Next Level University

#1509 - What Do You Do When You Feel Like You Need To Change?

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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It is mastering the art of change and pivoting for success. In this episode, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros talk about aligning with your inner truth, making the right decisions, and sometimes, simply giving yourself the green light to pursue what you believe is best for you. It is about stopping the bad habits, starting the right ones, improving the right ones, or maintaining momentum. It involves a mix of introspection, habit formation, and effective management of overwhelm. It is about aligning your decisions that resonate with you and understanding the 'why' behind your actions.

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Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

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Show notes:
[2:11] What do you feel is right or permitted
[3:16] 4 cardinal rules of success
[6:24] Peak performance tracker
[9:20] Change is scary
[11:24] It needs a tweak
[12:16] Janine talks about how valuable Group Coaching is, what her takeaway is, and why she thinks you should take the leap
[15:57] The most powerful question
[18:12] How do you get rid of things you used to do?
[21:26] Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

Speaker 1:

Next Level Nation. Welcome back to another episode of Next Level University, where we help you level up your life, your love, your health and your wealth. We hope you enjoyed our latest episode. One powerful practice to help with social anxiety. Today for episode number 1,509.

Speaker 1:

What do you do when you feel like you need to change? Why did I read it like that? I don't know, but I like the fact that I did. I had a client call today. This client of ours over at NLPS has a podcast, but we very rarely talk about podcasting. It's usually business, life decisions, overwhelm. There's a lot of stuff we very rarely talk about podcasting and today the theme of the call was pretty much what we're gonna talk about today what do you do when you feel like you need a change? This person said hey, there's a part of me that feels like I should just go all in and write my book and maybe stop the podcast for a while.

Speaker 1:

There's a part of me that thinks I should do this. There's a part of me that thinks I should do that. And I said well, what do you feel is right? It's almost. What do you feel is right and what do you feel you need permission to do in a way. Now that permission thing is a dangerous thing, because I could say Alan, I really want Domino's tonight. What do you think, man? Yeah, I know I'm on my diet, but what do you love? Pizza, you're a big pizza guy as well. What?

Speaker 2:

do you?

Speaker 1:

think Big fan Alan might say well, yeah, I mean, you only live once, get it. Now that's not necessarily the kind of permission I'm talking about. It's almost the permission of you've already made up your mind for something that you feel is more aligned. You're just looking for somebody else to agree with you. So you know it's super aligned. So there's very much a conversation about that today. But it really was this. It's time to pivot. The things that we used to do we're not doing for the same reasons we're doing today. Everything kind of needs to change. So we made a lot of challenging yet aligned decisions and it all is connected to the episode we're doing today. But Alan had a story, so I want to kick it to Alan so he can tell you a more connected story for this podcast episode.

Speaker 2:

Well, one of the. I have four cardinal rules in my coaching. Cardinal rules is probably a little heavy, but I call them my four cardinal rules of success. The first one is stop the wrong trains. And, by the way, in this case a train is a person, a place, a thing and an idea. So stop the wrong trains, most important by far. So stop drinking alcohol was one of my big ones. That one decision, that one ability to stop drinking alcohol has transformed my whole life. So that's number one stop the wrong trains. Number two start the right trains. Next level university, kevin and I were yesterday, two days ago, yes, two days ago Yesterday, today's Tuesday, today, wednesday, or Tuesday Today's Tuesday, okay, yeah. So yesterday Kevin and I looked up the birthday, the birthday of Hyper Conscious Podcast, so his very first episode, interviewing Alan on fitness and mindset and perseverance.

Speaker 1:

Do you remember the title? First of all, that was my second episode, son. I had an intro episode, as you're supposed to, when you own the podcast.

Speaker 2:

The intro doesn't count.

Speaker 1:

Of course it does. It was nine minutes long. That's an episode, son.

Speaker 2:

Okay, fair, okay. So his second episode, thank you. On March 31st of 2017 was the birthday of the Hyper Conscious Podcast and I was his first guest, and that was the beginning of NLU. So what was I saying about that? Oh, the right trains, starting the right trains. Talk about a right train to start.

Speaker 2:

I was on book club recently and there was 15 people in the room and I said, if I didn't start that train with Kev, I wouldn't know any of you. Isn't that wild Cause? The book is talking about habits. Starting the right trains is starting a new habit, number three. So, number one stop the wrong trains. Number two Start the right trains. Number three Improve the right trains.

Speaker 2:

So we can't just podcast and that's it. Just show up and just do the reps. We have to also improve as podcasters. We have to get better, we have to get smarter, we have to articulate things in a more powerful way. When we look back at old content, we should think it's not as good. That means we're improving. Okay, so that's number three. So, and Then number four is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.

