Kevin Palmieri
(0:00) If you have ever said, I think self-improvement and or personal development is a scam, I completely understand, and here's why.
Alan Lazaros
(0:09) With some people, it actually is a scam, so be careful. (0:12) However, self-improvement, personal development, and personal growth, they're so intangible sometimes it's hard to see how much of a big difference they make over time. (0:22) Welcome to Next Level University.
Kevin Palmieri
(0:24) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:26) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazaros. (0:29) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no-BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.
Alan Lazaros
(0:36) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.
Kevin Palmieri
(0:42) We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits, and defining your own unique version of success.
Alan Lazaros
(0:58) Self-improvement, in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:05) Welcome to Next Level University.
Kevin Palmieri
(1:10) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,542. (1:14) How does personal development actually help you? (1:18) I was listening to Jim Rohn today.(1:20) Oh yeah. (1:22) And most people in the success space, self-improvement space, most people have like an inception story of how things started for them. (1:31) And maybe it was the rock bottom thing.(1:34) It was the thing that changed their trajectory, whatever it is. (1:36) Jim Rohn's is, he was 25 years old, I believe. (1:39) And he had, at that point, he already had a wife and I think he had a family.(1:43) He definitely had a wife. (1:45) And a Girl Scout came to his door trying to sell Girl Scout cookies. (1:49) They were $2 a box and he didn't have enough money to buy them.(1:51) So he lied to her and said, oh, we have so many already. (1:54) We've already purchased a bunch of Girl Scout cookies. (1:56) We still have the boxes left over.(1:58) We call this the moment of shame. (1:59) The moment of shame. (2:00) Well, we've had many of those.(2:02) And now, well, he's since passed on, right? (2:07) But he eventually went on to be one of the most successful people in the personal development and or success space, for sure. (2:17) International speaker, bestselling author, all those things.(2:20) And I can understand if you, I don't know, if you're like new to the space, you'd be like, well, how did he? (2:26) So he just did that from personal development. (2:28) He just like got better and learned and grew and evolved and read books and masterminded with people.(2:35) How did he end up being so successful? (2:38) When I was listening to it today, I was like, of course you could, of course you would think it's bullshit. (2:44) Of course you would.(2:45) I, the reason I didn't read books until my late twenties, mid twenties, late twenties is because I didn't understand the importance of them. (2:54) I know that sounds dumb. (2:56) I know that probably sounds naive.(2:58) I understand. (2:59) But to your point, I didn't realize how much of success was like the invisible things that don't really, just like there are things that do not immediately lead to lack of success. (3:13) But if you them for long enough, the trend line and the pattern becomes obvious.(3:18) It's the same for success. (3:20) I didn't understand that. (3:21) I didn't understand there's, you're not going to read a book that's going to change your life most likely, but it will change one thing in your life that can then change many things in your life.(3:30) So I understand if you're out there, probably not you because you're, if you watch and or listen to us every day, obviously you're bought into personal development, but I don't know. (3:38) I just thought it made for an interesting conversation.
Alan Lazaros
(3:41) Well, let's the intangible aspects, let's make them as tangible as we can. (3:48) That's my goal. (3:51) Reading books, reading a book doesn't matter.(3:54) Reading books matters that I always go back to that. (3:57) It's like exercising once doesn't matter. (4:00) Exercising every day changes your whole life.(4:04) So it's not about reading a book or doing a workout. (4:08) It's about doing, becoming a reader, becoming someone who works out, becoming someone who's more aware and it's easy looking back. (4:18) It's not easy looking forward.(4:19) So if you look back at you when we first started this, you never could have done what you're doing now. (4:25) You now are struggling to do what you can do now. (4:27) For sure.(4:28) So how the hell would you ever, it's the metaphor, I think. (4:34) I like the metaphor of the computer. (4:36) It's like this Zen book over here.(4:37) It was $621. (4:41) It's not nearly as powerful as your Mac book. (4:45) Your Mac book costs three times as much.(4:47) Okay. (4:48) But it's at least 10 times better. (4:53) This computer that I have is capable of doing most stuff.(4:56) It can, it can do emails. (4:58) It can do WhatsApp. (4:59) It can do browsing the internet.(5:01) It can do chat GPT, but it's not. (5:04) And the wifi card is pretty good, but not great. (5:07) The hardware and software and operating system and firmware on this thing is probably one 10th as powerful as your machine, but I can do 80% of what I need to do on it.(5:21) But that additional 20% that you can do, you can, you can do pretty much anything with yours for the most part. (5:26) Anything that's, that's not true. (5:28) Anything within the realm of reason, like you can video edit, you can like, you don't have any issues ever.(5:33) Right. (5:33) I'm assuming.
