Next Level University
Confidence, mindset, relationships, limiting beliefs, family, goals, consistency, self-worth, and success are at the core of hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros' heart-driven, no-nonsense approach to holistic self-improvement. This transformative, 7 day per week podcast is focused on helping dream chasers who have been struggling to achieve their goals and are seeking community, consistency and answers. If you've ever asked yourself "How do I get to the next level in my life", we're here for you!
Our goal at NLU is to help you uncover the habits to build unshakable confidence, cultivate a powerful mindset, nurture meaningful relationships, overcome limiting beliefs, create an amazing family life, set and achieve transformative goals, embrace consistency, recognize your self-worth, and ultimately create the fulfillment and success you desire. Let's level up your health, wealth and love!
Next Level University
#1728 - What’s Your Relationship With Productivity?
Can strict discipline and delayed gratification coexist with joy and ease? In this insightful episode, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros navigate the often conflicting realms of productivity and fulfillment. They begin by examining two distinct philosophies within the self-improvement community: one that prioritizes rigorous discipline and another that values joy and time freedom. Discover where you naturally fit on this spectrum and gain valuable insights on managing your time better, achieving your goals, and maintaining a high quality of life.
Links mentioned:
Next Level Nation - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700
Next Level Group Coaching - https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/group-coaching/
Group 15 - starts on (Tuesday) July 9th, 2024 at 5 PM EST.
Discount Code for NL Group Coaching (30% off): NLULISTENER
______________________
NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.
For more information, please check out our website at the link below. 👇
Website 💻 http://www.nextleveluniverse.com
_______________________
Any of these communities or resources are FREE to join and consume
Next Level Nation - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700
Next Level 5 To Thrive (free course) - https://bit.ly/3xffver
Next Level U Book Club - https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/next-level-book-club/
Next Level Monthly Meet-up: https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/monthly-meetups/
_______________________
We love connecting with you guys! Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or via email. We’re here to support you in your personal and professional development journey.
Instagram 📷
Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/
Facebook ✍
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/
Email 💬
Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com
LinkedIn ✍
Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/
_______________________
Show notes:
(1:56) Camps in self-improvement and perceptions of productivity
(4:41) Financial discipline as future freedom
(6:40) Natural tendencies toward rest vs. productivity
(8:03) Identifying personal superchargers
(10:45) Meet like-minded people and jumpstart your journey to achieving your dreams while optimizing your life. Join Next Level Group Coaching. https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/monthly-meetups/
(11:46) Productivity as a path to meaningful
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 yesterday's episode, episode number 1727, one Common Relationship Conflict. Today for episode number 1728, what's your Relationship With Productivity? Two relationship episodes in a row but very different episodes. Just another disclaimer probably a 15 minute episode because we want to add as much value as we can before I head off to the wedding.
Speaker 1:So, as I mentioned in the previous outro for last episode, I think there are a couple different camps in self-improvement. There are some people who say do the same thing every day, suffer, work in silence, work in darkness, delay gratification forever and again, not making that wrong. And on the other end, it's almost like do what you feel is right, divine timing, find flow, create a life of ease, whatever it is. If that is what you aspire to, I'm not going to make that wrong. I think that one of those sides is hyper-focused on productivity. The other one of those sides is hyper-focused on fulfillment. I would say Joy, happiness, pleasure, fulfillment, ease, freedom, time freedom, quality of life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that type of thing. So when you hear the word productivity, regardless of where you are in those camps, what do you think of? Do you think productivity equals progress, it equals impact, it equals the path to the life that I'm desiring so heavily to create, or do you feel like it is constricting? Do you feel like it is bad? Do you feel like it is stressful? Do you feel like it is out of alignment, it's overly disciplined? What is your relationship with productivity? Because I think productivity has gotten a bad rap, just like discipline has. Just like what else? Sacrifice?