Speaker 2:

Lose momentum, never lose momentum, because you don't want to have to start and start all over again. Right, we've all had that fitness journey. We were crushing it and then we just lost momentum. We stopped for a week and then we ended up stopping for a month and we stopped for a year and then we're back to the beginning, kind of Maybe not fully in the beginning, but you know what I'm saying. And so you never want to lose momentum on the right trains. And so this episode I told Kev.

Speaker 2:

I check in every week with my clients. Sometimes it's weekly, sometimes it's bi-weekly, and then I do monthly as well. I don't like monthly as much. Because of this reason it's not enough checking in. So on every single coaching call I sit my clients down. They know this. We look at their system, their peak performance tracker, their habits, and we say this three things.

Speaker 2:

Number one if you had to I did this literally right earlier today, probably an hour and a half ago, and it was if you had to change One habit, what would you change if you had to get rid of one habit? Hypothetically, you don't have to, but if you had to, hypothetically, what would you get rid of? And if you had to add one? If you were somehow forced to add one, what would you add? And really what I'm doing in that is, I'm getting people to think of oh, you know what I have actually been thinking. I need to work out more.

Speaker 2:

You know what, honestly, this one sucks. I don't want this one. I don't really want to do this anymore. I don't really want to do this anymore. I want to can this one. And you know what, honestly, instead of 15 minutes a day, I want to do a 30 minutes, or I want to do 20 minutes or whatever. I just changed my 20 minutes.

Speaker 2:

I used to do 30 minutes of learning and I never got a check mark. I never won, because my showers aren't 30 minutes long and I'm always learning in the shower. So I put my phone outside my shower, I'm listening to audible or an online course or whatever, so I would always get a half a check. I was like you know what, screw this, I'm changing it to 20 minutes, I don't care, and so that's what you do. So, every single time we get on the phone, I don't want any client ever leaving without improving their trains, without Improving their system, and the way we do that in the simple hack for this episode is if you had to add one habit, what would it be and why. If you had to get rid of one habit, what would it be and why? Or if you had to tweak one habit, what would it be and why? And my example for the tweak is 30 minutes of learning instead 20 minutes of learning. Now, I get a check every single day.

Speaker 1:

It's all good. This is a scary thing to say because it's not I don't want it to be advice because it depends, it's situational, it depends on a lot of things, but I have been, I have been feeling very strange lately because I have been doing far less output than I have in the past but far more important output than I have in the past. So Alan and I, monday, when we were doing our so again, we're supposed to record all our episodes on Monday. The business has grown a lot, so we do a lot of business meetings and we were trying to figure out what do we do. A lot has changed, a lot has shifted, but we've been doing a lot of the same things in terms of our habits and our tasks and our responsibilities, roles.

Speaker 1:

That, and the last thing I said before we logged off was hey, man, I don't want to do interviews on Saturdays anymore. And Alan was like what do you mean? I said Saturday needs to be like a content creation day. For me. It's hard, because if I have an interview at 11 and 12, it's very hard for me to get in flow. Or if I have an interview at, say, I have an interview at 10 and then I have an hour break and then I have another interview and then a coaching call. It's not enough time for me to get in flow. I don't think I should do any interviews on Saturday. That should be content creation day for me. And he's like, okay, all right, let's do that.

Speaker 1:

That's scary because that's a change and the way we were doing things before was very, very beneficial for us. But it doesn't mean that's what's going to get us to the next level and it's the same thing for you, just different. This is why people tell people later in life well, I wish I wouldn't have worked so much. It's because eventually, they get results from all the work that they did and then the momentum is so high that they can kind of take their foot off the gas and nothing really seems to happen. That is not what I'm saying. Trust me, I'm grinding away harder than I ever have and that's not going to stop, but it does feel different. It's scary because we've redesigned a lot and there's been a lot of changes that have happened. But the reason what do you do when you feel like you need to change? We felt like we needed to change based on the fact that things weren't getting done the way that they used to, or things that used to be 10 out of 10 important. Weren't 10 out of 10 important?

Speaker 1:

Definitely that that or things that used to be 5 out of 10 important are now 10 out of 10 important. It really is. How many units of time do you need to put into said thing, because said thing now requires more units of time or less units of time than it used to?