Kevin Palmieri
(5:34) Yeah.
Alan Lazaros
(5:34) That, that is like one of the best machines that there is. (5:37) And again, there's, there's definitely levels. (5:39) So there's better, but in this metaphor, and I know this is going to come off pretentious, but I need it to land.(5:47) So I'm going to do it. (5:47) I'm going to say it in this metaphor, Kevin's the Zen book and I'm the Mac book just in this metaphor. (5:54) What am I intrinsically better than Kevin?(5:56) No, no, but I have better hardware, better software, better firmware. (6:01) I have a more updated operating system. (6:03) Why?(6:03) Because I started doing personal development way before you, I had goals and dreams way before you, which required more of me. (6:14) This is so hard to talk about because people get so upset about it. (6:19) But when I'm in a Panera and I'm ordering food and I see someone like taking my order, I'm evaluating their level of competence.(6:30) There's levels. (6:32) They know how to take the order and they were very kind. (6:35) Do they know how to run the global company?(6:38) Do they understand how the global company of Panera runs? (6:41) Do they understand how to price the right product for right price? (6:44) Do they understand the delivery service?(6:46) Do they understand the app? (6:47) Do they understand how the infrastructure works? (6:49) Do they understand the global economy?(6:50) Do they understand there's 195 countries and 8.4 billion people on earth, 6 billion on the internet. (6:54) Do they understand private versus public versus investors versus consumers? (6:59) Do they understand how it works?(7:02) Do they understand why it works? (7:04) Do they understand how to run that store versus the entire district versus the entire region versus the entire country versus the entire fucking world? (7:12) The answer is no.(7:14) And that's why they're there and someone else is running the company. (7:19) And I've actually researched a bit about Panera and their chief officers. (7:22) And at the end of the day, that's the difference.(7:25) There are no 22 year old chief officers of Panera because no one at 22 knows enough to run that company. (7:31) And I just don't get why no one knows that. (7:35) Like people, when I was in corporate, they used to say, oh, people get promoted to their level of incompetence.(7:39) That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard. (7:41) No, they don't. (7:43) Some people do because they're good at hoodwinking people.(7:45) But at the end of the day, most of the people that are at the top of organizations, they're doing cognitive labor. (7:52) That's invisible. (7:54) Jim Rohn is speaking.(7:55) He's really freaking good. (7:57) Unless you're a speaker, you don't know that. (7:58) See, you nodded your head.(7:59) Yes, he's. (8:00) But I remember when I first heard him 11 years ago, I was like, he's doesn't seem that good to me. (8:04) It's all the subtle distinctions.(8:06) He's funny. (8:07) He's engaging. (8:08) It's compelling.(8:09) He makes really profound, complex topics, simple for people. (8:13) His, his one-liners are world-class.
Kevin Palmieri
(8:15) So good that you don't think he's good because he doesn't want you to, because he doesn't want you to think he's good.
Alan Lazaros
(8:20) Exactly.
Kevin Palmieri
(8:20) That's how good he is at speaking.
Alan Lazaros
(8:22) Exactly. (8:23) And, and you don't know, I was thinking about, this is another good example. (8:26) Emilia and I are rewatching the hunger games.(8:29) The, the there's four movies technically, but it's a trilogy. (8:31) And then there's technically five movies because they did a prequel. (8:34) There's a new one coming out.(8:35) My point is Jennifer Lawrence. (8:36) I just want to talk about this for a second, dude, watching these films. (8:41) She is so good that she can make in the film.(8:45) She's supposed to have you seen them? (8:47) No, no, you haven't seen. (8:48) All right.(8:48) They're freaking unbelievable. (8:49) But anyways, Jennifer Lawrence is such a good actor that she has to act at not being a good actor. (8:58) There's a scene where she's shooting propos, quote unquote, where she is, has to pretend to be a bad actor.(9:04) It's unfreaking. (9:05) It's like mad acting. (9:06) It's so cool.(9:07) And she's so freaking good. (9:09) So good. (9:10) And those films I think are absolute masterpieces.(9:12) Now I've been studying films since I was a little kid. (9:15) I know what it takes, not fully. (9:18) I haven't made a feature film.(9:20) Okay. (9:20) But I know more of what it takes than someone who's like, wow, that was a good movie. (9:23) It's like, no, that was like one of the best movies ever made.(9:27) One of the best trilogies ever made. (9:29) And it's with a female lead, which never freaking happens and never goes blockbuster. (9:33) Like there's so many nuances that are distinctions.(9:36) And so personal development, self-improvement and personal growth, they're invisible. (9:40) You walking down the street have no clue that I'm more developed. (9:43) You have no clue.(9:43) You have no clue that I know math and other people don't, there's nothing you can see. (9:50) But if you take 80% of the world's wealth, it is in the hands, I believe of the 20% that understands mathematics, but you can't see that. (10:01) And that's why you have to kind of trust it in advance and just hope it pays off.
