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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Relentless Counter-Messaging

Published on August 15, 2024

Never forget the power you have in this moment.

As much as you might think you’re “stuck”—you’re really only a few decisions away from unstuck.

As much as you might think you’re “lost”—you’re really only a few decisions away from picking a destination and/or direction.

As much as you might think it’s “too late”—you’re really only a few decisions away from “better late than never.”

A lot of what you think and how you perceive your current situation is a result of consistent, relentless messaging—from family, school, media, work, friends, etc.

When you hear something over and over again enough—you start to believe it.

And once you start to believe it, and you hear yourself say it to you over and over again enough—you start to internalize it and take it for reality.

Today, I want you to challenge those beliefs, mute the messaging that’s reaffirming those limitations, and start telling yourself something different.

The way to undo the effects of relentless messaging is to be relentless in your counter-messaging.

P.s. My guides can help give you a powerful jump start in the counter-messaging of your life.

The Friends Who Just Don’t Know It Yet

Published on August 14, 2024

“…So, I’m trying to learn how to do this traditional Lebanese dance. It’s called Dabke.”

She said as she started stomping, shuffle stepping, and pistol squatting all while trying to get me to join in. I told her I attended a Lebanese wedding before and had heard of it, but didn’t know how to actually do it.

…This didn’t phase her.

She kept bouncing, twisting, grabbing my hand, and egging me on as though we had known each other forever. When in reality, this was the first time I was ever meeting this person.

…The best part? This was all going down in the middle of a regional martial arts tournament.

We never figured it out, but from that Dabke moment on, whenever we crossed paths at other tournaments or events, we’d pick right back up where we left off as friends that had seemingly known each other for years (until we actually did).

And that ability, to be friends with people before they even know it, is one of the most impressive things I had ever come to learn from her.

…This person was Master Elizabeth Lindsey.

And this past weekend, she got into a devastating motorcycle accident. One that has her in the ICU, in an induced coma, with a long and uncertain road to recovery. In the blink of an eye, her entire life was turned upside down.

And as you continue to blink your eyes today I want you to remember: be grateful for every moment—because each is an unfathomable gift.

And if you have a second (and the means), please consider donating to her GoFundMe.

Relatively Scary

Published on August 13, 2024

One of the less acknowledged benefits of being bold and doing things that are scary to you… is that it can forever change your perception of what “scary” is.

As a martial artist, you don’t often remember the “comfort zone” fights, when you’ve sparred or worked against people who were easy for you to compete against. But, you definitely remember the biggest, baddest, toughest opponents you ever had to face down.

As a recreational basketball player, I can’t tell you much about the recreational games I play week to week with the other recreational ball players. But, I can definitely tell you about the competitive games I’ve been playing against dudes who hoop at a seemingly D1 level.

As an occasional long distance runner, I can tell you that 8k used to feel like a lot. That is, until I ran a half marathon. Which felt long until I ran a marathon. Which still feels really damn long… but, definitely more doable after I did a 50k.

See, “scary” is defined in relation to your other worldly experiences that you’ve found to be scary.

But, when you lean into the scary, do something relatively bold, or just take a leap way outside of your comfort zone altogether… sure, some of the consequences might be to panic, get rejected, or to fall…

But, another key consequence—that shouldn’t be ignored—is that your definition of what’s “scary” might be forever rewritten.

Tasks Minus Intention

Published on August 12, 2024

One of my daily goals is to upload 2-3 quotes from books/emails and 2-3 picture quotes to MoveMe Quotes each day.

It can take me anywhere from 15 – 45 minutes to do this.

Lately, I’ve been questioning whether this is a good time investment or not as I could very well invest that time into other priority tasks like more writing/meditation/productivity/etc.

What I’ve decided is this: it all comes down to the intention I bring to the tasks.

There are days when I’m rushing and I’m just trying to cross each item off my list—and on these days, it isn’t worth the investment.