Speaker 2:

The truth of the matter is and I love this episode because I love productivity, I love the ability to get more done in less time being more effective. It's not getting more done in less time, even that freezing is off a little bit, but being more effective is it possible to get a 45 minute workout in? That's super effective and super efficient and really you get the work in, versus an hour and a half of walking around talking to people. That's kind of the analogy here, and I know we're using workout analogies probably too much. Doja's, abi. What was once super critical, this is the thing. You set up the train tracks and you set up the right trains. You stopped the wrong trains to my point earlier. But then you grow, you evolve, you change, you're in a different spot and what was once optimal, what was once aligned, is no longer aligned. That doesn't mean you get rid of it completely. Maybe you don't. It means it needs a tweak. Something needs a tweak. So instead of I'm gonna get rid of interviews completely, it's okay, I'm gonna get rid of interviews on Saturday, and I think that life is a lot of an experiment.

Speaker 2:

I told Kevin this on Monday. I said we can't take 20% of our core things that we're doing and then experiment with 80% of our time and effort. That's dangerous, that's reckless. We're gonna do 80% of what we know works, while experimenting with 20% that could be better, and then when we figure out that 20% experiment works, we're gonna double down and put that in the 80%. And we've been doing that for seven years. Coming up on our seventh year, I should say what made sense for Kevin and I in the beginning, when we were doing everything ourselves, just can't make sense now. It doesn't make sense that the equation has changed, the train tracks have changed, and so how do you walk this fine line of listen? I still have to do the tried and true fundamentals to continue the momentum to get to the next level, but I can't only do that to get to the next level. And so what got you to base camp five isn't gonna get you to base camp 10. But there's some things in base camp five that you still have to do in base camp six, seven, eight and nine and 10. And it's very challenging, quite frankly, to figure out what those are.

Speaker 2:

That's really what my coaching is in a nutshell. It's like, okay, here's the level you used to be on, here's the level you're on now. Here's the level you wanna get to. You need to take some stuff that you used to do and add it back. You need to take some stuff you're currently doing and you need to can it. And this is some new stuff that you're gonna need to do that you've never done before.

Speaker 2:

And a lot of people think that they do these extreme makeovers. They think, okay, I'm gonna go to coaching and I'm gonna change everything I'm doing. No, you're not. You're gonna dial in the lock on a couple tweaks and then you're gonna run that and then you're gonna tweak again, and then you're gonna run that and then you're gonna tweak again and then you're gonna run that and then you're gonna tweak again. I mean, I have so many clients who started off with six habits, three habits, nine habits, and now they're doing 18, 19, 20. They're beyond what they ever thought they would ever do and it's wild to see what people become. It really has been the coolest part of my job the people who've been with me the longest. It's so cool to see them look back at old PPTs, old systems, old habits, old calendars and to go, whoa, do you remember back when that was challenging? It's wild.

Speaker 1:

My next level nugget would be this because I wanna make sure. I used to be way more of a tactical person than I am in terms of the way I speak, so I wanna make sure I'm given tactics. I love tactics. What do you do when you feel like you need to change? Ask yourself why? Why do I feel like I need to change? Why? What is it about what I'm doing that does not seem sustainable? Am I not getting the results I want? Am I getting all the results I want, but now I'm not able to do the things that I need to in order to get more results. Am I not able to do the stuff that fulfills me? I think that's where a lot of us get lost.

Speaker 1:

With this client I talked to today, I said why does it need to change? Why? What do you mean? It just doesn't feel right. Explain to me why does it need to change? And she said well, I feel like, based on what I'm doing, I'm never gonna write my book. And I said, okay, why? Well, I'm unable to prioritize it. I'm prioritizing things that just don't make as much sense as they used to. Okay, why I'm afraid to let go of a lot of the things I've been doing. Cool, that's the answer.

Speaker 1:

The answer is you're looking for someone to give you permission, or you're looking for someone who has made similar decisions, maybe to say hey look, I don't know what's right for you. I know this is what I did and this is the result I got, so that would be my next level nugget, I think. Why is the most powerful question on the planet Hands down, as long as you can sit within and answer it or have someone on the other side of the proverbial table tennis table to knock it back and forth? Why?

Speaker 2:

how and what. What do you wanna achieve? Why do you wanna achieve it and how do you get there? Why, how and what? This will be it, cause I know we got to jump, kev. I knew I was gonna love this episode. You got fired up. I do. I just I want to help people achieve their goals so deeply. I had something come to me while you were talking and I've lost it, but it's gonna come back, of course it is. What were you talking about?

Speaker 1:

I was talking about why table tennis. For a short time I touched on table tennis there. Oh man, Nothing before that. My next level nugget was why? Why is the most important thing? Because go ahead, you got it.

Speaker 2:

Do I have it? I guess it would be why, how and what. I think I don't have it. I'm just gonna own it. I don't have it. I hope it comes back.