Kevin Palmieri
(10:09) It just doesn't feel like, it just doesn't, on the day-to-day, it doesn't feel like it's making a difference at all.
Alan Lazaros
(10:17) Agreed.
Kevin Palmieri
(10:18) So skipping it doesn't feel like it would make a difference either. (10:21) And it wouldn't from day to, like today and tomorrow, I listened to Jim Rohn today, nothing. (10:30) Like I didn't take, what did you learn, Kev?(10:33) Almost nothing in the 20 minutes that I listened. (10:36) I didn't learn anything specific that I'm going to adjust my life because of. (10:42) If you had to find something, what would it be?(10:49) It wouldn't be for me as much as it would be for the art of influence. (10:56) He's really good at making things funny. (11:00) Like you don't even know you're learning.(11:03) He does a really good job of like miyagi-ing you into learning stuff without you even knowing you're learning. (11:08) That was a takeaway for sure. (11:11) But that was the thing that jumped off the page is like, well, okay, you couldn't buy a $2 box of Girl Scout cookies and now you're extremely wealthy.(11:18) And Tony Robbins has his story. (11:21) And most people, Brandon Burchard has his story. (11:22) Everybody has their story about how they hit rock bottom.(11:25) And then I have my story. (11:26) Alan has his story. (11:27) But that's the thing is like, well, that was nine years ago for me, almost 10 years ago.(11:38) Actually that was 10 years ago. (11:39) And like nothing happened in any of those years that made me jump the line or whatever, jump to the next level. (11:47) But every day it was like a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit.(11:51) And I don't know. (11:52) That's why I think it's so hard. (11:54) And I do think that's why people kind of like Hollywood eyes and glamorize personal development and self-improvement because I think they understand that will get more people to want to do it.(12:08) I think that's a piece of it. (12:09) And again, I don't, we don't really want to do that. (12:11) It's just not it.
Alan Lazaros
(12:11) Some people are just snakes. (12:13) Well, of course. (12:14) Yeah.(12:14) I think some of them are in the middle where it's like the only way this is attractive enough to actually do is to make it like, like Brendan Burchard, he dances on stage and all that. (12:23) And you and I aren't into that, but I get why he does it.
Kevin Palmieri
(12:27) I do now. (12:28) I do now more than I ever have, but yeah, I don't know. (12:30) That just jumped off the page.(12:31) I just under, I would imagine if you listened to that and then maybe you didn't know what Jim Rohn's daily habits were. (12:41) It was like, okay, he had a rock bottom moment and now he's uber successful. (12:44) Like something must, there must be a catch.
