Next Level University

If You’re “All Or Nothing” Listen To This Episode (1866)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros uncover why an all-or-nothing mindset often leads to frustration and offer practical steps for building a routine that sticks. Learn how small, achievable goals can help you find consistency and success without overwhelming yourself.

Links mentioned:
Next Level Nation - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700
Free 30-Minute Coaching Call with Alan: https://bit.ly/4f3MSUz

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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

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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://bit.ly/3BQBYDr
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 ✍
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/

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Show notes:
(2:59) Discussing the “all-or-nothing” mentality
(6:40) Finding sustainable habits for long-term success
(16:01) Setting realistic expectations for a morning routine
(17:09) 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. https://bit.ly/3BPR2B4
(19:40) Balancing conflicting priorities in life
(24:10) Aligning habits with personal goals and schedules
(29:31) Importance of structured habits to avoid burnout
(33:41) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Speaker 1

In an ideal world, yeah, you'd wake up and you'd do mobility and you'd drink your water and you'd have your pre-workout and you'd do this and you'd do this and you'd do your warm-up and then you'd exercise. Sometimes you don't do all those things, but what's the most important thing, if you do the A activity, you'll actually build momentum.

Speaker 2

If you have three priorities that are conflicting, you're going to be inconsistent and then feel bad about it. So, for example, if you prioritize your morning routine and prioritize family time in the morning, you're dead in the water right there.

Speaker 1

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

Speaker 2

I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.

Speaker 1

At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Speaker 2

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

Speaker 1

We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness. Like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits and defining your own unique version of success.

Speaker 2

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

Speaker 1

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 1,866,. Why are you smiling? Because you used the word wisdomatic. Again, I did. Yes, it is a word. It's not a word. It will be one day. 1866 is the episode we're doing today. It's Freestyle Friday. Alan doesn't know where we're going to go.

Speaker 2

I'm looking up the word wisdomatic Is wisdomatic.

Speaker 1

No, it's definitely not a word, but I didn't know hyperconscious was a word.

Speaker 2

Yes, wisdomatic is a word that someone created Kyla, and this is Googled, so Kyla blank claims to have created the word and started using it when she was 12 years old.

Speaker 1

Thank, you AI.

Speaker 2

This is really on Google. It's an urban dictionary thing. So, what is a word full of wisdom? Wisdomatic, a statement of opinion as a fact, which lacks facts and substantiated evidence? The lack of evidence, yeah none of that's real. I don't believe a single word yeah, urban dictionary is nonsense, I think it's not real.

Speaker 1

It's not real. Okay, I have an idea for today's episode. It's freestyle friday, which means we're freestyling on friday. I have a question for you, sir, that's why iling on Friday. I have a question for you, sir, that's why I'm Googling stuff. I have a question for you. You do love Googling stuff. First question would you identify as somebody who is all or nothing?

Speaker 2

Yeah probably.

Speaker 1

What advice would you give to somebody who is struggling with an all-or-nothing mentality because, unfortunately, more often than not, they choose nothing?

Speaker 2

Whoa, whoa. I am so grateful you're asking this question. If we look back on our life you, I, we have we both have many regrets, many poor choices.

Speaker 2

okay, yeah yeah, and and I think that everyone has regrets. Not everyone admits to them and a lot of people say well, you know, if that didn't happen, I wouldn't have learned this. That's true. Just because you took a lot from a negative experience doesn't mean you didn't make a poor choice. Anyways, you regret a lot of the things that you didn't do. I regret most of the things I did do, and that makes sense, because high self-belief and optimism creates a lot more doing and I regret so. You ever hear the advice of you need to learn how to say no more I've heard you say it maybe a million times.

Speaker 2

I desperately needed to learn how to say no more yeah a lot of people need to learn how to say yes more. You, early on you said no to everything and you needed so. We've talked in the past, past episodes hyperconscious. For new listeners. That was our old brand change the way you think, change the way you act, change the way you live hyperconscious. And we talked about the movie yes man with jim carrey funny red bull, red bull funny movie.