And there are days when I’m more calm and present and I’m genuinely trying to absorb the message each quote is trying to convey—and on these days, it’s undoubtedly worth it.

I can remember assignments I was given in school that I absolutely didn’t want to do or majorly rushed, and guess what? I got very little, if anything, out of them.

And on the flip side, there are things I became curious about while I was a student, that I wasn’t assigned to learn about at all, that I learned so much about because I wanted to. Things that I still remember vividly today.

It’s good practice to question the tasks built into your daily routine. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this thing?” “Am I just trying to cross this off my list or am I actually invested?” “What’s the level of intention behind this task?”

…And if the intention isn’t there… maybe the task shouldn’t be either.

Reading By Not Reading

Published on August 11, 2024

In conversation with a few parents the other day, one mom felt that audiobooks didn’t count as reading.

She wanted her son to read book-in-hand, one-word-at-a-time, undistracted, in reality.

…But, why do we read?

Is it so we can exercise our eyes? So we can practice decoding and understanding text? So we can practice being still and concentrating our attention?

Maybe…

But, most importantly I’d say it’s to expand our mind by infecting it with the stories and ideas shared within.

And I’d say there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing that via audiobook… or via graphic novel… or via kindle… or via classic paper text… or even via listening to someone else read it to you in person.

The problem isn’t the kid not wanting to read IRL books.

The problem is trying to force the kid to obtain the life expanding, mentally nourishing, spiritually evolving ideas buried in books via a medium that doesn’t align with them.

It’s too easy to just go back onto TikTok and scroll your life away instead.

Show them where the real depth of life lies… show them where the worlds of the imaginations can truly go… show them how much better a 20 hour time spent book is vs 20 hours spent watching 5-60 second nonsense videos.

Align; don’t force.

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

A Multi-Dimensional Lifestyle

Published on August 11, 2024

When you get particularly comfortable—be it at home or with a certain group of people or in a specific setting—you’re going to want to stay there.

When you get particularly good at something—be it getting good grades at school, playing a sport, expressing yourself via a craft or activity, doing a job, laddering yourself up in a career—you’re going to want to double down on that thing.

When you settle into a particular lifestyle—be it how you eat, how you move, how you screen time, how you socialize, how you spend, or how you destress—you’re going to want to replay it again each day.

And while hanging around a certain group of people or doubling down on a skill you’re good at or settling into a specific dietary routine isn’t a bad thing—and there are certainly cases where it can be an excellent thing—today’s reminder is one of living a multi-dimensional lifestyle.

Spending too much of your life where you’re comfortable leads to complacency and denies growth opportunities.

Doing only what you’re good at prevents you from exploring other possible skillsets and practicing the art of being a humble beginner.

Living life the same way every day leads to narrow-mindedness, lack of experiential learning, and missed moments of serendipity via spontaneity.

Aim to live a multi-dimensional life.

A life that’s comfortable, but challenges you in fresh ways each day.

A life that’s centered around your strengths, but keeps you humbly dabbling in your weaknesses.

A life that’s grounded in routine, but sprinkles in spontaneous moments.

A life built from a solid foundation that branches outward in curious ways.

Figuring It Out As You Go

Published on August 9, 2024

If your goal is to wander, get lost, find your way back around, lean into serendipity, and surrender to the universe—then by all means, figure it out as you go.

If your goal is to arrive at a specific destination, in a timely manner, following an optimized route—then, figuring it out as you go is a bad strategy. You would want to invest in research, planning, and coaching instead.

We all have goals in life.

And while you might think one of the above mentioned ways might be better for attaining any one of your life goals than the other… the reality is it’s probably better to approach all of your goal pursuits from more of a hybrid perspective.

All optimized and no wander leaves little room for serendipity, awe, or surprise.

All wander and no optimized leads to missed targets and wasted time, energy, and effort.

Take a look at some of your life goals. Where do you land on this spectrum?