Alan Lazaros
(12:47) There is. (12:47) Yeah. (12:47) Here's the catch 25 years old to how old is he in that speech?(12:53) 65, 70. (12:56) I don't even, the catch is 40 years. (13:00) And that's the thing too, that I really hope lands is like, again, we are finally perceived as successful, which I'm grateful for.(13:10) And I, whatever the truth is, is when I had my rock bottom moment at 26, we were broke for several years. (13:20) We struggled for years. (13:22) Right.(13:23) And now we're quote unquote successful, but what's the catch. (13:26) We did it every day for 11 years for me, 11 for you 10. (13:29) And I'm talking about my car accident versus your rock bottom suicidal ideation.(13:33) But that's, that's the, you start off a podcast and people say, well, take me back. (13:37) And I always say this, I'm going to condense 37 minutes into three minutes, 37 years into three minutes. (13:43) And I started when I was two, I started out my dad died when I was two.(13:48) And, and the problem with this is you are seeing and hearing someone who has gotten to a certain place in their life. (13:58) And then you're looking at the highlights, the big downs and the big ups, basically. (14:07) So not just the highlights, some atrocious moments too, but like, and it's just hard to condense a decade into 10 minutes.(14:14) It's impossible. (14:15) Actually, it's actually literally impossible, but in storytelling, that's what you do. (14:22) That's what you do.(14:23) And so you have to kind of what I've really tried to do. (14:28) This is why I like the that book. (14:30) Oh, so freaking good.(14:35) He it's a book. (14:37) So it's less of the narrative bias. (14:41) He breaks it down distinction by distinction all the way down to the neurochemistry of like how to do something that's never been done.(14:53) That's what that book might as well be how to achieve something that's never been achieved before. (14:58) And it's the best one course book. (15:05) It's the best one package that has all the answers when it comes to how to do something that's never been done.(15:11) Now, does that mean it has all the answers? (15:12) No, it's the best I've seen to date of how to do something that's never been done. (15:17) And when you and I first interviewed Steven and you read that book came out in 2019, you and I had a conversation behind the scenes of we're already doing most of this.(15:27) And I was like, brother, because we're trying to do something that's never been done. (15:31) So we, I have stumbled upon this same equation that he has created a book about. (15:37) And that was all by design.(15:39) I mean, I've been trying to do something that's never been done since I was a kid. (15:42) And so the difference between him and me is he's putting it in a book for you. (15:46) After all of his decades of research, I was just using the world as my library, persons, places, things, and ideas to figure out what works and what doesn't work and to synthesize all of the most important principles and distinctions.(16:00) And we say knowledge, awareness, we talked about all the time, hyperconscious being aware. (16:06) The reason I always joke about young people being stupid is because they just don't know that much because they just can't possibly, you just haven't accumulated. (16:14) That's like, um, there are no seven-year-old presidents and there shouldn't be, but you don't know enough to run a country effectively.(16:20) Cause you're a seven. (16:22) So, so, but, but I talk about time and age more than maybe anyone you've ever met. (16:26) And the reason why is because of that, like people that are young just really don't know much and they don't know that they don't know much until later.(16:37) And I'll feel the same way in 10 years and 10 years and 10 years. (16:40) And trust me, some people that are old don't know anything either. (16:42) Seriously, that's been alarming, but like time is the invisible factor, but it's not.
Kevin Palmieri
(16:49) So, okay, this is my thought. (16:51) This, this is the best representation for me. (16:53) This is the best visualization.(16:54) Okay. (16:55) Imagine you do one thing different than everybody around you every single day for 10 years. (17:01) So let's just say it's, um, you journal, right?(17:04) That's one thing you journal and none, none of the people around you do every day for 10 years.
Alan Lazaros
(17:10) Nice.
Kevin Palmieri
(17:11) I don't know what's going to happen. (17:12) You'll notice no difference for the first year, but even, but even that, like, I don't know what you'll be versus what they'll be in 10 years. (17:18) No idea.(17:19) You'll be better off. (17:21) You'll be no, not based on that one habit. (17:25) No, I have a pretty good, like, well, let me fucking do this.(17:28) Please do it. (17:29) I don't know where you'll be. (17:32) Okay.(17:32) But I'm willing to bet you will be more intentional and you will have more self-awareness and you'll have more discipline and more self-respect than the other people. (17:40) Imagine you journal and you exercise every day to small things. (17:45) Now, again, I know they're big, but they're big.
Alan Lazaros
(17:47) I mean, those are two huge ones. (17:49) One of them is self-reflection and the other one is exercise.
Kevin Palmieri
(17:53) But I mean, but I mean, it's not, this isn't groundbreaking information, right?
Alan Lazaros
(17:56) It's no, no. (17:58) Yeah, exactly. (17:58) Nothing in personal development really is.
Kevin Palmieri
(18:01) Okay. (18:01) Third thing. (18:02) Uh, every night before you go to bed, you say one thing that you're grateful for about your partner or spouse.(18:06) If you have one, if not, you just say one thing you're grateful for in life. (18:09) That's the third thing. (18:11) Fourth thing.(18:11) Every day you track your finances. (18:13) That's it. (18:14) Every day you track your finances.(18:16) And then fifth thing you learn for a half hour every day. (18:19) Beautiful. (18:20) Next level five to thrive, baby.(18:22) Five to thrive. (18:22) I don't know what your life will look like in 10 years. (18:26) You don't know.(18:27) I mean, you're, you're going to be statistically far above average in all of those things.
