#1824 - Are You Doing The Best You Can With What You Have? - Freestyle Friday

What if your commitment level is the only thing between you and your dreams? In today’s episode, join Kevin and Alan as they ask the tough questions about effort, discipline, and the real reason many of us fall short of success. With honest reflections on their journeys and a focus on self-awareness, this episode will get you thinking about how to match your actions with your ambitions.

Links mentioned:
Next Level Group Coaching - https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/group-coaching/
Group 16 - The 1st call is on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at 5 PM EST, and the group runs for 3 months. Discount Code for N.L. Group Coaching (30% off): NLULISTENER

Free 30-Minute Podcast Breakthrough Session with Kevin: https://bit.ly/3MAuczF
Free 30-Minute Coaching Call with Alan: https://bit.ly/3ASu9wu

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For more information, please check out our website at the link below. 👇

Website 💻  http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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Any of these communities or resources are FREE to join and consume
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Next Level U Book Club - https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/next-level-book-club/
Next Level Monthly Meet-up:  https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/monthly-meetups/

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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 ✍
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Email 💬
Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

LinkedIn ✍
Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/

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Show notes:
(2:23) Are we doing all we can with what we have?
(4:17) The importance of self-discipline and goal-setting
(6:23) Personal accountability in health and fitness
(8:28) Alan’s approach to goal-setting and adjusting expectations
(9:07) At NLU, we want you to win! So, we’re giving tools and resources to ensure your success. Join our Monthly Meet-up every first Thursday of the month at 5 PM.
(12:33) The importance of self-awareness in achieving goals
(14:14) Behind the scenes: Challenges of creating the podcast
(16:09) Outro

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

there was no requirement for me to be a professional podcaster . I didn't have to sign anywhere . I didn't have to take any courses . I started with the desire to do it and then it was like , oh , this is what it's going to take . All right , I'm willing to do this . I'll sign up for this lifestyle . I understand why people don't , why people don't want to do it , Whatever that means .

Speaker 2 0:19

Whatever their thing is your partner really puts the dishes in the dishwasher , because you've communicated that that's important to you . Now you feel cared for , seen , understood , valued and appreciated , which then makes you feel psychologically safe .

Speaker 1 0:36

Welcome to Next Level University . I'm your host , Kevin Palmieri .

Speaker 2 0:41

And I'm your co-host , Alan Lazarus .

Speaker 1 0:46

Kevin Palmieri , and I'm your co-host , alan Lazarus , at NLU . We believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers .

Speaker 2 0:50

Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life , love , health and wealth .

Speaker 1 0:57

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 .

Speaker 2 1:13

Self-improvement in your pocket , every day , from anywhere , completely free .

Speaker 1 1:19

Welcome to Next Level University . Welcome to Next Level University , 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 . Today , for episode number . Well , I look like I'm sitting next to a campfire on YouTube because it is Freestyle Friday 1,824 . Do we know the name of the episode ? No , because it is Freestyle Friday 1,824 . Do we know the name of the episode ? No , because it's Freestyle Friday . This was my thought . You and I had this Discord , as Alan would say , years ago , probably 2020 , maybe Somebody . I don't know where I read this , if it was a social media post , if it was a podcast episode . I don't know where the inception of this came from , but the thought was it was an argument of whether or not people are doing all that they can with all that they have . Do you remember that ? What was your take on

Are we doing all we can with what we have?

Speaker 1 2:23

that ? I ?

Speaker 2 2:23

had this idea , I have this idea , and I realize in hindsight that why this wouldn't maybe land , but this is my mindset . For lack of better phrasing , you cannot complain about not getting a result while simultaneously not doing all that you can , and so this whole idea is pretty much okay . There's certain results in my life that I have not yet achieved , and that's entirely on me , because I just haven't done all I can . So until I'm doing all I can , it's almost like I know that I should be doing . Everyone , I think , has things they know they should be doing that they're not doing . That's why I'm not getting the result is because I haven't been . I'm not good enough yet , and so that was my thesis .

