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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Never Ignore Whispers From A Higher Power

Published on November 3, 2024

Your creative yearnings… those artistic inclinations… are whispers from a higher power… they’re nudges, winks, hints… from somewhere deep… not just inside you… but from within a collective unconscious… an ocean of understanding that spans a millennia and includes countless living beings and experiences… that something inside you, in some mysterious way, miraculously taps into… maybe at just a straws capacity if it were used to drink from the ocean… but a sip of the ocean none-the-less… one that gives you a taste… not of salt and seaweed… but of how you might better live… one that’s filled with meaning and connection… growth and contribution… gifts to be given and received…

See… creative yearnings… artistic inclinations… in all of their manifested forms… are expressions of our consciousness at its highest level… they become statements of what makes us different… what makes us unique… what makes us authentically… us… they become cornerstones of meaning in our life that we talk about, identify with, and share proudly with others… they become some of the most fundamental components of our legacy… the things that get featured at our funeral… the puzzle pieces that others offer to help formulate a picture of how we lived… the things that get left behind and continue to create ripples into the ocean of this collective experience… ripples that one day might make their way into the life of another being… that just might manifest as a creative yearning… an artistic inclination… a whisper… that just might give clues into the possibility of living a better life themself…

…Which is all to say: listen.

Never ignore whispers from a higher power.

Spare Me

Published on November 3, 2024

Go ahead and talk your talk.

Say what you’re gonna say.

String together some dressed up words and print it on your fancy parchment paper.

…It might catch you a look, return you a call, or get you a foot in the door.

But, what it will not do is walk those feet of yours forward… do the following through on the things you promised you’d do… be what parchment paper is supposed to be to regular paper in real life.

The proof is in the pudding, homie.

So enough with the announcements… spare me the overzealous promises… forget the résumés…

And show me something tangible. Give me a track record. Let’s take a look back and show me how your dots actually connect.

…Words? Words have never been easier. A few clicks and AI can have that done for you in no time.

…Which also means that action? Well, now… it means that actions have never been more valuable.

Unlocking The Door Of Other People’s Mind

Published on November 1, 2024

It’s a pretty special moment when you see somebody have an epiphany.

And it’s even more special when it happens as a result of something you did.

The reason it’s so special is because up until that moment… nobody else had been able to (or had tried to) communicate or convey the information in a way that led to understanding.

It’s as though, finally, somebody understood them and the information well enough that they were able to mold it into the key that, finally, unlocked the door of their mind.

Which is exactly what it is sometimes—a very specific key that opens a very specific lock.

What most people try to do once they know the information, is shove it into mind doors—and hope it somehow forces it open. Or assume that the information is a single key that’ll unlock all minds.

…Nope.

The real key, pun intended, is seeking to understand the lock—the other person—well enough. Once you build rapport, hear some of their perspective, understand their learning style, observe how they act and interact in different situations, and do a little iteration via trial and error—it’s as though the teeth of the key start to form themselves.

But, just because you know the info, doesn’t mean you can make just anybody have an epiphany… it takes real patience, empathy, and curiosity to make that happen.

…Something you might think about as you head into your day with SO MUCH INFORMATION to share.

When Do You Feel Most Loved By Me?

Published on October 31, 2024

I was watching a video today that concluded with the following question: “Tell me about a time when you’ve felt most loved by me…”

A son answered: “After my last high school football game, when it was just me and you in the parking lot… just embracing each other and I was just crying because it was my last game. That was kind of like you sending me off in a way…”

A daughter answered: “The thing that really stands out for me is how you always supported me. The way that you saw I loved something and really helped nurture it. It was always special to know that whenever I looked up into the stands you were always going to be there 99% of the time.”

A mother answered: “When I had my heart attack… You came to the hospital… and you were really firm with me… and you almost made me feel guilty for having a heart attack… and I told your siblings, ‘I can’t die because Caitlyn will beat the sh*t out of me.’ And I knew that was because you loved me so much.”