Speaker 3
(18:33) Yeah.
Alan Lazaros
(18:33) All of those things. (18:34) Not just those things. (18:35) I know, but that's the thing.(18:37) Do you think that person will be healthy, wealthy, and in love at top 10%? (18:41) That's what my brain says. (18:43) If you do those five things for a decade, there's no way you don't make it to the top 10%.
Kevin Palmieri
(18:47) Yeah. (18:47) I would have to imagine.
Alan Lazaros
(18:48) Yeah. (18:49) Unless you have serious disabilities.
Kevin Palmieri
(18:51) Well, go, go out in the street right now and then stop a hundred people and say, Hey, when's the last time you did this? (18:58) Okay, cool. (18:58) When's the last time you did this one?(18:59) If, I don't know, how many people do you think have done all five of those or some version of them every day for the last X amount of day, it's going to be a very small, almost no one.
Alan Lazaros
(19:09) Yeah.
Kevin Palmieri
(19:09) It's going to be a very small percentage of people. (19:11) Yeah. (19:11) But it's not day one.(19:14) It's not day five. (19:15) It's not day 20. (19:16) It's not, it's not the sixth month.
Alan Lazaros
(19:19) Year three. (19:19) You'll notice a difference. (19:20) But even then it's like, remember when I exercised every day and I was like, dude, the first two, like year, there was like no difference.
Kevin Palmieri
(19:27) Yeah. (19:27) I was like, that's now. (19:30) Very disheartening.(19:31) Very disheartening.
Alan Lazaros
(19:33) Yeah. (19:33) We're at four and a half years.
Kevin Palmieri
(19:34) There's a big difference now, but that's, that's why it's so hard, right? (19:38) Like you're not going to see any, you're not just like when we, when you coach people, I coach people. (19:44) It's like, you're six months in.(19:45) What the fuck did you think was going to happen? (19:48) You're only six months in. (19:49) You've done 25 episodes.(19:51) What do you, what do you think? (19:53) What do you think? (19:54) I have done a hundred times the episodes you have 100 X.(19:57) Of course, it's going to be a little bit different. (20:00) A hundred X. (20:01) That's your year.(20:02) You're one year old. (20:03) I'm a hundred years old.
Alan Lazaros
(20:04) You know what it is? (20:04) The internet, you said this earlier off air, the internet has screwed up the mindset.
Kevin Palmieri
(20:08) I think the internet shows you things that are anomalous and makes them seem common.
Alan Lazaros
(20:13) Normal.
Kevin Palmieri
(20:13) Yeah. (20:14) Yeah. (20:14) It's like everybody, if you're looking for fitness content, everybody is the top 1% of 1% that you're going to see.(20:21) Everybody. (20:21) It's wild.
Alan Lazaros
(20:22) Running a six minute mile, less than 1% of human beings will ever do it. (20:30) But on the internet, it seems like everybody can do it. (20:32) Every crossfitter can do it.(20:34) You know, it's like, and no, that's not true. (20:37) But the point is, is that greatness is made normal on the internet based on the algorithms. (20:44) Yeah.(20:44) You see the best and worst things on the internet. (20:47) You're only seeing the peaks and the troughs.
Kevin Palmieri
(20:48) Yeah.
Alan Lazaros
(20:49) Like Jennifer Lawrence was a, an actress for, I don't know, since she was a kid, right? (20:55) She was an actress since she was a kid. (20:56) I don't know how long it took.(20:57) And she was one of the ones who popped off early. (20:59) That's, that's like a wild anomalous success story. (21:03) That's like non heard of.
Kevin Palmieri
(21:06) And it's still probably was a decade. (21:07) You know, there's a, there's this movie. (21:10) You wouldn't like it because it's a horror movie, but it's called obsession.(21:13) It was a, I almost watched it.
Alan Lazaros
(21:16) Uh, it's a thriller. (21:18) It's not a horror movie.
Kevin Palmieri
(21:19) Uh, it's tech. (21:19) I think it's technically a horror movie. (21:20) It's not scary.(21:21) It's not like thrillers.