Speaker 1 3:23

Was that the right line that I said , or was it they're doing the best they can with what they have ? Is that what it was ?

Speaker 2 3:35

I don't know .

Speaker 1 3:36

I think it was that , I think it was they were doing the best that they could with what they had and I just , yeah , I never . I didn't agree with that Because I remember Tyron I think tyron and I were talking about it and I said , no , I , I know a bunch of people that aren't doing the best that they can with what they have of course , yeah , a lot of people say that they're well , they're doing the best they can .

Speaker 1 3:55

I don't think any of us are , because that implies that you don't have more potential I see , I don't agree with that because I think that's .

Speaker 2 4:04

There's always another level , there's always another .

Speaker 1 4:06

I know , I know , I know , yeah , it's brutal though , but on the other , end there is too right , because if there's somebody out there that's just trying to get out of bed today , it's like maybe that's the best that they can do .

The importance of self-discipline and goal-setting

Speaker 2 4:17

Yeah Well , this comes to the bettering your best thing too . What was I watching earlier ? Something about mindset . I'm reading a little bit of a book called relentless again , and it's talking about how there are certain people who are relentless in the pursuit of their goals and you don't have to like the work , you just have to do it anyway , and I think that that resonates with some people . It doesn't resonate with others . I think there's probably some nuance there .

Speaker 2 5:02

I don't think you can hate everything you do . I don't believe that . I think you need fulfillment to some extent to achieve your dreams . I think you need self-esteem to power your dreams , and I think that's different for all of us . But I do agree with the premise that you don't have to like everything that you're doing to achieve your dreams . I think most of us will never achieve our dreams , as negative as that sounds . Not because it's not possible for us , but because we weren't willing to pay the price , and that is me included . There's a lot of things that I haven't achieved . That is really just because I've been . Honestly I'm going to warning for anyone with kids in the room I'm just , I've been fucking lazy . Like that's really what it comes down to . I don't want to track my calories and macros . That's why I'm not in better shape . I just don't want to do it , and I know I should do it , and I think every one of us has stuff like that . I think we just don't want to own it .

Speaker 1 6:00

It's fair . I agree with that . I always say I'm not going to blame fast food , I'm not going to blame McDonald's , I'm not going to blame Domino's . I'm the one who's ordering it and that's on me , and I'm blessed enough to have the resources to go to a gym and I have a car that will take me to the gym and all that stuff . So I definitely agree with that .

Personal accountability in health and fitness

Speaker 1 6:23

It's so hard , though , because it's the thought process , because now I don't care about somebody's goals anymore , not from a place of I care . Obviously , I want to know what your goals are and I want you to accomplish your goals . I realize that the goals don't matter if you're not willing to do what it takes to accomplish the goals . The goal is a meal , and if you want said meal , you have to get the ingredients and you have to cook it , and you have to do all that , and if you're just not willing to use the grill , then you might not get the meal the way you want it , and that's up to you . That's your prerogative , that's totally up to you . But I've been talking about that a lot on podcasts recently and I'm getting a lot of really good feedback about the fact that most people haven't thought about it like that before . They haven't thought about . Can I ask you ?

Speaker 2 7:17

and again , I always get concerned , but I need to overcome this . So I need to have courage and just share this . I've never set a goal without the premise of whatever it takes to achieve it . Yes , and and when I learned over time , through iterative improvement , that something was going to take more than I wanted to do , I changed goals . I've never . I've never .