A father answered: “I came home from work and you were in the front yard doing a video… maybe a snapchat or something… and you saw me pull up and said, ‘Hey dad, come here!’ And you had this pretty cool rap song playing… and I did my ‘old, white man dance…’ and I looked like and idiot… but I felt like you accepted me… and that you weren’t ashamed of your goofy looking dad.”

Inner Work Prompt: If somebody asked your loved ones this question… how do you think they’d respond?

Who’s Stopping You From Growing?

Published on October 30, 2024

Is what’s stopping you from growing contingent on somebody else or yourself?

Are you waiting for somebody else to show you the way forward? Are you waiting for somebody else’s permission to do what you know needs to be done? Are you basing what you do and how you act every day on other people’s moods, how they pay you, and/or how they set up the environment’s you’re in?

Here’s the thing: the only person stopping you from growing is and only ever will be you.

The only way forward shown to you by others is the way they think works best—based on their unique life experiences—not yours.

When reflecting on permission, ask yourself if there’s another avenue forward that isn’t being guarded. Or consider the idea of doing what you know is necessary to grow and asking for forgiveness later—once you’ve leveled up… rather than waiting passively for permission all your life… and staying boxed up.

Basing what you do on other people’s moods, how they pay you, environments they’ve set up is throttling your potential. People’s moods will always be outside of your control. How people pay you is (should be) dependent on how much value you bring—not merely doing what’s expected of you within the confines of a job description. The environment is everything. If you can’t grow, heal, or influence it—leave it. Keeping yourself planted in a toxic environment is killing your growth.

There are endless choices that can be made. And when you’re considering each of them, forget blame. Point the finger at yourself and consider using growth as your north star.

…It’ll never lead you astray.

Advice From Neil Gaiman and My Mom on Writing / Creating

Published on October 29, 2024

The other day, while spending time with my mom, she asked how my writing/creating journey has been going.

After telling her, I asked her the same.

And during her response she mentioned this idea of a clearing that’s been circling in my mind ever since.

She essentially said she hasn’t started any of her personal writing/creating projects because she still has a decent project workload that’s keeping her busy as is. And she said what she imagines herself doing to better honor her muse is create a clearing in her schedule where she can just sit and ruminate… uninterrupted and without obligation of any kind… maybe even for days at a time.

And with that clearing, she imagined not binge watching her favorite Ion TV episodes, but letting her creative juices flow and seeing what comes up.

And it reminded me of something Neil Gaiman said when he was asked how he found inspiration to create, to which he said something along the lines of: I get myself bored.

The problem in today’s world, he adds, is that it’s really hard to get bored. There are millions of people online just waiting to entertain us with a thumb tap or two…

But, if we can manage it, boredom is the springboard for ideas. It’s where our mind starts to daydream, drift, remix, and wander… it’s when it starts to actively try to entertain itself.

And so this is the insight I’m currently playing with in my life: how can I create more clearings in my schedule? How can I deliberately get myself into more states of boredom? How can I create a space where my muse will more frequently visit?

Energy Up Front

Published on October 28, 2024

I read something today that said, “It takes just as much energy to start the task as it does to delay.”

And I definitely disagree.

In today’s world, it’s never been easier to delay. And not only that, but the instant gratification that comes from delaying via distraction and dopamine hitting makes it highly rewarding to delay.

Whereas doing something that isn’t instantly rewarding, gives no dopamine hits, and is filled with natural resistance is undoubtedly harder and requires more energy—how could it not be? We have to fight, not just against the initial resistance of the task, but against the temptation that’s trying to suck our energy away and back into delay tasks.

It’s like saying it takes just as much energy to start a run around the block as it does to stay in bed and sleep in. Nope, sure doesn’t.

Here’s what I think: the conversation shouldn’t be around how much energy it takes to start… it should be around how much pain it saves you from in the end.

Sure starting a run around the block takes a bunch more up front energy than sleeping in, but it saves you from a bunch more future pain because of the delayed health benefits. And so it is with cleaning because of the delayed peace of mind benefits. And so it is with creating because of the delayed meaning benefits. And so it is with countless other growth oriented tasks.

The key is to consider your future self and do what you know is going to be good for them… even when—especially when—it requires a little more energy up front.