We recently had the chance to connect with Matthew Paris and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Matthew, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
I coach the first ever 6×6 football team for Second Baptist University Model – North. Most of my day is planning for practice and getting the players ready for the game. It’s fun. I’ve been coaching for about 16 years and have a passion for it. It’s so much more than playing to win, it’s about developing an athlete to take on life and how to be successful.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been working as a writer for many years and as a sports coach. I’ve written a lot of sports books through the years. My latest sports book is a novel. “The Brotherhood of Friday Nights” is set in the fictional town of Lakeway, Texas. It really focuses on the struggles of the players and how they deal with problems as the team goes through the season. The book is available on Amazon worldwide. I also have written and produced two short films, “A Time of Reflections” and “The Things We Hold Sacred.” Both films are very inspiring and filmed in one day. Both are playing on streaming platforms available worldwide.
I do a lot of filming and development of projects through my production company “Paris Group.” I’ve developed a lot of short films. I’m looking to develop my first feature film. It’s going to be great.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I’ve had a lot of great relationships over the years and I’ve had some falling outs. It’s okay. It’s life and you have to be able to move forward. You can take any negative and use it as a positive. I grew up playing sports, so, my coaches were very influential of how to work hard and how to achieve a goal. It’s important to set goals for yourself and try to achieve them. However, some goals are smaller and you can achieve them and some will take years. Writing a book is going to take a while. “The Brotherhood of Friday Nights” took over a year. At that time I was also coaching 6×6 football for Second Baptist University Model – North. I can pass on what I’ve learned to the next generation and hopefully they learn and be successful.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
The one kind thing is that you always look forward and you always be yourself. Throughout the years you’ll have people trying to influence you to think their way because it’s the right way. That’s not true. You have to be able to think for yourself and set goals for yourself to achieve. Society has changed a little bit in today’s time you have to protect yourself. You have to realize that and don’t let anyone ever put you down. With every negative there is a positive. Always look and move forward.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I’ve been praised and I’ve been called every negative thing in the book. You have to be prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally. Sometimes, you think this person is your friend, but they’ll say something negative behind your back. My true real friends I have always stuck close to is my old buddies and teammates from playing high school football. Whenever, I’m working on a television show, writing a short film, or writing a book, they are always interested and complimentary about it. They would tell me never quit and go forward and that is how winning is done.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I find psychology interesting. I studied it a little bit in college. I feel like there’s a gift I have that sometimes I wish I didn’t have. I can read people pretty well. Who wants you around and who doesn’t. I can sometimes take the feelings of others and use it. That’s why I feel like I can build interesting characters in my books or scripts. I understand that the world is full of positive and negative things and you have to deal with it. It’s part of life.
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Matthew Paris
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