Alan Lazaros
(21:23) I can do horror. (21:24) I'm not a fan.
Kevin Palmieri
(21:25) If this is, this is a good movie. (21:27) It was low budget.
Alan Lazaros
(21:28) Yeah.
Kevin Palmieri
(21:29) And it far out.
Alan Lazaros
(21:31) I mean, isn't it a girl or a guy who like, cause we were looking for a thriller yesterday. (21:36) We watched something called the dry and Eric Banner was actually excellent, but I'm, I can do thrillers.
Kevin Palmieri
(21:42) So I think, I think it would be a very interesting character study. (21:45) I think you would enjoy the characters. (21:47) It's very well acted.(21:49) The point I'm making though, is the, I don't know much about the actor, but the actress who is one of the stars of it, I think she got paid like, I don't know, something very low, small, small, small amount of money for that. (22:03) I think it was 40. (22:04) I think she got 40.
Alan Lazaros
(22:05) Yeah. (22:05) Makes sense.
Kevin Palmieri
(22:06) But nothing happened after the movie, the movie came out and she was broke and she tried to get other movies. (22:14) Nothing happened. (22:14) She was screaming.(22:16) No, no, no, no. (22:18) Even after it came out for a little while, nothing happened. (22:21) And she was streaming on YouTube to like make money.(22:24) And I think she was doing like door dash or something. (22:26) Now she's in some Marvel movie. (22:28) She's all over the place now.(22:29) Now she's massive.
Speaker 3
(22:30) Yeah.
Kevin Palmieri
(22:31) But like to your point, she had a bit, she was in a bunch of other stuff back in the day. (22:36) It just never, this was the thing. (22:39) Yep.(22:40) This was the thing. (22:41) And it was the right movie at the right time. (22:43) She did a phenomenal job.(22:44) She's a great actress. (22:45) It just, it just happened. (22:48) That's the other thing too, is like when you are doing those five things that very few people are doing every single day, you just like stay in the game longer and you get opportunities.(22:59) You see opportunities you wouldn't normally see. (23:01) You say yes to opportunities you wouldn't normally say yes to. (23:03) And you do well at those opportunities because your capacity and your capability and your competence and your skill sets just very developed.(23:11) And then you get more opportunities because of that. (23:13) And you can say yes to those. (23:14) And it's, yeah, it's weird.(23:16) The whole thing's weird.
Alan Lazaros
(23:17) Last piece. (23:18) We got four minutes. (23:19) I, this is why we need to talk more about failing forward and failing upward and failure because we're going to do that tomorrow.(23:27) If you can't, if that woman couldn't endure failure and disappointment, it's impossible for her to be successful. (23:32) Like there's a couple fundamentals. (23:34) I always say control the controllables.(23:36) There's a couple things in your control, work ethic, learning, awareness, networking. (23:44) There's a lot of things in your control. (23:45) There is, there's certain things that aren't.(23:50) You have to control the controllables. (23:52) And, and we made the joke on an episode last week of like my mom and sister think I'm really lucky. (23:57) They actually think that this is not a joke.(23:59) This is not me making this up. (24:00) Like they, to this day, think I fall into a bed of roses. (24:03) They say it all the time.(24:05) And it's like, if you, if either of you, and I would say this to their face, my mom and sister, do you guys have any idea how unlucky I've been? (24:15) If you knew like, no, that's not what it is. (24:18) It's definitely not what it is.(24:21) You and I make a joke of our client who has a foundation, not a foundation, a daycare of strong start. (24:27) And I joke like strong start for you and I kept one of my favorite things is that we are proof that more is in your control than you think. (24:35) If I told you my story, dad dies at two stepdad leaves at 14, lost three families by the time I was 14.(24:41) And that's just the beginning. (24:43) There's so much more that that's not someone who's statistically going to be successful. (24:48) Couldn't afford college, but, but I, I did control the controllables because I had high self-belief.(24:55) So, and I still do. (24:57) Like I'm, I'm, I want everyone listening to take back control of their own future. (25:06) Take back control of your own self-improvement, personal development, and personal growth.(25:10) Here's what I can promise you. (25:11) You might not achieve all your goals and dreams overnight. (25:14) You definitely won't, but you will be better off for sure.(25:19) I quit it, dude. (25:19) I, we should create a list at some point of every change we made. (25:23) I, that problem is, could you remember them all?