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The Most Important Thing To Realize About Success (1889)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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In today’s episode, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros discuss the vital difference between achieving success at any cost and staying true to your values. They explore how pursuing success outside of alignment can leave you unfulfilled, even if you reach your goals. The conversation highlights the importance of integrity, the pitfalls of shortcuts, and why leading by example builds trust and fulfillment. Learn why leading by example, rejecting shortcuts, and staying authentic are keys to thriving.

Links mentioned:
Next Level Dreamliner: https://a.co/d/9fPpxEt
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
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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.

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Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/

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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:
(1:32) Why success rooted in alignment is more fulfilling
(4:02) Exposing the truth behind some influencers’ stories
(6:26) Recognizing the gap between public perception and reality
(12:17) Personal regrets and lessons from shortcuts
(20:04) 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/40IJYAu
(27:32) Choosing a path of integrity over quicker wins
(32:34) Staying in love with who you are during

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.

Success and Alignment in Self-Improvement

Kevin Palmieri

and some of those ways will force you out of alignment, and that's up to you. I think it's really hard to imagine yourself as the most successful version of yourself, but the least fulfilled version of yourself, and I think that's what's going to happen if you sell your fulfillment and your alignment along the way Deceit.

Alan Lazaros

If I have to lie to Kevin to get him to look up to me. That's not leadership, that's manipulation. If you look up to me because I tell you that I've exercised every day for 991 days whether you believe me or not, I know for a fact that's true then that's leadership.

Kevin Palmieri

That's leading by example. Welcome to Next Level University. I'm your host, 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.

Alan Lazaros

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

Kevin Palmieri

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 Self-improvement in your pocket every day, from anywhere, completely free welcome to next level university, next level nation.

Kevin Palmieri

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 for episode number 1,889, the most important thing to realize about success. Have we done 20 episodes in the past with the same or similar titles? Maybe and probably, but I do believe from my perspective, talking to myself, this is the most important thing to realize about success. Being successful, whatever that means to you, whatever your unique version of success is, is way easier if you are willing to go outside of alignment in order to get there. So I think of it as let's imagine, you just opened a restaurant and you are committed to serving only the highest quality food, but in the beginning and when you're trying to do it, you can't afford the highest quality foods. You say, you know what? For now we're just going to kind of go take some food out of the trash and we're going to make it nice and nobody will know. But eventually, if we do that for long enough, we'll be able to afford some really nice food. And the downside is, for 99% of the journey, you're outside of alignment in order to get to alignment one day and then you end up at what you think is going to be alignment and you realize that you have spent the entire journey misaligned. So this is allegedly Okay I'm going to say allegedly, and I'm going to shoot some shots here okay, allegedly, everybody's favorite self-improvement monk was not really a monk for as long as he said he was the life coaching certification that everyone's favorite monk has on his website. That said that it was as good I believe it was like this is as good as getting a master's degree at X college. X college didn't know that was on his website. So when they found out, they said you have to take this down. This isn't real. We don't sign up for this. And allegedly also allegedly everyone's favorite monk also stole a bunch of people's quotes when he was on the come up and he was sharing all sorts of wise, wisdomatic quotes.

Perception vs. Reality in Success

Kevin Palmieri

I had a moment the other night, alan, where I was. I was watching. I don't was. I was watching. I don't remember what I was watching, but you know me, I watch a lot of weird. I watch a lot of weird behind the scenes stuff about people that I don't think a lot of people see, because you've got to kind of go down the rabbit hole, but there's so much.

Alan Lazaros

What was the Hulk Hogan one?

Kevin Palmieri

Oh man, allegedly, Allegedly Again, it's all alleged. I can't prove it, but people have done deep dives. Hulk Hogan, for those of you who don't know, is like one of the wrestlers the highest grossing, most famous wrestlers of all time.

Alan Lazaros

When I was seven, my friend and I Mark used. In 2007, my friend and I Mark used to have a Hulk Hogan that we would wrestle.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, yeah, the little dog. Yeah, you had the dog. Of course, I had the dog, I had Hulk Hogan, I had the Ultimate Warrior I had them all baby, huge wrestling fan when I was younger.

Kevin Palmieri

Allegedly he is a pathological liar, just makes shit up. You know there was this story. There was a story where he wrote a song about a kid that was evidently there was a kid who had cancer in the front row of one of his shows and he wrote a song when the kid died and the song went like platinum or something. Somebody helped him write it, but like when people lined it up, they're like no, you weren't even in that country. Like when you, everything you're saying is not accurate and all of these things do not do not add up. I think you forget that. Like there was cameras there, it was like people there. You know they are with you when you were there Again, again I don't want this to be a super negative episode, no, but it's important.