Speaker 1:A lot of people hear the word sacrifice and it's like, oh, I'm not, I don't want to sacrifice anything. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. What if you're sacrificing something less aligned for more aligned, something that you value a little bit less or something that you value a little bit more? If you go out to eat and they have chicken piccata and they have fettuccine alfredo and you want fettuccine alfredo more than you want chicken piccata, you're going to have to sacrifice that first meal unless you get both. Huge, huge steak, a huge steak, mm-hmm. That's not on the menu. It is. That's not on the menu. Yeah, it is no. No, I just said those are the two. That's it. That's what you get. There's a menu of two items at my restaurant.
Speaker 1:I do what the F I want and those are the two.
Speaker 2:I'm not coming to your restaurant. I didn't invite you. I don't want you there anyway, you come in there for a steak yeah.
Speaker 1:I'll get you a steak. I'll get you one.
Speaker 2:I love it, man, we'll get you one.
Speaker 1:I don't like steak.
Speaker 2:I know I've never understood it. That's why I said it. It's part of why I said it. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Something kind of connecting this to what we're talking about is Alan and I have been really dialing in Alan more than I our finances. And Alan said every time because my relationship with saving I don't want to say saving my relationship with being stingy with money is usually it doesn't feel good because it reminds me of my old life when I was stingy with money because I didn't have any and I couldn't be abundant he said every time you don't go buy a coffee, or you don't do this or you don't do this, I want you to really think about the fact that you're buying yourself freedom in the future. And that was really. I literally had that moment today where I went to the dry cleaner to get my suit and I was like I'd really love a coffee, be nice day for a coffee Friday.
Speaker 2:But I literally it's like then I close my eyes and see.
Speaker 1:Alan dissolve into my view, saying it Kev, just so you know. And it's like all right, cool, I'm not going to get a coffee. I think it's kind of the same.
Speaker 2:You bought some freedom right there, I bought a little bit, I bought $6.50 worth of freedom.
Speaker 1:Because ice lattes the big ones are not cheap nowadays, they are expensive. But what if you had your own version of that of? Well, every time I'm more productive, I am ultimately moving closer to my goals. Now, here's the thing, and then I'll let Alan talk. There are some people out is a Like Alan needs to schedule R&R, Emilia needs to schedule R&R. I don't. I don't have to schedule R&R because I desire it so much. That's my natural tendency. My natural tendency is to take rest after I work hard, not to force myself to take rest, because if I don't, I'll work all day.
Speaker 2:So, just as a emilia and I were working in our her office last night at 11 50 I was. I had been asleep after an from 8 to 11 15 pm. I'm not kidding, I had a 45 minute break. Not for me, I was sleeping again. If every day was like that, that would be a terrible idea, genuinely. So I don't encourage that. But I do think it's important to identify which end you are on. Everyone out there, this is going to be what I believe in. I do this in coaching all the time. You need to know which end you're on. Okay, kevin and I, we talk about this all the time.
Speaker 2:One of the values of this show that's unique is that we get both ends of the spectrum in almost everything. Honestly, yeah, kevin, his natural state is what I call R4, rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and recharge. That's his natural state. So he has to force upon himself discipline, rituals, systems, processes, calendar. So his natural state and when we travel together, it's obvious my natural state is productivity, work, get it done. His natural state is relaxing, yes, and that doesn't mean he's not hard working. But you have to know what your natural state is. So some of the population, statistically speaking, is naturally good at rest and relaxation and they have to force the productivity. The type A achievers of the world are naturally good at work and achievement and goal and grind and they have to force themselves to rest and relax.
Speaker 2:I have one client, her name's Yvette, and I said, true or false, you were a type A achiever. She said yes. I said so. You basically grinded your face off to the point where you were completely burnt out and massively unfulfilled. She said yes and I said okay, we need to know where your superchargers are. She has three superchargers. She has a sunroom that she wants to go and contemplate in. Even her R&R is contemplation. Like, think about the type. I love that type, by the way, because it's just easier to coach those people because all they want to do is grind. It's great. It's much easier for me to get you to r and r than it is for me to get you to grind when you're naturally r and r, and that tends to be my type too. So, again, I coach both ends, but I do prefer the, the type a achievers like myself.
