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Matt Hogan's Blog Posts

Right People Interactions

Published on December 29, 2022

It can be tempting (now more than ever) to let: likes; saves; praise; comments; shares—signal to us our worth.

“The more I get = the more I’m valued = the more I’m loved”

…So tempting.

…But, so backwards.

The goal isn’t to GET signaled our worth…

The goal is to STEP INTO our worth and send a strong ass signal out for all of those within our worlds to receive.

This way, we don’t become who/what the latest trends/algorithms tell us to become… we tell the world who we are and let the right interactions happen from there.

Right people interactions >>> Greatest number of digital reactions.

Don’t get it twisted.

P.s. I updated my email opt-in page to include testimonials. If you enjoy getting these and wouldn’t mind being featured on the page, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these 1-minute morning emails (you can directly reply). Thanks in advance :)

Measures Of Success:

Published on December 28, 2022

The first five were from Stephen Parato:

  1. Number of “Aha” moments
  2. Number of heartfelt “I love yous”
  3. Number of heartfelt “Thank yous”
  4. Number of full immersions in flow state
  5. Number of times being completely awe-struck by the beauty of existence

Which inspired these five from me:

  1. Number of moments spent belly laughing
  2. Number of moments spent looking at a fire
  3. Number of moments spent deep in conversation
  4. Number of times you published/ shared/ shipped your art
  5. Number of moments spent completely present with loved ones

I’d love to keep the list going… either journal or reply… what are some “real” measures of success to you?

Thumb Taps and Mouse Clicks

Published on December 27, 2022

Why waste even a minute of your life’s most precious resource looking at shit that makes you feel terrible about yourself?

What you have right here—at the tips of your fingers—is the very means to your most realized self. What you also have is the very means to your most unrealized, latent self.

It is no small thing to realize: thumb taps and mouse clicks drastically change lives.

P.s. I also published 48 Brianna Wiest Quotes from The Mountain Is You on Self-Sabotage and Healing

Avoiding Triggers

Published on December 26, 2022

There’s a difference between avoiding your triggers and AVOIDING your triggers.

When you consciously avoid people who spew toxicity, for example, that’s strategy.

When you AVOID the feelings that arise when you’re triggered and suppress/ numb/ hide—that’s not strategy—that’s a slow tragedy.

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

Knocking On Doors

Published on December 25, 2022

Things I discovered today from knocking on neighbors’ doors after the Buffalo Blizzard:

  • An elderly neighbor, who had an electric stove (but no electricity) had no way of heating up the food she had stored.
  • Two neighbors had no way of communicating (in case of serious emergency) because their phones died (and they were completely snowed in their houses).
  • A really unlucky neighbor’s window got smashed in early into the blizzard (from a patio pole that came loose from wind gusts)—causing blizzard like conditions to scream into her living room of her unpowered house.

I share this, not to share how helpful I was in helping solve these problems, but as a reminder that sometimes, the people who need the most help are the ones who have the most trouble asking.

The elderly neighbor wasn’t gonna trudge through the snow knocking on doors to ask for help—and the neighbor whose window got smashed in was so barricaded with snow that she couldn’t even open her front door without risking it breaking from bowing.

This goes for the people in everyday weather situations just as much as it does for people in the midst of a post-blizzard reality.

If you can find it in yourself to take the initiative, offer help proactively, and make it a regular selfless practice of asking something as simple as: “Hey! Is there anything I can do to help you?”—I imagine you’ll make a profound impact in the lives of some really grateful, humble-hearted people.

Blizzard of ’22 [Poem]

Published on December 24, 2022 
This snow doesn’t fall
It screams

Running parallel to streets
Digging deep

As a silver olympian
Extends for gold

An otherworldly relentlessness
Seen only asleep

My eyes turn inward
Inspired and see

Thick, swirling steam
A lifeline; hope

Two days no power
Creative heat

I turn inward again
And grasp tighter the rope

All That Remains

Published on December 23, 2022

Gratitude notes from the Buffalo Blizzard:

  • No power… has been a great chance to catch up on reading
  • Whiteout conditions for 12+ hours (so far)… has made me really appreciate this roof
  • A 50º F House… has made coats, blankets, and hot drinks an absolute luxury

Losing things is an excellent reminder that everything we have is temporary. One day, we’re going to lose it all. This isn’t meant to be a gloomy thought. Just a reminder to be truly thankful for all that we have while it’s still here… And for all that remains when we do, in fact, lose some of what we gained along the way.

P.s. Thinking hits different next to candlelight than it does in LEDs… thankful for those deep, reflective-type thoughts coming in hot from candlelight tonight.