Ep274: Jordan Paris – Do What You Want to Do

Andrew Stotz 00:02
Hello fellow risk takers and welcome to my worst investment ever stories of loss to keep you winning. In our community we know that to win in investing, you must take risk but to win big, you've got to reduce it. This episode is sponsored by a Scots Academy which offers online courses to help investors better manage their stock portfolios, aspiring professionals to learn how to value any company in the world business leaders to make their companies financially world class and even beginners to implement a simple lifetime investment plan. Go to my worst investment ever.com to get free access to my short course six ways to lose your money and six strategies to win where I share the six lessons I've learned from all of these podcasts interviews fellow risk takers. This is your worst podcast host Andrew Stotz and I'm here with featured guests. Jordan, Paris. Jordan, are you ready to rock?

Jordan Paris 00:54
Yeah, kinda just laughing at myself. Introduce yourself as the worst podcast ever I like it.

Andrew Stotz 01:02
It's undisputed. I haven't had a I didn't have a guy on LinkedIn today. Send me a message and say he's up for a challenge. Try to take me Take away my title. But yeah, I don't know. He's the one with the metrics of day. It's gonna be kind of a mike tyson, Roy Jones type of you know, knockout. All right, so let's, uh, let's go through I think I want to just tell the audience a little bit about what you do. First of all, go and listen to Jordans podcasts growth mindset University. It's ranked number six in Apple's self improvement category. And number three in training. Jordan is author podcast host, an entrepreneur featured in Forbes entrepreneur, Men's Health, Yahoo, finance, and Market Watch. So Jordan, take a minute in Philly, for the tidbits about your life.

Jordan Paris 01:55
Yeah, just having fun. Now people see our people see stuff and you know, how do you do this? How do you do that? I don't know, man that just been doing what I want to do having fun and things come natural. And I do what comes natural to me. And yeah, there's just not much more to it, man.

Andrew Stotz 02:19
There's just not. And I guess, one one quick question is, you know, I mean, obviously, you really got all in on the podcast train. How are you enjoying it? You know, what would you say to the audience out there that are thinking maybe I want to do a podcast or that type of thing? What would you say to them?

Jordan Paris 02:38
Hmm, I'd say that. First, you have to enjoy it. I mean, if you're going to do it as a way to make money or solely as a way to make money, you think it's a you know, it's a hot new thing, or you're just doing it because other people are doing it and you think you should too, then that's not those are both not good reasons to start, just just start because it's something that you honestly want to do. Hmm, that's what I have people consider do like, do I actually want to do this? Or am I just doing it because other people are doing it? Or because it seems like a hot opportunity?

Andrew Stotz 03:18
Yeah, good advice, because it does get hard, you know, and there are times that you got to keep pushing yourself self through it, you know, so it's a great point. You got to you know, I mean, I know with my own podcast, I just wanted to be on the mic. I wanted to share stories I wanted to meet people and listen to their stories so it was something that you know, I had a lot of passion for but definitely get what you're saying. Mm hmm All right, well, now it's time to share your worst investment ever and since no one ever goes into their worst investment thinking it will be tell us a bit about the circumstances leading up to it and then tell us your story.

Jordan Paris 03:51
Yeah, I this is actually only something I realized two days ago. A big Piff honey brought on by being honestly not sober. Believe it that nice hell it was I start to realize that I'm doing everything wrong. I'm going out about my career the entire my career so to say I'm going about it the complete wrong way and by the way, I've never verbalized this so it's gonna sound good. Yep. So I kind of got wrapped up in the I wasn't cool in high school. So now I just want to prove everyone wrong and I want to be famous sort of thing. Yep. And the only way of attaining fame and credibility for me over the past few years I'm not saying I'm like super famous I'm obviously not you know, but I have some level of notoriety, obviously. Yep. The only way I have attained credibility over the past few years is just surrounding myself with other famous people. And so I'm just another one of my essentially, growth mindset University, for the most part, has been a show where people can have a front row seat to my own narcissism where I'm just talking with famous people laughing along with them, sucking up to them, you know, not really asking the tough questions, because I'm a coward. And, yeah, I think a lot of a lot, a lot, a lot of podcasters not all a lot, a lot. A lot of podcasters, including myself, are narcissists. And I'm very much a narcissist. And I, you know, and I and I, I get it now. I mean, the people who are the people who do get it and who have do kind of understand this in their mind already, they I get I understand now that they look at me, they look at my website and be like, God, just another one of those guys. Just another one of those want to be famous people. Just another narcissist. And now, I want to be if I'm going to be known, I want to be known for actually having something to say, for have act having actually done something. I don't want to be known just because I don't want to be, here's what I don't want to be. I don't want to be famous just just for being famous. Yep. And so I realized the past, really three years of my life, I've just been running sprinting, the complete wrong direction. I don't know if it makes sense. makes sense to me. So, yeah,

Andrew Stotz 07:08
hmm. And what would you say, you know, as you start to look at this epiphany that you're having, what what what are you learning from it?

Jordan Paris 07:26
I think realizing it is enough. Yep. Awareness is almost always the first step. Mm hmm. I have known that though. Yeah.

Andrew Stotz 07:42
It's interesting that you start this off by saying, you said two words, not sober. Yeah, and, you know, my, my story is a story of alcohol and drugs. And, you know, very, very low self esteem when I was young, and feeling, you know, inadequate in so many ways in. And it led me into a real dark place that, you know, basically involved. Lots of trouble, lots of drugs, lots of alcohol. And also, you know, yeah, attempted suicide at the time. And amazingly, I went through three different rehabs until the third one still stuck. And that was September 15 1982. And so it's been many years, you know, since I've had a drink or drug, but I can say that one of the things that you just said is so true, is that awareness is the first step, no matter what it is in life, and I think this is a great discussion for listeners to think about. What is that thing in your life, you know, that you've either been running from, or you haven't been aware of? Today's a day, and I think Jordan is giving us a good example, to stop running. And turn around. Yeah, embrace it.