Speaker 2:Okay, so her three superchargers. And, in this analogy, the teslas have terrible chargers that take four hours and then they have like superchargers that take 20 minutes. It's awesome. So where are the superchargers? When we went from massachusetts to south carolina, we had to align our trip with all the superchargers, okay. So like every three or four hours you got to go. Instead of the gas station you go to a supercharger. So I love the analogy. Where are your superchargers?
Speaker 2:Sunroom contemplation, going for long walks in nature. And then what was her third? She loves cooking, she loves the chopping. She's like, yeah, I love to chop the stuff and just contemplate. It's like, okay, and she's writing a book right now, so she needs a lot of thinking.
Speaker 2:That's one thing that I think little side tangent about productivity. Thinking to me doesn't feel productive, but it is. And dude a lot of my life. I just need to think, but I don't have any time to think. It feels like right. So my mornings I try really hard to like give myself enough space to actually contemplate, and that's why every time you and I get on the mics, I have 10 business things to talk about or life things to talk about, long before we get to record, which is why this episode is only seven more minutes. So long before we get to record, which is why this episode's only seven more minutes.
Speaker 2:So you are on one camp or the other. Are you in Kevin's camp, where R&R is natural and you know how to relax and you know how to rest and you have a very high quality of life and you love to go with the flow and you know where your superchargers are. You're always in them, you got it, no problem. Or are you on her end, where you will burn yourself to the ground and you have to protect yourself from yourself? Emilia and I have to protect ourselves from ourselves.
Speaker 2:So we have something called the nucleus, where every week, we pick three things in advance to make sure we do. That has nothing to do with our work, okay. So when we go to the movies or when we go on a little hike or an adventure, we don't allow ourselves to work, and we have to force that because that's not natural, because it's natural for us to work, okay. So whichever end you're on, you have to, unfortunately, but this is the truth. If you're too far on one end or the other, you have to work on the other end. If what you wanted was what you needed, you'd already have it, one of my favorite quotes of all time you're either afraid that all of you is too much, like Yvette, or you're afraid that all of you is not enough, like someone who is constantly resting. When you mentioned productivity versus fulfillment, I don't agree because I think productivity is fulfilling if it's the right, meaningful work.
Speaker 1:I would agree with you I know, many people haven't found that. They haven't found that work yet, so it doesn't feel that way that they haven't found that work yet.
Speaker 2:So it doesn't feel that way. Fair, fair. I think meaningful progress toward meaningful goals is where fulfillment lives, as long as it's in tandem with a high quality of life. And quality of life looks different for everyone. Meaningful work looks different for everyone. Meaningful goals looks different for everyone. That's why it's so damn confusing. But last piece here before I let kev talk again, before we have to go.
Speaker 2:Productivity is not a sexy word. We did a meet up on it yesterday, last night, and I told everyone I'm really insecure because I've spent my in many ways, my entire adult life trying to be as productive as humanly possible, because I had ridiculously high goals even when I was a kid which again I used to be too scared to say and I had no choice because my standards were so high. They had to be so high to achieve those goals that I had to learn how to be super productive. I had to learn how to maximize. So maximize is one of my favorite words and it's time, effort and money. You only have so much. How do you maximize them?
Speaker 2:And so I was super insecure about it. Because the productivity training while I adore that topic, it's also scary because I usually don't feel super accepted for that version of me, because a lot of people, my whole life, will say well, you think too much, you work too hard, and it's well for your goals and your standards, that's true, but for me I actually don't work enough, believe it or not. And why do you think you know better than I do about how to achieve my goals? And, by the way, you're not in shape. You haven't achieved what I want to achieve, like you ever have someone try to tell you how to live. That doesn't have any of the results you want.
