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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Sprouting Isn’t The End

Published on March 3, 2025

After dancing almost nonstop for seven hours this past weekend… I looked at a friend I was with and said, “I can’t believe there used to be a time when I was too self-conscious to dance.”

The inner work I did to overcome that first hurtle of hesitation—and dance as uncaringly as I was able to on that first night (linked above)—was like a bud sprouting from the shell of its seed.

But, like the growth of any plant (and where a lot of people get inner work wrong)… sprouting isn’t the end… it’s only a beginning.

And since that sprouting, I’ve done my best to grow away from that shell of self-consciousness that was holding me back oh so tightly before… and strengthen the root and body of that flowering thought with as much uncaring dancing as I’ve been able to add to my lifestyle.

And this past weekend, it was as though I had a potent moment of realization that… damn… I think the pedals are starting to show.

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

Learning To Unlearn

Published on March 2, 2025

They will try and plaster propaganda on the walls of your mind.

They will spray paint hate and lies and criticisms on any and all un-patrolled surfaces.

They will try and define beauty, happiness, and success in ways that always leave you coming up short… so you’ll keep spending more.

The process of unlearning is recognizing, accepting, and strategically acting in reverse of this.

It’s about taking an honest look at what’s plastered on the walls of your mind and tearing down what’s leading you astray.

It’s about turning spray paint into art and alchemizing hate, lies, and criticisms into love, truths, and clarity.

It’s about deleting all that you’ve been told is beauty, all that you’ve been brainwashed into believing will lead to happiness, and everything everyone else has told you about what will make you successful.

…And it’s about getting back to that place where your walls are blank canvas; where the art that’s being hung is uniquely your own; where beauty, happiness, and success are defined from within… from experiential learning… from inner work… from living confident and free.

P.s. Here’s the picture I took that inspired this post.

The Power of Alignment + A Full & Present Heart

Published on March 1, 2025

My sister went to Toronto last weekend for her birthday.

While there she spent most of her time exploring quaint and classy bars and restaurants.

And during her explorations, she stumbled upon a small restaurant that was semi hidden in an unbusy mall.

And something struck me as being incredibly inspirational about this restaurant as she was describing it to me.

She said the women who was running the restaurant was one of the most kind, sweet, and present women she had ever met. She wasn’t there to do a job or get tip money. She was in alignment. It was as though she had a dream and was evidently living that dream in real time.

And it brought to mind for me the person who chooses a path… and then walks that path with a full and present heart.

All too common in today’s world are people who choose a path… and then spend all of their time walking that path looking at other paths… and comparing… questioning… envying…

You’ll never feel fulfilled walking a path this way.

Which is why it’s so incredible to come across someone who is in such alignment.

You don’t need to be a CEO, multi-millionaire, silicon valley startup founder to feel fulfilled. All you need is alignment and a full, present heart. And sometimes, that looks like a small restaurant that’s semi-hidden in an unbusy mall.

…Don’t complicate it.

On Changing Stupid Business Practices

Published on February 27, 2025

Such a simple idea that could significantly help customer oriented businesses: treat customers the way you would want to be treated as a customer.

I have been stunned at how I’ve been treated by several major companies lately and it just makes me wonder how such disconnected practices and systems have been put into place?

Like… YOU, customer service representative, would HATE the very experience you’re putting me through right now if YOU were the customer… How have we gotten here? Why is it like this? How can we change it?

Some of you reading this are in customer oriented businesses. And I encourage you to challenge your practices and systems and see if they pass the above test.

And some of you maybe aren’t. But, you certainly interact with them regularly. Keep pushing back against bad practices and bad systems. Keep voicing your frustrations and suggestions for improvement. Keep voting for good business with how you spend your money… and stop giving money to companies who have bad business practices.

Big change never happens all at once.

…It happens slowly, slowly. One push, one shove, one vote at a time.

Balancing Prep And Go

Published on February 26, 2025

One trap I’ve fallen into in the past is spending too much time preparing and planning—and not enough time experimenting and doing.

I recognized this in myself very early into my DJing journey.

I was spending SO. MUCH. TIME. downloading music, filling in meta data, setting hot cues and memory points, and creating playlists…

So much so that I was barely doing any actual DJing.

So I’m trying to more mindfully walk this balance between prep and go. Because, yes, too much go and not enough prep leaves you confused, disjointed, and without a coherent sound… but too much prep and not enough go leaves you just as confused and disjointed as you come face to face with the decks.

So much of life is about finding the balance between these two.

…About sorting through the infinite information that’s available and acting on what’s chosen.

…About building book smarts, but also street smarts.

…About picking a direction and just as importantly… walking the path picked.

How are you doing with this balancing act?

Mixing Prompts With Initiative

Published on February 25, 2025

I called a martial arts friend from another organization yesterday and said something along the lines of, “Hey! I’m interested in doing some collaborative work with you… here’s kind of what I’m thinking… [insert thoughts here]… what do you think?”

And let me just say… you’d be surprised how far a simple prompt mixed with a little initiative like this might take you.

What Are You Looking To Find?

Published on February 24, 2025

While scrolling through Pinterest, I stumbled across a question: “What do you scroll for? What are you looking to find?”

In my case, I was looking for inspiration. Inspiration for myself and inspiration I could share with others. To take it a step further, I was looking for pathways that might take me into myself. I was looking for triggers for inner work. I was looking for understanding and depth that’s digestible and appealing.

Not too long ago, I recognized that my social media platforms of choice were causing me to undervalue myself. I was looking at everything I wanted to be… everything I wanted to have… everyone I wanted to be with…

And it was taking me further and further away from myself.

And it’s not like there isn’t anything inherently wrong with looking at those things… but, it became toxic for me. It wasn’t serving me… it wasn’t leading to growth… it was only leading to self-limiting beliefs and defeatist mentalities. So I quit and focused my attention elsewhere.

What I’m finding interesting now is that I’m back on those same platforms, but with a completely changed mindset. I started following creative music accounts—mostly DJs sharing tips, tricks, live performances, and so on. And I’m loving it again.

…What am I looking to find?

Inspiration that’ll help me build my skills and expand my musical understanding. To take it a step further, I’m looking for ways I can better connect to the present moment via music and dance… ideas that’ll help me create moments and spaces like this for others… and opportunities to just celebrate life with seas of strangers.

…What are YOU looking to find?