Speaker 2 7:44

If I decide it's not worth it , I just will stop doing it , and then usually I come back to it at another point . So , for example , I didn't not . I had a dream to become a professional video gamer when I was a kid and I decided not to do that . I just decided you know what I'm not going to do that I'm going to go to college and I'm going to get a girlfriend . I actually think in some ways , that was a huge mistake , but in other ways , I think it was wonderful too . Pros and cons to everything I am grateful that I went to college . I am One of the best decisions I ever made . That said , I think the girlfriend was a mistake , to be honest . Okay , moving forward , I want to ask you what was it like to set a goal without the intention

Alan's approach to goal-setting and adjusting expectations

Speaker 2 8:28

to do whatever it takes to achieve it ?

Speaker 1 8:28

Because that's got to just set you up for failure . I think that's where most people are for failure . I think that's where most people are . If you I don't think most people myself included , for the vast majority of my life set goals with the awareness of what it would actually take to get them . Yeah , because then I would just , I think , all of us to some extent do that ?

Speaker 2 8:45

I don't , yeah , yeah , I didn't know what this would take , but I knew what this would take more than most people , I guess . I don't know . I would say that's the reverse engineering thing .

Speaker 1 8:55

Yeah , and you've studied it . You've studied quote-unquote success . Whatever success , you know achievement . You've studied achievement .

Speaker 2 9:02

But it's almost irrelevant how hard it is

At NLU, we want you to win! So, we're giving tools and resources to ensure your success. Join our Monthly Meet-up every first Thursday of the month at 5 PM.

Speaker 2 9:07

NLU listener . What is happening ? I just wanted to jump in here and let you know if you want to get to the next level faster . We have a free virtual monthly meetup at the first Thursday of every month . You can connect with like-minded people and become a bigger part of this amazing global community . The link to register will be in the show notes .

Speaker 1 9:29

But I was saying this to somebody today . Somebody sent me a shout-out to Carl . If Carl's listening , carl is a buddy of mine . I was on his podcast a while ago and he checks in every once in a while , sends me a couple audio messages . And he sent me audio messages . He was like I listened to the most recent one about friends and I got a couple questions what are your thoughts on this ? And I was talking about you and I said well , you have to understand Alan's purpose is . Alan was put here to maximize his potential and change the world . That's it . That's what he's here for , and I know it probably sounds , I don't know , like a scene from a movie or something . That's really what it is , though he's not just saying that that's what he's here for . That's why I'm always gently pushing him back on . A lot of the stuff Alan says is because I understand . For you , it is whatever it takes . It doesn't matter , as long as Emilia's good . That's pretty much it , as long as Emilia's good .

Speaker 1 10:23

But , I think that's more a you thing . I think that's more a rare you thing . That will most likely never . It would be really hard for someone ever to move as close to that as you are . I think we could move closer to it for sure . I just don't know if you know how far you are as the polarity when it comes to that .

Speaker 2 10:50

Yeah .

Speaker 2 10:51

I did a conscious couples podcast earlier with Emilia and she said she went deeper on a topic . We were talking about lifestyle preferences and we each wrote our top three musts and she said well , first understand that a lifestyle preference for wanting the dishes to go straight into the dishwasher versus leaving them there overnight is actually tied to psychological safety . And I said , oh , okay , so I'm gonna need you to build that bridge to under because she , she's brilliant . Emilia is unbelievably brilliant and so brilliant , in fact , that she connects things that are huge logical leaps that most people she has a web of thinking that I am the transcoder , I'm the one who takes the web , that I know she's trying to get to land and I pave the Okay , let me do it .

Speaker 2 11:40

So how in the hell is me putting dishes in the dishwasher connected to your psychological safety ? She said , well , if your partner really puts the dishes in the dishwasher because you've communicated that that's important to you , now you feel cared for , seen , understood , valued and appreciated , which then makes you feel psychologically safe . And I said , oh , sweetheart , that didn't land at all on the episode . That's a big leap . And so I know I do that and you're trying to bridge it , bridge it .

Speaker 2 12:19

Yeah , exactly , you're trying to build a bridge to the understanding that you think people need . And when it comes to the goal achievement thing , I just I don't want to see people set themselves up for failure . Same , same

The importance of self-awareness in achieving goals

Speaker 2 12:33

.