Speaker 2

I actually think I used to think the majority of people say yes too much, but when in reality I now realize I said yes to way too many things. I played basketball and I snowboard, I was at every party. I was trying to be too much, but I now realize that was self-belief and optimism. So you, I think, said no too much and didn't get enough exposure and experiences and that kind of thing. So, to answer your original question to someone who's all or nothing, I was all and needed to learn how to say no. You did very little and needed to learn how to say yes. Is that fair?

Speaker 1

I would say so, and I don't know what percentage of humans struggle with what, because I think there's probably a lot of people that would identify as people pleasers, that say yes even though they don't want to. I just never was that. I don't care If I'm not interested, I'm not coming. I don't care, I'm stubborn.

Speaker 2

So if Kevin and I were both applying to a job, trying to find a job, I would apply to 100 jobs and Kevin would apply to three and then assume no one wants him. Is that fair, yep.

Speaker 1

Okay.

Speaker 2

I would go on 50 interviews. You know I'd apply to 100 jobs. I'd go on 30 interviews or 50 interviews and then I'd have to pick one, and I would probably focus on quantity more than quality. You would probably apply to three that you really wanted and then, when they said no, assume that no one wants you and I'm being playful, but honestly I think so. I think you're on the more normal side of that. I think I could be wrong. To someone who errs on the side of the nothing instead of the all or nothing thing, what would be my advice would be start small and, more importantly, I think, courage to say yes to things that are outside your comfort zone would be where you have to start.

Speaker 1

But what if it's not that? What if it's? I'm ready to start tracking habits, I'm ready to do this, I'm ready to do this, but I'm all or nothing and I just don't feel like all is, because what I told, what I said to this person, was we just have to find a way to create a sustainable all. It doesn't have to be, it doesn't have to be the all that you're imagining, but it has to be a sustainable all that feels like it's in the right direction, that feels like it's worth doing. A list of things. It has to make sense to you, right? What if it's not outside of the comfort zone? It's more, I mean.

Speaker 2

I guess it is outside of the comfort zone. What's the context of this story? Anonymously, Someone reached out.

Speaker 1

Somebody wants to be more consistent. Somebody wants to be more consistent with their habits. Okay, what habits? I mean fitness habits, morning routine habits. Okay, what habits? I mean fitness habits, morning routine habits. But I think in their head it's almost like the sustainability gets skipped. So it doesn't even start from a place of sustainability. It starts from a place of consistency and then consistency burns down because it's too much too sustainability. It starts from a place of consistency and then consistency burns down because it's too much too fast. Then it becomes a negative and then it goes from. I was doing it all for five days and now I'm going to do none for the next 25 days of the month and rinse and repeat yeah, I would say you need to.

Speaker 2

I think the biggest cheat code for lack of better phrasing is getting a streak going, but it has to be a streak you can sustain. And this is so freaking hard because mentoring for 10 years, coaching for almost 8 metrics and habits is what I've been doing for 10 years almost 10 years Myself and with others and I think I have more people tracking metrics and habits than maybe I don't want to say anyone. I'm sure there's other people I know there's apps for habit tracking and stuff, but I would say me personally, I've co-designed systems of success metrics and habits more than anyone I personally know, and so I've done this so many times. I know what works and what doesn't work for which type of person.

Speaker 2

There's a couple types of people. There's people who want to get a hundred percent of an easy system easier system. For anyone listening who you know who you are. I'm not saying your system is easy, I'm saying you like to get a hundred percent of whatever you do, okay. And then there's another person I just coached earlier today who never gets above 70 because she thinks the system is too easy the moment she starts winning at it, and I think some of that is her trying to keep herself worth low. Some of that is she's super growth oriented and really wants to.

Speaker 2

So for me, my system lately I'm probably at my average lately is probably 70 maybe. My system lately I'm probably at my average lately is probably 70% maybe, but my system is really freaking hard. So it depends on where she's at. Where do you think that person is? Is it a she? Yeah, okay, where do you think that? Which one do you think that person would do better? 100% of an easy system or 70% of a really hard one? 100% of an easy system, 70 of a really hard one? 100 of an easy system?

Speaker 1

so here's the problem she's trying to get 100 on a hard system. I think any system's hard when you first start.