Speaker 1:

I have the song do you love me Stuck in my head.

Speaker 2:

Do you love me, do you?

Speaker 1:

love me that I can dance. I don't know who sings that song. Could be a one hit wonder, I don't know. Same anything.

Speaker 2:

Jostle loose with my musical melody Nothing's coming up. Nothing's coming up. I think it's gone. That's so sad, that's so so, so sad. Okay, if I had to come up with a next level nugget for this episode, though Would you do, because if you don't, which I do.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I got this. Ask yourself why? To Kevin's point, I do think that's really important. I think it's the most important I do. I think the second most important is Another question, which would be how do I, how do I become more effective towards what I want? And then sit with that question and answer it, really answer it. Oh, I think I might have found it.

Speaker 2:

It takes courage to Get rid of things you used to do, because what happens is, when you get to the next level, you Now, instead of playing to win, you're playing not to lose. That happens to everybody. I'm telling you, kevin and I just went through it what got us to level six isn't gonna get us to level seven, and we have to let go of some of what got us to level six in order to get to level seven. All next levelness requires sacrifice and courage, and it's very hard to know what you can give up. Just be careful not to give up the core fundamentals that really do get you there.

Speaker 2:

Like, if you're a bodybuilder, don't give up weight training. If you're a podcaster, don't stop podcasting, but you might want to talk about something different on the podcast. You might want to do a rebrand. There's a big difference between doing a rebrand versus quitting podcasting. All together, right, so you know the answer and Check in with your intuition. Ask the tough questions, answer them honestly and Try to reverse engineer regret and make sure that you Go into the future a little bit and say is my future self gonna thank me for this or is my future self gonna have regret?

Speaker 1:

Different, different thing. I'm gonna say that I don't think we've ever said this one time on this podcast before. Maybe if, if we have, it has been recently. If you're a podcaster and you have a podcast, please reach out, because I would love to come on your podcast, regardless not on a Saturday, of course, you know, because of the episode. But I don't care if you have zero episodes, I don't care if you have five episodes, I don't care if you have three listens per episode, I don't care if you have a million listens per episode. As a family member of NLU, that's what I wish would have happened Earlier for us. People would have said, hey, I'm gonna come on your show. So if you have a podcast and you want to guest and you want it to be me, I am in. Just reach out, kevin. At next level, universecom.

Speaker 2:

Same, by the way, happy to add value as much as possible, happy to help you behind the scenes with your podcast as well. And, if this resonated, regarding the system, the trains, the get rid of something, add something, tweak something. That is my coaching. In a nutshell, it's we're gonna get you aligned with your goals and you're not gonna like it all the time, but you are gonna achieve more, and my goal is to help you maximize your potential and achieve your goals and and do what it takes. So, if that aligns with you, reach out, alan, at next level universecom. I promise you I will do everything that I can to help you achieve your goals and dreams.

Speaker 1:

At some point we're gonna have to get a Jeff at next level universecom, just because Just just just cuz just, I've got some trick-or-treaters outside right now. Really, what are you gonna give them books?

Speaker 2:

Here's the personal development books.

Speaker 1:

Wants improvement.

Speaker 2:

I want KitKats sir one self-improvement.

Speaker 1:

They all run away Tomorrow. Oh yes, we are recording this on Halloween. Happy Halloween, Even though it doesn't matter because it's already passed time is a weird thing, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

tomorrow Are you switching your?

Speaker 1:

lights.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I will be switching my lights back. I don't know what color yet. I'm thinking purple or pink, maybe I don't, we'll see. Alan wants blue. He wants it to be on brand. I understand, but I Get bored of the same colors.

Speaker 1:

Fair tomorrow for episode number 1510 an open conversation about overwhelm. I feel like Oftentimes, when we Do episodes on things I don't know, I know we try to do this and I think we do do this more than most we usually try to talk about it when we're going through it. But yeah, I want to talk about Overwhelm from the perspective of you, and I were just very overwhelmed. Yeah, we remedied it. Remedied it to a degree, but I want to have an open conversation about overwhelm. How much overwhelm is expected? How much is good? How much are you gonna need to deal with on your own unique journey towards your next level success? So that'll be tomorrow's episode. As always, we love you, we appreciate you, grateful For each and every one of you and an L you. We don't have fans, we have family. We will talk to you all tomorrow.

Speaker 2:

Keep redesigning. Next one nation I.

Speaker 1:

Thought you lost it. Yeah, yeah, no, I could tell.

People on this episode

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Alan Lazaros

Host
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Kevin Palmieri

Host