Jordan Paris 09:04
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. And I want to say for the record to drugs and alcohol are not my problem. Everyone who knows me knows that, you know, I prob I think I had last week I had my first drink and probably eight weeks, and I do a, an edible weed candy, like 10 to 15 milligrams every two weeks, you know, once every two weeks. And it's just a, you know, just a way to access a different consciousness. I'm actually I'm quite the not not necessarily publicly but I'm quite I'd be quite the advocate for for that. I think it's a really great thing I've talked to physicists named Cliff Irwin of Irwin naturals, and his company is a sub company. I mean, people who go to Whole Foods have surely seen as supplements and, and he also produces CBD and is a big fan of THC as well. So I, you know, I've I don't, I don't do this kind of stuff without doing my homework. I think it adds very much to my life as opposed to take away, which it would if I did it every day or every other day. So, just for the record,

Andrew Stotz 10:20
that's good, always make sure the record is clear. And, you know, I mean, I think the other thing that that I would take away from, from what you've talked about is that, going back to high school thinking about that, you know, I now that I'm many years away from high school, and what's so funny is that people that I used to be in high school with, say, really amazing things about me now, and I think I was such a, I mean, I was so insecure at the time, and I didn't click much with almost anybody except, you know, a small, tiny group of people. And I always, you know, as I look back, I just feel how fragile I was. And I know that, you know, one of the lessons that I've learned from that is, you know, people don't really care that much about you, you know, and I used to be so caught up with that. And I have a friend of mine, my best friend Dale, and he said something when we were first becoming friends many years ago, and he had kind of a dispute with someone, and he said to them, something that just stuck with me for the rest of my life. He said, if you have a problem with that, that's your problem. And that just blew me away. Because I always felt like everybody else's problem was my problem. And that really gave me the sense that I could separate myself from someone else's bad day and someone else's negative attitude and just say, No, that's your problem. And I'm looking at mine, and I'm dealing with mine. So, you know, that's one thing that it kind of made me think about listening to your story.

Jordan Paris 12:02
You said, triggered this in me, a lot of us do things we don't actually want to do and buy things we don't actually want just to impress people that don't actually care. And then we're forced to do more things that we don't want to do to keep up that lifestyle, to keep up with that image. And that's a whole different kind of, that's a rat race. It's a different kind of rat race from, you know, people that say rat race, and you think of the corporate world, but a lot of people are in the rat race, and they don't even realize it. And I'm kind of coming to terms with that. So that's my problem.

Andrew Stotz 12:49
Yeah, in my

Jordan Paris 12:50
book, if you boiled it down to one thing, if you boil it down to one sentence, it's I made the world into one big High School. That's what it is.

Andrew Stotz 13:04
Well, congratulations, you've graduated from high school. Now, time to move on. Right? Fantastic. All right. So based upon what you've been learning about yourself from this story, and what you continue to learn, what one action would you recommend our listeners take to avoid suffering the same fate? Hmm.

Jordan Paris 13:27
I don't know, man. I hear what you want to just do what you want to do, like, honestly do what you want to do. And actually, it's funny how when you mentioned about a podcast, what would you say to people? I said the same thing, like if you want Actually, I was just gonna say, actually want to do it. Just learn to learn to question yourself and question everything. There's there. Yeah, it's just what I do. I scrutinize myself. And I think it leads to good things. Now two, useful realization.

Andrew Stotz 14:05
That reminds me when you talked about, you know, I'm thinking about, you know, what you said about do what you want to do. And I tell you a story of my sister. I was she's a pretty good artist, and she's a good painter and all that. And we were, she lives in Maine. So we were at a coffee shop nearby, and she saw this picture on the wall. Didn't you see that picture? I said, Yeah. And she said, that was the I painted that. I said, How did that get in here? And she said, Well, I my painting, I sold it, I sold it to them for 200 bucks, or whatever that was. And I looked at her and I said, my goodness, why don't you become a painter? You could paint every morning, you know, in your basement, and you could then you could just sell these things. And you know, and she just looked at me and she said something that really just knocked me off my seat. She said, I don't like painting. Right? And that's when I realized, yeah, do what you want to do. Not even necessarily what you're good at. Do what you want to do. And that taught me that lesson. So I'm glad that you've reminded me. Yeah, cuz. All right. Well, last question. What's your number one goal for the next 12 months?

Jordan Paris 15:21
Probably something business related with my podcast production company. You know, you have a certain we have a certain revenue goal. And I'm excited to chase that. And then chasing that. Yeah, I think we'll get it next year.

Andrew Stotz 15:50
And I think the second thing is, maybe be more of you. Do more of what you want to do. Mm hmm.

Jordan Paris 15:57
Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, yeah. That. Yeah, I turn it around. If I have to.

Andrew Stotz 16:03
Yeah. You've inspired us all. With that. Well, listeners, there you have it. Another story of laws to keep you winning. Remember to go to my worst investment ever.com to get free access to my short course six ways to lose your money, and six strategies to win. As we conclude, Jordan, I want to thank you again for coming on the show. And on behalf of a Stotz Academy, I hereby award you alumni status for turning your worst investment ever into your best teaching moment. Do you have any parting words for the audience?

Jordan Paris 16:33
Now Thank you.

Andrew Stotz 16:35
Absolutely. Welcome. And thank you for sharing and that's a wrap on another great story to help us create, grow and protect our well fellow risk takers. This is your worst podcast host Andrew Stotz saying I'll see you on the upside. That'll be