Alan Lazaros

It's important to realize that not everything you hear is true.

Kevin Palmieri

Most of what you hear is not true.

Alan Lazaros

Everyone embellishes, but there's an extent where it's Most of what you hear, is not true?

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, exactly, and that's what's really important for everyone to understand. And as you grow up, it is alarming how much that is true, because as a kid I was starry-eyed and I wanted to believe, and we've met famous people. I've been mentored by millionaires, one billionaire I've I literally coach someone who I've coached. People that are wealthy, famous, still do. It is just different than you thought and there are some people who are wealthy and famous that are in tech, in integrity, that are wonderful, wonderful absolutely wonderful.

Alan Lazaros

And then there's other people who are wealthy and famous, that are in integrity, that are wonderful, wonderful, absolutely wonderful. And then there's other people who are wealthy and famous that are absolute liars.

Kevin Palmieri

Well, I think the truth of the matter is almost everything is different than you expect.

Alan Lazaros

Yes.

Kevin Palmieri

Some hyper positive, some in the other direction. So that's one of my theses, just in general, is my life is different than you think it is. It's either better or worse. Alan's life is different than you think it is. It's either better or worse. Alan's life is different than you think it is. We are either more or less successful than you think we are. It just kind of is that because, because, no one knows all of the truth, because no one knows all the truth.

Kevin Palmieri

Going back to the sometimes your worst fear coming true is actually good. You're not familiar with my life, so you don't. Your expectations are either Kev is crushing it or Kev is not crushing it, and the truth is somewhere in between. It's my own level of truth.

Alan Lazaros

The difference, though, is we don't lie. No, no, you know, but that's the point of this episode, saying things that aren't true.

Kevin Palmieri

Well, that's the point of this episode is. The most important thing to realize about success is, I think success is probably way easier if you just are willing to be outside of alignment. I've had moments. There's a sub-series of man how deep do I want to go? There's a sub-series of influencers on social media that I don't even know. Okay, I had a moment last night. You got this.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, I know I'm trying to figure out how specific I want to be. I had a moment last night where I realized that essentially every piece of content you see on the internet is reverse engineered.

Kevin Palmieri

For a certain purpose, for a certain purpose based on other people that are doing it. Let's say, you find one post of a jacked dude with a text overlay talking about how the most toxic people whatever it's some motivational quote over a jacked dude's picture there are a million of those and that's just their little area of the internet. This is our little area of the internet Self-improvement and my social media and Alan's social media but a lot of that stuff is not who those people really are and that's the difference If you ever watch.

Alan Lazaros

I was telling Kev I'm super pumped for Gladiator 2. What mixed martial arts is for him? Film is for me. But Emilia and I watched the director's cut of Gladiator, the first one. The reason I took a leadership course in college and we were required this was the best assignment ever to watch Gladiator and write a report on leadership the difference between Russell Crowe's character and Joaquin Phoenix's character, because essentially that whole film and spoiler alert, I mean it came out in 2004, 2005,. So we're good, I'm really not concerned. If you haven't seen the film, turn this off, so I guess I am concerned.

Alan Lazaros

Okay, the whole film starts off where Russell Crowe is offered to be the emperor of Rome and he says with all my heart, no, I don't want to be the emperor of Rome. And he says that's why it has to be you, so that you can not be corrupt by power. And Marcus Aurelius wrote a book called Meditations. I have it by my bedside. He's one of the great philosophers of history and he knew his son was not a moral man and that his son, joaquin Phoenix's character, was basically a piece of shit and definitely Plays it well. Plays it well, yeah. So that whole film is built on perception versus reality. The reality is Russell Crowe was supposed to be the emperor and refused it, and then Joaquin Phoenix's character killed his father behind the scenes before he could tell anyone that Russell Crowe was the next emperor, so he's the next in line. The whole film was basically in reality. Russell Crowe, the whole time who's a slave gladiator was actually supposed to be the emperor and the emperor was basically hoodwinking all of rome the entire time.

