Matt Hogan's Blog

Don’t Waste Time Alone

Published on April 9, 2025

Don’t waste time alone.

Society might have you brainwashed into believing being alone is a bad thing. Like, “Why are you still single?” or “Did you go there alone?” or, you know, the looks and tones.

And social media might have you trained into believing that turning it on and scrolling is socially connecting you—so as to distract you from the alone.

And the feelings of boredom might make you cringe and restlessly pace in circles over doing anything still and meditative when your calendar appears blank and your battery charge goes.

But… being alone is not a bad thing.

Don’t… waste time alone.

Time alone is time that can be spent turned inward… exploring the inner landscapes… uncovering the hidden gems of insight buried within the depths of your mind.

Time alone is time that can be spent healing… unpacking and reflecting on pains of the past… bringing clarity to thoughts tangled by writing them down… absorbing information from the most brilliant minds to have ever arranged words into practical, life-changing ideas.

Time alone is time that can be spent present… slowing down from the rush of the modern day wave… soaking in the information that’s touching your senses in the here and now—that may never again touch again in the same way… being grateful for the experience of life—despite all of its ups and downs…

Being alone is not a bad thing.

In fact, it may very well be precisely the thing that more of us need.

Don’t… waste time alone.

P.s. If you enjoy these 1-min messages, would you reply with a 1-line testimony that I can add to this landing page? :)

You + Me = A Better You & A Better Me

Published on April 8, 2025

Being with the right person makes you a better person.

Not a more socially liked person…

Not a more financially stable/rich person…

Not a more envied / talked about person…

…Although it could include each of those things.

…But, a better person.

…A more compassionate and empathetic person.

…A more generous and value-adding-member-of-society type of person.

…A more down to earth and loving person.

What makes being with the right person so great is that you become a better version of yourself when you’re with them.

A version that’s free of masks and facades… free of acting and fronting… free of hiding and manipulating.

…Free of anything that cages you behind any kind of bars and in fact, makes you feel more free than ever before to be your true and authentic self.

If you’re not sure if the person you’re with—or thinking about being with—is right… ask yourself this: Am I a better me when I’m with them? Or am I becoming a version of myself that is moving away from my highest version when I’m with them?

Act accordingly from there.

Importance Is Measured In Effort

Published on April 8, 2025

It’s easy to make things work out when it’s easy to make things work out.

…When it’s hard to make things work out, however?

…Well, this is where an opportunity to prove importance arises.

It’s important to remember that we should put as much effort into making things work out as the importance of those things are to us.

When it’s hard to see the person who’s important to you… you match that challenge with a proportional amount of effort and make it happen anyway.

When it’s hard to attend an event that’s important to a person who’s important to you… you match that challenge with a proportional amount of effort to attend that event anyway.

When it’s hard to live a lifestyle that’ll inspire the people who are most important to you… you meet that challenge with a proportional amount of effort so you can live that lifestyle anyway.

…Because if you don’t?

Then you have to ask yourself how important those people/things are to you after all…

Because if it isn’t measured in effort… what is it measured in?

Slow… The Heck… Down

Published on April 6, 2025

Slowing down is the key to presence. Rushing through moments or experiences makes you miss life.

Slowing down is the key to confidence. Rushing through movement or words is a sign of nerves or inexperience.

Slowing down is the key to connection. Rushing through conversation or time together leaves relationships at the superficial.

Slowing down is the key to introspection. Rushing to your nearest screen in times of boredom leaves your inner landscape unexplored and self-understanding at bay.

Slowing down is the key to creativity and expression. Rushing to fill your calendar and schedule leaves you with no time to settle… to play… to explore… to remix… to build or create…

If you’re looking for a simple strategy that can greatly improve your daily experience… I can’t think of a better strategy than this: slow… the heck… down.

P.s. ICYMI you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

We Aren’t Born Lions Or Zebras

Published on April 6, 2025

Can you teach a zebra to be a lion?

…Probably not anymore than you can teach a lion to be a zebra.

One thing is for sure though, we humans aren’t born lions or zebras.

We’re born as mostly blank slated creatures filled to brim with potential.

And sure, some of us might be born with more zebra tendencies and others with more lion characteristics.

But, we aren’t born lions or zebras.

The thing about potential is that it’s malleable. It can be worked, cultivated, and changed. We get to choose what kind of existence we want to lead.

If we tell ourselves we’re zebras—so shall it be. But, we can also train ourselves to be a lion and slowly our roar will come to be. If we’re not aware of our potential and how malleable it can actually be…

We’ll end up just becoming the creature society tells us to be…

And we might live an existence that feels out of place… not quite right… lackluster or uneventful… mismatched or frustrating… lonely and like our herd is forever missing…

…And what a tragedy that would be.

Ah, The Dream Of Opening A Coffee Shop…

Published on April 5, 2025

I went through a phase when I was seriously considering opening a coffee shop with my sister.

The only problem was… I didn’t have any real time to commit to being there. And opening a business that I couldn’t commit to felt foolish.

So we put it on the back burner.

Today, I was chatting on the phone with a few friends and we got to talking about retirement.

We all agreed that none of us wanted to do nothing… and in fact, we were all leaning more towards working for as long as we possibly could over retiring as soon as we possibly could…

And it brought back up this idea of the coffee shop.

I mentioned this idea of having a hybrid coffee shop/book shop, that had a quaint feel and community connection emphasis, that hosted readings, author talks, book clubs, open mics, art shows, and general IRL gatherings… as a way to spend the retirement days…

And it planted a seed that I think a lot of us are thinking about…

The takeaway for me is not to try and force something into existence until it’s in alignment with your lifestyle and time. And not only that… but bringing things into existence that you want to actually spend a chunk of your lifestyle and time engaging and participating in.

The thing is… the world doesn’t need another coffee shop.

But, it could definitely use more authentic, real, brick-and-mortar, connection places that serve great coffee, fresh ideas, and interesting conversation starters that attracts like-minded, curious, and maybe lonely or introverted people who have a hard time finding places to connect.

…There’s always room for more of what’s real.

Drip, Drip

Published on April 3, 2025

Point a power hose at a rock and probably the most that’ll happen is the rock will get wet—maybe even move if the rock is small enough.

Leave that same rock under a dripping waterfall however… and after a few years, erosion will wear away at its seemingly impenetrable surface. Leave it there long enough and you might even see it drip its way all the way through the rock to the other side.

This is a strategy that works.

Sure, there’s a time and a place to blast at a seemingly impenetrable challenge with full force… but, more often than not—full force blasts fatigue and burn out before any noticeable change ever takes effect.

Drip, drip, drip, however? …With unrelenting consistency and over a long enough period of time? And no rock stands a chance.

P.s. If you appreciate these daily drips in the form of 1-minute emails, you can support my future work by buying me a coffee here. Thanks :)

Matt Hogan's Blog Posts