Speaker 2

It agreed that's it, so it's a humility issue in my honest opinion so you need to have the humility to start super small.

Speaker 2

you know what this? We don't talk about that often, but a lot of us have an identity that's better than we want to believe that we're better than three habits a day. Honestly though, at the beginning you're kind of not, and that can be really painful. To realize that that's one of the reasons habit tracking is so hard is a lot of people. It bumps up against their view of self and if their view of self is, yeah, I can totally do a lot of people, it bumps up against their view of self. And if their view of self is, yeah, I can totally do a lot. And then they realize in the real world they actually can't.

Speaker 2

When they start actually tracking, it can be very devastating to your identity. It's very uncomfortable. But once that phoenix burns down and you rise anew from those metaphorical ashes, you really start to grow. And then all of a sudden, when you and I started, you tracked five habits and that was hard to do. That took humility to come to me. It took humility to sit in front of a whiteboard and figure out what actually is necessary, and it took humility to start with five while I was doing whatever. 15 or 18 or whatever.

Speaker 1

Well, I think the other thing too was some of the things I was already doing. So it was like I was just giving myself credit Exercise 30 minutes a day things I was already doing. So it was like I was just giving myself credit Exercise 30 minutes a day. I was already doing that pretty much every day, so I was just doing something and then giving myself credit for it, something that I wasn't doing before. I think the thing that makes it super hard is when people say imagine yourself as the ideal version of yourself. You can't really do that and then choose the habits that ideal self would have, because ideal self is evolved through experience and if that's why, if somebody said Kev, that's why I can't. I could not imagine at the beginning of this journey that I would be doing what I'm doing today. I couldn't imagine it. I didn't know what ideal Kev would have to do to become ideal Kev. I didn't. How would I ever know? No way I can know.

Speaker 2

There's no way. It's almost like you have to have an ideal vision, to some extent, some clarity, of what that version of you would be like and then try to reach that standard in the short term. However, your system habits need to be so freaking small, almost embarrassingly small. I actually really believe that. I was on with a brand new client earlier and I didn't want to overwhelm her because we kind of rebranded her entire business. She's on four different Instagrams and I got her to do one and she said this is exactly what I needed. So I'm grateful and if you're listening, you know who you are. But when it comes to the habits, you almost need to be embarrassed with how small you start.

Speaker 2

In group coaching, way back in group one, we've done 16 groups. This is our 16th. We started with 12 habits and a lot of people struggled and fell off. I think we only had three people by the end of it actually complete it, and now we start with three, and the reason why is because everyone needs to. You can't. If you pick up a basketball, you're not going to suddenly start dribbling between your legs. You're going to learn how to dribble and then you're gonna so like cars plumbing. I joke, I don't know what the heck I'm doing, and it it reminds me and humbles me of how, how small you have to start yeah, in everything.

Speaker 1

Well, if you think of it as maybe your eye, your ideal morning routine, I won a really cool podcast the other day. I was telling you about it. Shout out to trevor. I don't know if trevor's listening, but he's like what's your day? Look like man.

Speaker 2

I want to be a podcaster.

Speaker 1

He's, he wants to be a full-time podcaster Eventually. He's like you inspire me, I'm 24. It's like dude, that's awesome, that's cool, that's cool stuff. And I said, what I'm going to tell you about my morning routine is not for morning routine porn. It's not why I'm saying it. I'm not saying you have to do it the same way. I'm not saying it. I think the issue is, when you're designing a morning routine, your ideal morning routine is you get up and then you do habit one, habit two, habit three, habit four, habit five, then your morning routine is done. What can I do for you? Nothing. Habit four, habit five, then your morning routine is done.

Speaker 2

What can I do for you? Nothing, I just the ideal morning routine versus the lately morning routine is pretty different wake up in a panic realize you don't have time to shower, run to your first call, make it look like you're not a mess. Uh, and I also playfully when, when he asked you know what's your day look like? And in my head I said atrocious, yeah, yeah, it sucks no.

Speaker 2

In the best way I'm being playful, but, truth be told, I've tried to condense morning routines. I love this. This is great. Down to three things. You have a minimum. You need a minimum. Everybody needs minimums On the NLU team. There, everybody needs minimums. On the nlu team, there's three minimums team huddles, peak performance tracking and team trainings. That's it, minimums. We all do those three things. For for yourself, you need to have minimums. Emilia and I have some minimums in our relationship three gratitudes a night. We have to be in bed in the bedroom by 10. There's certain minimums, and even that one we've been jeffing lately. But at the end of the day, you want to set yourself up for minimums and I think a lot of us are trying to win at too many things. But anyways continue.

Speaker 1

I'm just thinking of it as a stack Wake up at X time, don't touch phone for first hour. Journal stretch whatever. Whatever the five things are, you stretch whatever. Whatever the five things are, you know where you start. You start with the first one for the first week get up at six o'clock, get up at seven o'clock, get up at eight o'clock, whatever that. That is where you start, because if you cannot do that one, the rest just don't matter.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 1

That is the linchpin today. I got up at six, I went out and I did my morning routine and I didn't go to the gym. I said honestly I am tired, my body is beat. I've been lifting very heavy and just beating the hell out of my body. I'm going to take a day. Everything else got done, though. Everything else got done. Now what You're?

Speaker 2

very happy.

Speaker 1

I'm just happy. You're very happy today.

Setting realistic expectations for a morning routine

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 1

I dig it, my mind says stuff.

Speaker 2

I'm thinking of it that way, I'm also kidding, coming from the guy who barely got to his first call.

Speaker 1

It's all good. Well, I know those dog walks can be pretty intense In that neighborhood of yours.

Speaker 2

I know there's lots of hills and stuff.

Speaker 1

In the gated neighborhood of yours.

Speaker 2

I'm grateful we can still bro out every now and then. That makes me happy.

Speaker 1

I do love broing out.

Speaker 2

It's just different than it used to be. I miss it.

Speaker 1

But that's where my mind goes there. In an ideal world, yeah, you'd wake up and you'd do mobility and you'd drink your water, and you'd have your pre-workout and you'd do this and you'd do this and you'd do your warm-up and then you'd exercise. Sometimes you don't, but what's the most important thing, If you do the A activity, you'll actually build momentum. The A activity is get up when the alarm goes off. Awesome, that's great. That's the place to start. Then, when you do that for a week, then you do the next thing, then you get up and then, whatever the first thing is Cool, prove to yourself, you can do that. I think to your point. I think you just have to turn down what all is.

Speaker 2

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. What are your most rock-solid habits? I was thinking about that because We've been doing habits for so long, yeah, that we forget what winging it is like. When was the last time you just wung it?

Speaker 1

Probably when I was in Scotland, and even then Even then you weren't winging it. I was getting up at 6 and working in the morning, but I wasn't doing mobility, I didn't exercise any time. I mean, we walked a lot but I didn't go to the gym. I wasn't learning nearly as much. I was batching WhatsApp, I was batching emails, but my morning routine was, jeff, compared to what it is Freestyle Friday, so giving ourselves permission to do this For all the listeners, anyone watching.

Speaker 2

Think about your top three as well. What are your top three most rock solid habits right now? Like, what are the top three habits you're the most proud of right now that you've been doing, let's say, the last month plus?

Speaker 1

Probably the morning routine. I've gotten up at six every single day, except for I'm going to sleep in on Sundays. I think that was an ego thing. For me it was a conversation of am I going to feel soft if I don't get up at six? Am I being lazy or is this really what's best? And I tested it out Sunday and I woke up.

Speaker 2

I think I woke up at seven, it's like okay, well, it all depends what you're optimizing for prioritizing. Quality time with Taryn, so are you prioritizing sleep or are you prioritizing I'm?

Speaker 1

prioritizing sleep and then quality time with Taryn on Sundays. It's hard when I if I wake up and I go to the gym. I usually go to the gym a little bit later on Sunday and then I get home it's like 9 or 9 30. I never, ever, ever wake up in bed with my wife almost never, because I'm always up at the ass crack of dawn yeah so sunday is kind of that.

Speaker 1

I want that to be family day where I can actually wake up next to my, next to my wife for for once, four times in the month we never talk about this but we should more priorities in conflict.

Speaker 2

A lot of people okay. So my priority is sleep. Guess what if my priority is sleep? So I got an 88 sleep score, 82, 82 sleep score last night. My priority is sleep. You can't have that be your priority and party all night and wake up early. See how you, if you have the wrong habits. Oh, I want to go to bed early and I want to see my friends late and I want to prioritize sleep and I also want to have a rockstar morning routine, even though my first call is at 10. I don't think we talk about this enough. One of the reasons people aren't consistent and this I don't know if we've ever mentioned on the podcast which is alarming If you have three priorities that are conflicting, you're going to be inconsistent and then feel bad about it. So, for example, if you prioritize your morning routine and prioritize family time in the morning, you're dead in the water, right there.

Speaker 2

And prioritize sleep. You kind of have to prioritize your morning routine or sleep. If your priority is sleep, like mine, you don't set an alarm and you sleep until you can't sleep anymore within reason obviously, my first call is at 10, so I know minimum I have to be up at 9.30, but my body always wakes me up before that, particularly if I get to bed on time. But at the end of the day, one of the reasons people aren't consistent is because their system is designed in a way, their habits are designed in a way, that the priorities are in conflict. If your priority and I told Emilia this, so the priority right now is service and I'm working till 7 pm, it's 6.04 right now. I'm working till 7 pm, it's 604 right now. I need a little bit of permission from her to be a little less present on the day-to-day for this chapter, because I know that if I have a priority of family and a priority of business and a priority of fitness, I know that I'm gonna fail pretty miserably because they can't. They conflict so much.

Speaker 1

I don't think people talk about that enough.

Speaker 1

Again, we're privileged where we can make our own schedule to a degree. Right At the end of the day, we work for the clients. That's kind of how a business works. I want to make sure I'm available for the people that need us. We changed my schedule from 11 to 6. Again, when you and I record, it's whatever, and then group coaching usually goes over and the meetup usually goes over and the team call usually goes over. But I'm not scheduled from 6 to 7 anymore. I promise it's positive and it's moved in a wonderful direction. I'm not complaining, I promise. One of the reasons was I used to get up at 5, and I would say to Alan brother, we're finishing at 7.45. I still have to eat dinner and I have to be in bed sleeping by 9.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 1

So it's either I eat, I go to bed on time or I spend time with my wife. That's it. I get to pick one out of three. That was terrible. It was so hard to choose. Yeah, it was so hard to choose.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it was so hard to choose. I was. I had heartburn before bed. I couldn't sleep because I had. I had just eaten like 15 minutes before I went to bed. It doesn't work for me. Now I go to bed by 10 every night. Maybe saturday I'll stay up late, but sunday I'm sleeping in yeah but that I don't never.

Speaker 1

I never miss that. Very, very, very rarely do I miss that. Sometimes Taryn will tap me on the shoulder and say, hey, you want to ride the lightning tonight and we'll stay up for an extra half hour. But I'm not going to bed at midnight, I'm still going to bed at 10.20.

Speaker 2

That's the cool thing about the goal of being 10 pm. When we ride the lightning, we still end up 11.15, which is still better than it used to be when we didn't have the 10 o'clock goals.

Speaker 1

I think that's a really good point, though I think it's how the goals are supposed to work together.

Aligning habits with personal goals and schedules

Speaker 2

Yeah, and if they don't and they're in conflict, you will always fail and then feel terrible about it. I even told you right before this. I said, brother, I feel so free because my calendar calendar. I don't want to keep talking about us, but I also know we need to lead by example. My calendar's never been. I've never felt more demand and I and I'm grateful for that supply is way less than demand. There's more demand for me than there is supply and I'm grateful for that. However, I told Kev I need permission for it to be messy. I can't be perfect and overwhelmed and a great partner and a great pet dad and fit and so the to this person.

Speaker 2

Going back to the original origin story, this episode, what I would say is you need to find the optimal amount of like. Start with three habits and, once you lock those in, then go to four, then go to five, but those three can't be in conflict. Right, they need to be. You can't, you can't have a goal to be in bed at 10 pm and have friends who love to party till till midnight like, honestly, dude, I I feel like the reason why our associations are so important. You and I are both in bed early, we're both up, we both work, we both have similar schedules.