Speaker 1 12:33

But I think that's huge results .

Speaker 2 12:36

And then , well , you can , and you've corrected me on this you said you can totally want .

Speaker 1 12:41

Yeah , many people do . Do you think that's good for them ? No , no . I think that's why awareness and self-awareness is so important . I believe self-awareness is one of the most valuable things on the planet , because it sets you up for a higher level of success .

Speaker 2 12:56

Yeah , I think one of the reasons most people don't achieve their goals is because of low self-awareness .

Speaker 1 13:00

It's like a .

Speaker 2 13:01

GPS where the car doesn't know where it is . It's like going to the mall and it says you are here but you're actually not there . So now you just keep running into the wall and you don't know why . And then that hurts your self-esteem and you think something's wrong with you or something's wrong with the world , when in reality you just have an inaccurate current location .

Speaker 1 13:21

I think one of the reasons is it costs $0 to set a goal and you don't have to have any requirements and you don't have to take any prerequisites and you can just set whatever goal you want , and that's awesome . I love that . And it also can set you up for massive failure because there's no , there's no requirement . There was no requirement for me to be a professional podcaster . I didn't have to sign anywhere , I didn't have to take any courses . I started with the desire to do it and then it was like , oh , this is what it's going to take . All right , I'm willing to do this , I'll sign up for this lifestyle . I understand why people don't , why people don't want to do it , whatever that means , whatever their thing is , all right , we're going to pop . I know we don't want to because this has gone very deep very fast . Maybe we can do a part two , but I know Alan and I both to attend to it went by very fast .

Behind the scenes: Challenges of creating the podcast

Speaker 2 14:14

We are . We want to be vulnerable , always with our listeners . We're . We want this podcast to be in your pocket , for you every day . 1% improvement per day health , wealth , life and love from anywhere on the planet , completely free . Kevin and I feel a little bit of guilt , I would say , for being so damn busy . We're also grateful because of the demand . I mean I remember when it was crickets , just us , a couple podcasters , no one cares . So I'm grateful for the demand , but kevin and I , sometimes we we feel bad for the short episodes . So thank you for sticking with us . We appreciate it and we're going to try to do at least 20 minutes per episode from now on , to the best of our ability yeah , and I told alan .

Speaker 1 14:54

I said I just don't feel like I'm just it's just Groundhog Day of grinding and working and this and learn about business and this and this , where I don't feel like I have stories like I used to for good episodes Not that I don't think we're doing bad episodes , it's just not . Usually there's like a story and it's like , ooh , that would be a really good lesson on the podcast . Lately it's more Ben Allen and I really digging to figure out what do we want to talk about and it's just a weird place to be . So that's kind of what we're . I appreciate Allen taking everybody behind the scenes . That's what we're working through . We're trying to figure out how do we make sure ?

Speaker 2 15:30

this is the best . If you're out there listening or watching , please reach out . Give us feedback , let us know . Reach out .

Speaker 1 15:36

We want to connect If you're struggling with something we can do , an episode . Obviously , you'll remain anonymous . We won't put your name and picture and social security number and address and phone number and all your social media handles and your favorite food up on the screen when we're talking about it . It'll always remain anonymous . Promise , guarantee , all right , guarantee , alright . Group coaching starts October 8th . Alan has coaching slots available . I have coaching slots available . Next Level Nation has everything else you need to know . Next Level Fitness Accountability Group is free on WhatsApp , all that stuff . So , yeah , check out the website . That has everything . I don't know if the fitness accountability group's there yet , but it will be if it's not .

Outro

Speaker 1 16:09

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 16:16

Please reach out .

Speaker 1 16:19

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University . We love connecting with the Next Level family .

Speaker 2 16:26

We mean it when we say family . If you ever need anything , please reach out to us directly . Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes .

Speaker 1 16:35

Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow .