go if I was to get an extra ticket to a really great event early and resell it on one of those websites… maybe even for a profit?

Which is precisely the opportunity that I’m walking away from this experience with.

…And if you look closely, you might find a hidden opportunity in a seemingly stupid-only move that you recently made, too.

I Got My First Ever Tattoo Today…

Published on March 28, 2024

…Permanently inking onto my body three images that symbolically represent three deeply meaningful concepts to me. They are:

1) A tree with exposed roots: symbolically reminding me that the branches of happiness can only ever reach as high as the roots of sadness go deep. It’s a reminder that down is often the means to higher up. And that inner work—work that looks at the darker, heavier, maybe less desirable emotions—is often the means to the lighter, warmer, maybe more desirable emotions.

2) A reading warrior: symbolically representing mind/body balance. That the ultimate virtue—the path that’ll lead to the greatest realization of our potential—is the harmonistic continued development of both mind and body. That one without the other leads to more throttling than gains.

…And more pointedly, that mental readiness for battle (literal and metaphorical) is just as important as physical readiness.

3) An enso circle shaped as a sun in the background: symbolically representing the deep connection between presence and warmth. The enso itself is traditionally drawn in a single brushstroke as an expression of the moment and is a reminder for me to always come back to the here and now. Because it’s here, and only here, that we can each ever truly express the warmth that we were born to share.

…And why not just make this my phone screensaver or framed picture in my house? …I guess, for me, it’s because it shows a different level of seriousness. It demonstrates my resolve. It shows a level of determination to live by these principles that a picture or a screensaver doesn’t quite match.

Completion Clarity

Published on March 27, 2024

Don’t measure your motivation levels before you do the thing… your mind will be consumed and distorted with lies.

Think about all the things you say to yourself before you have to workout, or meditate, or read that book, or start that project, or do deep stretching… It’s probably something along the lines of:

  • “You’ve been so good lately… you deserve a day off.”
  • “You’re so busy today… better to skip and get back to it tomorrow.”
  • “You didn’t really sleep that well… today should be a rest day instead of that other day.”

It’s almost as though that little devil on your shoulder gets the megaphone and tries to spread misinformation and lies to distract or dissuade you from doing the tasks that’ll put you temporarily outside of your comfort zone.

…Contrast this with what’s going on in your head after you complete the task. It’s probably something along the lines of:

  • “That was so good. I deserved that.”
  • “So glad I didn’t skip. That was amazing.”
  • “I feel so much better now that I’ve got that behind me.”

…There’s a whole lot less mental chatter and whole lot more clarity.

THIS is when you should measure your motivation levels towards the thing. If you’re still resentful, upset, and/or frustrated about the self-improvement tasks after you’ve finished it, then, yes, I’d say it’s time to reflect and make some changes.

But, don’t make a decision about something that’s long-term good for you without completion clarity.

Easter Eggs

Published on March 26, 2024

One of my ex-employees (who went on to become a nurse) used to chronically clean and organize when she didn’t have anything to do.

…I can’t tell you how much I miss that small, big gift that she used to give.

In a world where people typically do what they have to do out of obligation (and not much more)… be the atypical outlier who gives away little Easter Eggs along the way.

The work is the work is the work… and doing the work isn’t what makes you indispensable / memorable… it’s the gifts you give along the way that do that.

P.s. If you enjoy these a.m. Easter Eggs, you can support their continued production here :)

Rolling Creative Energy Into Other Tasks

Published on March 25, 2024

When I get excited about something, like a creative project, I tend to obsess.

I’ll work on it early, I’ll work on it late, and I’ll cut from my day as many of my other tasks/priorities as I can to maximize my ability to keep working on it.

This happens when I’m redesigning websites, choreographing new martial arts material, authoring new digital products, reorganizing spaces, learning new skills, and so on.

Most recently, I’ve been rebuilding my martial arts school’s pro-shop.

It was in desperate need of an update after having been essentially ignored for years.

What I’ve been trying to manage more mindfully this time around, however, as I undertake this creative project, is how I balance my time and to resist devoting too much at once to its completion.

I wanted to stay late to finish the whole project last week… but, I kept it to only one extra hour and allowed myself to leave before its completion.

I wanted to go in early to get a head start… but, I resisted.

I even wanted to go in on Sunday to finish… but, didn’t

What I’m trying to teach myself is to take that gifted creative energy and roll it into my other tasks. How can I use this energy to get my other priority tasks done? How can I take this excitement and use it to boost my mood? How can I take this burst of inspiration and roll it into my writing?

While there’s nothing wrong with going all-in and riding that creative wave with everything you’ve got… learning to stretch that wave and balance yourself in the process might lead to a far greater return.