Speaker 2

Dude, how emily and I talk about this all the time because she's like, well, I want to go to bed earlier. And I sit there and say, sweetheart, that's a pipe dream, us going to bed at different times, us not going to the gym together, us, you going to the gym in the morning, me going at night. There's no way that's going to work. People don't talk about this enough. But do you know how hard it is to exercise consistently when your schedule doesn't isn't aligned to that? It's very hard. Back when you used to work nights, how hard was it to coexist with other people it was very unsustainable.

Speaker 1

We would drive eight hours home from New Jersey and I would go to the gym at 3 o'clock in the morning. It was not there's no. I remember texting my family because we came home on a Wednesday, thanksgiving was on a Thursday and I was in the gym at 3 o'clock in the morning on Thanksgiving Day and I was like, hey, I'm not going to be down until like noon but I got probably five hours of sleep and then I get up and drove an hour and a half down to see them.

Speaker 2

Not just not sustainable, not healthy Schedule is so important Some of the work I do with people. I have one client every week. We look, we pull up his calendar and we optimize his schedule. If I remember, you and I used to be running amok for lack of better phrasing and we weren't as good with our calendars and I think I was always a little better than you, if I'm honest, but you and I back in those early days, man it was oh, I just got someone just got back to me on Instagram let's drive and let's do a podcast episode with so-and-so.

Speaker 2

And that would never dude. We never could have got to this level playing like that.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it was good times, good times back then, but so what's your takeaway? What's your takeaway? I know you want to keep going, but I don't want to take the listeners on a three-hour ride. Agreed, I mean, I do.

Speaker 2

But what are your priorities? Don't pick ten. Ten is too much, five is too much. Try to pick 3 for this chapter. What's the most important habit under each of those priorities?

Speaker 1

And how do I make sure they're not in conflict? Mine would be the best routine whether it's a morning routine, a nighttime routine, a lunchtime routine, a fitness routine starts with one habit. I think a routine is probably an accumulation of habits. I don't know what the definition is, but when I think routine it's, I do this, then this then this, then this.

Speaker 1

It starts with one, starts with one, so start on the very first pillar and until you're there, I probably wouldn't add much more, unless you know you can handle it, that my morning routine isn't as hard for me because I like going to the gym Not every day, but I think I just have less resistance. I like waking up early, I genuinely do. I don't want to sleep in during the week, I don't. I want to get up and I want to get after it, and I also know that I don't want to work super late. I'd rather get up at 6 and work from 6 to 7 than work from 9 to 9.

Speaker 1

I'd rather do the first one that works better for me. That's the way I'm wired, so that is less resistance for me right off the bat than maybe somebody else. So I think that's a piece of it and I think that's why some of the advice you get is terrible. The collective you gets can be terrible, because it would be easy for me to say, oh yeah, it's not that hard to have a morning routine like that. One, I make my own schedule. Two I've been going to the gym for 16 years. It's different, it's, it's I just there's. There's less resistance for me because I've done it for so long, just like, if you do, I know I always, I always shit on cold plunges. I'm I'm not, I'm always. I'm joking, obviously, but if you've done cold plunges you have less resistance to cold water because you've done it. At least you know it's like yeah, like yeah. I've done it 15 times. I know it's going to suck, but I'm used to it. There's just not the same amount of resistance. So that's my takeaway.

Importance of structured habits to avoid burnout

Speaker 2

Yeah. And then, underneath all that, there's still some level of yeah, no one, you're going to have to grid it out. Yes, once you have it designed, you're going to have to grid it out or you're going to have to be okay with not getting results and or not feeling good about yourself, and I really want to make that land that'll be. The last thing I say is you're not gonna feel good about yourself. Running amok, we romanticize carefree wandering. I'm telling you, I coach a lot of people. There are people that are very wealthy that I coach, that do very well, and they are not happy without routine. Human beings need some structures. Too much structure is not good, but too little is also not good I'm just gonna do what I want tomorrow.