Speaker 1:Yes, but I also understand that they don't understand the results that I want. That's usually it. They just don't you know.
Speaker 1:Or they think they're, they think they're wiser because they're older or whatever it is, and it's like no, I understand All it is. It's just a conflict of values. You just don't value what I value and you think that I value what you value. And if you did what I did based on your values, you'd be miserable. And it's just not. That's it. We just don't have the same values. That's all. Yeah, you've got to. I just say yeah, I'm good, I like working. It depends on the person, right? Yeah, exactly Some people. It's not worth it. It might not be worth it.
Speaker 2:But very last piece here about productivity. I said this in the meetup yesterday A lot of people don't even know really what productivity means, which I think is a blind spot for me because I have been studying it for so long. But I use the analogy of a farm. Imagine you have a certain amount of seed let's say you have 100 seeds and you go and plant those seeds and you have strawberries, and you have blueberries and you have crop corn, whatever Farming, okay. And then you work hard all whenever I think what spring and summer, yeah, you work hard all whenever I think what spring and summer, yeah, you work hard all spring and summer and you farm and you till the land and you water sunshine, rain I don't know farming and then you have a crop and then you sell the crop. So let's say you had 100 seeds let's say 80% of them created crop and then you sell that for I don't know $10,000. And then you take $2,000 of those $10,000. So $8,000 of that dollars goes to your home and your equipment and your family's food and lifestyle and quality of life and all that stuff. And then $2,000 goes to more seed and that $2,000 buys 200 seeds and then you use that and then you have $20,000. And then you take $4,000 of that and make 400 seeds, and then you use that and then you have $20,000. And then you take 4,000 of that and make 400 seeds, and then the next year, and then the next year, so, and then you buy more land and then you buy more cows and then you buy more.
Speaker 2:So productivity is produce. That's where it comes from. Productivity means you produce more, and Kev, early on, he used to say well, how do you know we're going to be successful? And I would say, you can't help that many people for that long without it eventually coming back. Now it did take longer than I thought genuinely, but when you're helping that many people and we're producing so much value into the marketplace, you, it, just it. It of course has to come back. You can't just like add value to everyone's life all the time and not make any money. That's not like a thing If you know business, and so that's another caveat if you know business. But at the end of the day, if you want to have a successful career and you want to have abundance financially, you have to learn how to be more productive. That's a scientific fact, that's a mathematical certainty, like if you're not productive, you will not be successful unless you inherit the money or hoodwink people.
Speaker 1:Or rob a bank.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't, I wouldn't suggest that I'm gonna rob your hypothetical restaurant son.
Speaker 1:I mean dude, feel free. You know I've been waking up praying for a fight. I hope you come in. I will bust you over the table so fast. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:We'll be serving you for dessert.
Speaker 1:You come in my restaurant throwing hands, son, come on, I've been waiting on it. What do you have to say about all that? I don't have time to say anything because you went on an epic tangent. No last thing I would say.
Speaker 1:I think one of the reasons I seek comfort, I seek rest is because for a long time I know I talk about my old job very often and I would, literally I would drive an hour to the office, I'd spend an hour loading my van, I would drive six hours to New Jersey, I want to go to the hotel and I need R&R, yep, and then that, then it's like okay, I'm working, I'm working, I'm working. And then on Friday I do the same thing. Of course, on the weekend, I just I'm seeking R&R, I need to shut down, I'm burnt out. I was just burnt out every single week on repeat. So, yeah, I mean that makes sense for me, that makes sense for me. I don't think I mean even now I work. I work a lot, obviously, but it's different. I'm not driving all over the place all the time.
Speaker 2:Can you talk quickly? I know we got to go, but can you talk quickly about what it's like to crave R&R but still be so disciplined?