(25:26) I couldn't know. (25:26) I would have to work on it. (25:27) We did a time on it once.(25:28) I would have to be like one of those moments. (25:31) And in the future, we are actually going to do retreats. (25:33) It's going to be very small, very select people like a weekend.(25:37) And it's going to be like from soup to nuts, the beginning to the end. (25:41) Like, what did I do? (25:42) I quit drinking.(25:43) There's so many little changes. (25:45) You just mentioned those five habits. (25:46) I remember being like, okay, I'm going to exercise every day.(25:49) I'm going to quit drinking. (25:50) Boom. (25:51) Step one.(25:52) And there's so many more since. (25:55) And they just, they just accumulate and compound and they just, and now, and then it was okay. (26:01) We'll get a little better at speaking.(26:02) Okay. (26:02) And now let's focus on finance. (26:03) Okay.(26:03) Debt-free. (26:04) Okay. (26:04) Now we're going to do this.(26:05) Okay. (26:05) We're in relationships now. (26:06) Okay.(26:07) Health, wealth, and love. (26:08) Okay. (26:09) You just keep improving.(26:11) The one thing you can do is you can improve just like back to the computer metaphor. (26:16) This Zen book, no matter what you do, can't do as much as Kevin's MacBook. (26:22) The same is true for a person who works on themselves.(26:26) I at 37 would wipe the fucking walls with me at 27 in everything, except for fitness. (26:34) And honestly, even then, cause at 27, I was sort of near the beginning. (26:38) That's the truth.(26:39) I should do that me versus me more because that comes off less pretentious. (26:43) That's good.
Kevin Palmieri
(26:43) I like the me versus me.
Alan Lazaros
(26:45) Yeah. (26:45) I would wipe the walls with me in everything. (26:49) There's nothing.(26:50) 27 year old Allen could beat me at nothing except for binge drinking for sure. (26:54) I didn't binge drink at 27, but before that I definitely did. (26:57) The point is, that's how you should feel.(27:01) If past you can beat you at things, you're not getting better. (27:06) I would win in everything. (27:08) 37 Allen versus 27 Allen.(27:09) I would win in everything versus 17 Allen. (27:11) It wouldn't even be fair. (27:13) Everything, including fitness.(27:15) So that's how you should feel. (27:18) And along the way you need to know it's going to be invisible. (27:20) Progress is invisible until it is freaking huge.
Kevin Palmieri
(27:25) We're gonna talk about failing forward tomorrow. (27:26) Cause we haven't talked about that in a while. (27:28) So that's definitely a big piece of this.(27:30) We've got some, some good examples of that. (27:31) All right, cool. (27:33) One of the best things you can do.(27:36) Let's imagine the person has those five habits and they also have a coach they meet with every single week. (27:40) I'm willing to bet that person is going to be more successful. (27:42) So even if it was five habits versus five habits and a coach, I pick five habits and a coach any day of the week, reach out to Allen for coaching.(27:49) Allen is your guy for sure. (27:51) Also next level fitness accountability group, 10 pound and 10 week challenge ends in eight days.
Alan Lazaros
(27:57) Seven when you're listening to this.
Kevin Palmieri
(27:59) Seven when you're listening to this. (28:00) I weighed in last week at one 67.9. I did my 10 pounds in 10 weeks. (28:05) So I have accomplished the goal.(28:08) I want to do staying under until then that it's the goal. (28:11) Yeah. (28:11) I'm not gonna have a scale.(28:13) I'm not bringing a scale with me. (28:14) That's why I wanted to do it. (28:15) I don't want to freaking put a scale in my bag, but the challenge is still going.(28:20) The challenge is still going. (28:21) And if you're looking for accountability, there's always going to be accountability in the group, even if we're not doing a 10 pound and 10 week challenge. (28:26) So reach out to Allen and or myself, and we will let you in.(28:28) As always, we love you. (28:29) Appreciate you. (28:30) Grateful for each and every one of you.(28:31) If you are as committed as you say you are to getting to the next level, make sure you tune in tomorrow because we'll be here every single day to help you get there. (28:37) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential. (28:40) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University.(28:44) We love connecting with the Next Level family.
Alan Lazaros
(28:46) We mean it when we say family. (28:48) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (28:52) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.
Kevin Palmieri
(28:55) Thank you again, and we will talk to you tomorrow.