Speaker 1

What are your thoughts? You do, you, man? I see me at the driving range at 11 am. I'll send you a video.

Speaker 2

Dude, it's a bucket of balls, man, yeah, you know it man I uh you would have to give up being this business owner, you know ultimately, it's like yeah, because we just can't sustain, you can't grow and scale a global business one day on the golf course one day I'll be doing calls, I'll be doing coaching calls from the driving range you?

Speaker 1

yeah, that is your thought about uh, social media for your podcast. What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2

hold on, let's try this thing all right, I used to do coaching sessions on the way home from the studio when we had an in-person studio. I know that, and there were a couple clients who said I was so angry when you did that I I felt like I really wanted zoom and share screen and all that stuff. I actually lost a couple clients because of that you thought you were hot shit I did.

Speaker 1

You were wrong, I did. I figured it was worth it.

Speaker 2

I tried my best but, dude, that was the only way I could fit it in back then.

Speaker 1

Yeah, traveling back and forth to the studio was a whole thing.

Speaker 2

Yeah, we had to do it. That was way back in the day.

Speaker 1

All right group of like-minded individuals, maybe a place to get some feedback on building a new habit or building a new routine. Next Level Nation is the place to do it. We will have the link in the show notes. As always, it is a warm and welcoming group of self-improvement folk just like you, so please join if you're interested.

Speaker 2

Your future will not get bigger and brighter by accident. It will get bigger and brighter by design. If will get bigger and brighter by design, if you want to design your future, your goals, your metrics, your habits and then really figure out some of the deeper parts of who you need to be, who you want to be, who you actually are and sort of how to achieve your goals and dreams. It's my favorite work in the world. It's what I'm doing constantly.

Speaker 2

I would say at least 60% of my time is invested in one-on-one coaching with individuals leveling up themselves, leveling up their podcast, leveling up their business primarily themselves and their business since Kev's the podcast man. But ultimately I have a lot of podcasters. I coach too. I was on with a podcaster earlier. So ultimately, if you want to dial in your system and design a system that works for you, specifically catered to you, I always say anyone can teach you how to lose weight or how to achieve a goal. Very few people can get you to actually do it and sustain it and scale it long term. I'm definitely becoming more aware that I'm I'm someone who's really good at that, so I really hope to reach out. My link will be in the show notes the goal engineer, I would say yeah, I know you don't like it.

Speaker 1

I know you don't like it and I one of our clients, philip the physique engineer.

Speaker 2

That's his thing. I identify deeply with engineer same. I don't think I look like an engineer. I think I look like an engineer I've never.

Speaker 1

You're the first engineer I've ever met. That's True. You know. True and scary maybe, but it's true. I didn't know what engineering was before I told you that I thought you build bridges and stuff. Some people, some engineers do. You've never met any other engineers. Where would I meet engineers? Go on and tell me In my past life.

Speaker 2

I don't know. I know so many engineers. I think that's hard for me.

Speaker 1

Did you know any bodybuilders before you became a bodybuilder, son?

Speaker 2

Yeah Of course Me. I played basketball, so a lot of bodybuilders were on the court.

Speaker 1

Well, there's something that you didn't know, that you do know now because you did it.

Speaker 2

No, I just I never really thought from that frame. But yeah, I do identify as engineer, so goal engineer I don't resonate necessarily with that.

Speaker 1

But if that's what you think.

Speaker 2

I am my friend. I will help you reverse engineer your goals.

Speaker 1

I would say that's what you are. Yeah, if I was going to introduce you to someone, I'd say he's good. Yeah, do it, man.

Speaker 2

Introduce me how you think. I just want to help more people achieve their goals.

Speaker 1

Well then, that's what you'll do.

Speaker 2

Reach their potential.

Speaker 1

That's what you'll do then.

Speaker 2

That is what I'll do?

Outro

Speaker 1

I want to do another podcast episode, so that's what we're going to do. Let's do that. Next Level Nation 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. Keep after it. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Speaker 2

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

Speaker 1

Thank, you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.

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Alan Lazaros

Host
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Kevin Palmieri

Host