Speaker 1:Again, I don't know how relatable this is. I don't know how valuable this is to most people. I just have a very real conversation with myself of either you do what it takes to get your goals or you do not get to complain about the fact that you didn't get them. That it's I R&R. It's weird too, because it's like do I R&R less than I ever have? No, not really. That wouldn't be authentic if I said that I finish work at 6 o'clock, I go to bed at 10.
Speaker 1:I have four hours of recharge every night, but you better believe, from 6 am until 6 pm I'm doing it. So a lot of it for me is scheduling. A lot of it for me. Is you right, like I know, I'm an owner of the business, but I always think about it as having a boss, not in a bad way, in a good way. It keeps me accountable. I have a boss. I have someone I report to. If I'm not doing my stuff, like I'm going to hear about it. I think that's really good for me Because I'm not. I'm I'm disciplined in certain ways, but I'd work less hard if I didn't have, if I didn't know you were watching for sure.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent, yeah, accountability is really important for a lot of people. A hundred percent.
Speaker 1:And me too. Me too when it comes to like fitness, like I don't need anybody to really keep me accountable on that when it comes to, but you were more on point when Justin was your coach. Well, I was aiming for a. I was aiming for a much higher goal, so I needed that. But if I just want to be in relatively good shape, I can do that by myself. If I want to be in better shape, there's a reason we're doing the 10 pound in 10 week challenge.
Speaker 2:More accountability.
Speaker 1:I needed extra accountability. I just knew I wouldn't do it. For no reason I'd like to lose 10 pounds. I'll just do that. I know I could if I truly, truly wanted to, and I sacrificed what it took. But I just knew that the extra accountability would be good.
Speaker 2:That's helped me a lot too 100%, it's helped me a lot too.
Speaker 1:I knew we wouldn't, I went on a harder run last night.
Speaker 2:knowing the community was counting on us, I knew we wouldn't do it. We wouldn't do it, you know.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, I don't think that's a really good example for most people, but I'm just very. I have a very I wanted to order food so bad last night.
Speaker 2:I wanted to order food so bad. I think it shows humility to know that you need accountability. There's an uptick, like could I lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks? Yes, am I disciplined quote unquote in fitness without that? Yes, but I'll tell you what. There's an uptick, yeah. Yeah, it helps with the 10 pound and 10 week challenge. There's a big uptick in motivation.
Speaker 1:It's nice, it's a booster, and I think that takes humility to own. But maybe I don't know. I think I think most people know that. But yeah, maybe they're just not willing to admit it because it makes you seem weaker or whatever it is. I don't, I don't know. I think it's, I think it's super important. But that's the agreement I have with myself. I don't get pulled out of bed in the morning and like I want to change the world today. I'm just not wired that way. Do I love what I do? Yes, am I super grateful? Absolutely. Can I imagine doing anything else? No, do I know that this is my purpose? To be the person that I needed? Absolutely, I'm just not type A. I'm whatever the other types are. That's me All right. If you are looking for a group, what are you smiling at?
Speaker 2:It's just funny. Whatever the other types are, I'm one of the other types. Yeah, I'm one of the other types. I'm one of the other types.
Speaker 1:If you're looking for a group of amazing humans who are into growth and whatever that means to them. Again, I'm not making any way of growth wrong. I think there might be a more optimal way for all of us. Right, because I think there is. There's an optimal way for me, there's an optimal way for Alan. It's all about figuring out what that is, but one of the best ways to figure that out is to hear other people's ways.
Speaker 1:So join our private Facebook group. Link will be in the show notes. It, our private Facebook group, link, will be in the show notes. It's called Next Level Nation and our 15th round of group coaching starts on July 9th at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time. We changed our things from 6 pm to 5 pm because we were working very late and our relationships weren't, as I don't want to say, as good as they could have been. We weren't pouring into our relationships as much as we aspire to, so we just changed that. All right, as always, we love you, we appreciate you, grateful for each and every one of you, and at NLU we don't have fans, we have family. We will talk to you all tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Keep it productive. Next level nation.
