Developing an Edge, Investing Your Cash & Upside of Pandemic with Matthew Ory

Matthew Ory embodies everything this podcast is about. His first appearance on the podcast is still elevating new listeners almost a year later. When Pain Becomes Power was raw & inspirational, even emotional at times—round two is even better.

Matt is a real estate investor, attorney & my lifelong friend. In this episode, he brings mental toughness & optimism to an uncertain time.

He says that he’s “quarantined” his thoughts about COVID-19’s impact on South Louisiana. But not anymore. He says the high infection rate where he lives was inevitable due to the unhealthy lifestyle of most Louisianians. (According to a New York Times article updated daily, there are 255 cases of COVID-19 in New Orleans per capita, making it among the highest infection rates in the US.)

Matt’s also passionate about the media’s mishandling of the pandemic—he believes we’re not getting the whole story.

We also share feedback we’ve received from his first appearance, answer questions from listeners & give tips for how to position yourself for a better future by exploring different investment vehicles.

We talk about much more:

Sensationalizing news during a pandemic
Social media’s role in creating panic
Click-bait news (39-year old woman died before getting Coronavirus test results)
More click-bait, doctor is now ‘skeptical’ about 39-year old
How to handle anxiety
Getting your mental health right
Recognizing thoughts vs. feelings
Not wasting sexual energy
Setting yourself up for a big career
Comparing cancer vs. COVID-19 deaths
Getting checks from the government

Investing in Your Better Future:

Prices of assets are dropping
How we’re investing cash during this uncertain time
Why Brad was able to keep his job in 2008
How to make an investment in your career right now
Matt’s stellar team at AMO Title Services
Getting comfortable in solitude
Valuing time with yourself
Using ‘social distancing’ for reflection on where you’ve been
Gaining control of your “monkey mind”
Thinking about where you are now
Planning for what you want your future to be like
The Compound Effect
Seeing the positive side of every negative
Reverting to present-state awareness (like a child)
Tips for getting your financial health in order
Books to help generate optimism in the future
Discipline as a choice vs. discipline is who you are
Looking for motivation & your why
How Matt handles his anxiety

Mamba Mentality & Mindset

Feedback Matt’s received from our last episode
Brad’s evolving definition of success
Fulfilling your potential
Setting yourself apart
What success means to Matt
Leadership lessons from Thad Rispone
Becoming a 1-in-1000 success
The Mamba Mentality
Matt’s inner-monologue
Adjustments he expects after marriage
Cultivating happiness & peace at home
How Matt’s approaching commercial real estate investing right now

Questions asked:

What is it right now that is bothering you most about what we’re being told by the media?
Are you at a point now where you are starting to invest some of your cash?
How are your employees viewing this time right now?
You’ve been to Italy, correct?
What kind of feedback did you get from the episode: “When Pain Becomes Power?”
Are you a disciplined person or has it become so part of you that discipline is not even something you consider?
How do you develop an edge (if you don’t already have an edge)?
You said that you can be multi-focused at times, what are you doing to try to improve in that area?
Do you have any concern that you’ll go all-in too quickly [with your cash into the stock market]?
How do you think about success?
Do you have an internal monologue?
Do you think that I’m like you in that way (being tough to figure out)?
What advantages do you think we’ve had by being bachelors until we were almost 40 years old?
What is the biggest adjustment you think you’ll have to make after you’re married?
Have you ever thought about the fact that all vices (gambling, promiscuity, [propensity toward violence]) were once virtues?
What kind of exercise are you getting during social distancing?

Fun questions:

Who would win a governor’s race between Drew Bress vs. Ed Orgeron?
Could you ever work for somebody who is 10 years younger than you?
Could you work for someone who works less hard than you?
Are there any sorts of things you do in your business to try to garner the respect of your employees?
What are the last two notes in your phone?