Alan Lazaros

And the reason I'm saying all this rather than just loving film, is everything on the internet is different than you think and people can manipulate your perception. They can Not. Everyone is Not, everyone is, and that's the thing you have to be able to decipher. If you can learn one skill, if I could go back and say, alan, this is the skill you need to learn who's manipulating versus who's honest you need to. If you just had that one freaking skill, your whole life would have been different. I have a filter it's called Unmedzai and I have a it's an acronym. We're not going to go through it, but I basically have a filtration process where I won't let anyone near me who has a high score in this and if anyone wants it, you can reach out, seriously, I'm happy to give it to you. I just don't want to hear. I'm happy to give it to you, I just don't want to hear. But ultimately I know now. It took me 35 years, 34 years of living and experience, and many times being manipulated, to realize that everyone has an agenda, everyone has a goal, everyone is trying to get you to perceive them a certain way, and some people are actually just honest and truthful and in integrity, and I even in this episode.

Alan Lazaros

You said success is really easy when you're willing to go outside of alignment. And I thought of when I cheated on vocab tests in high school. I got straight A's in high school, I got the president's award, but I'm ashamed that I had to cheat on a vocab test. Now, I never cheated in math or science. I loved math and science, but English I didn't care about. So I just had a little cheat sheet and not on every test by any means. But you have to learn that. It's so unfulfilling to I do. I regret that. I genuinely regret that. No, it's so unfulfilling to I do. I regret that. I genuinely regret that no one else cares. No one cares. Who doesn't cheat on a vocab test in high?

Kevin Palmieri

school. Nobody else sees it, yeah, nobody sees it.

Alan Lazaros

It's just annoying, because Is the point just to succeed, or is the point to learn? Is the point to grow? Is the point to care to love to grow, is the point to care to love who you are? Because, dude, no one loves who they are when they're full of shit. I think that's a universal being honest, I've become a better man over the years I know you have too, and and the more and more we become better men, the more fulfilled we are and, yes, eventually, the more successful we get. But we've taken l after l after l having to take the harder road. Yeah, I mean, we just will not.

Alan Lazaros

I mean, I remember when I was a fitness model, all my, all my photographers wanted to edit them, all my photographers not all of them, for any of the photographers that might be listening but they all asked like, do you want me to put more abs in? Do you want me to sharpen this up? And I always said no. I never, never once did I have a modeling photo that had, like, sharpened abs in it. Never once. And the majority of fitness models are editing their photos I I changed the contrast on a photo I posted today.

Alan Lazaros

I made it brighter and put the contrast a little higher, but I didn't paint in abs, and I just think it's really unfortunate that we live in a world that is so exponentially more fake because it gives us expectations that aren't real. Like as a young boy, we look up to the Rock and I'm not trying to pick on the Rock because I think in some ways he's a great role model, in other ways not so much, but there's no possibility that dude's a natural athlete.

Kevin Palmieri

No, allegedly.

Alan Lazaros

Allegedly Look at his face if you're on.

Kevin Palmieri

YouTube. He has used some sort of supplement. You think he may or may not have used supplements from. I would bet every Allegedly, I'd bet every dollar I have that he has.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, of course. Yeah, but that when you're a young boy, you don't know, and I think that's what the growth journey is, right, you're a young boy and young girls, they don't know that.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah that everybody's photoshopping their butts to look bigger and their waist to look smaller.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, and then?

Kevin Palmieri

selling you programs on how to get in shape. That is 100 prevalent. It's so prevalent, brother, I think that's actually the norm.

Alan Lazaros

Now it is. There's something going on with the human psyche and the internet that's messing people up. You asked the question.

Kevin Palmieri

I do believe many, many, many, many people are more interested in success than they are growth and alignment. Yeah, that's unfortunate. That's why I wanted to do things that are better for success but worst for your character and alignment. Yeah, 100%. And if you don't have self-belief, you might want to try it, Because if you don't think you can actually succeed to the level Again, I'm not saying I have empathy for people that lie. I don't know if I I have empathy for people that lie. I don't. I that I don't know if I can have empathy for that. I have empathy for someone who doesn't believe in themselves and they feel like they can't win.

Alan Lazaros

I have the utmost empathy for that 100 man.

Kevin Palmieri

It crosses a line. It's like there's got to be a better way find a coach.

Alan Lazaros

I could have easily just studied the words in the vocab test it's not like I couldn't.

Kevin Palmieri

It would help. It would have, definitely would have.

Alan Lazaros

I want to tell the malign joke so badly, maybe, maybe after you can tell it now. Uh, all right, so I'm in. I'm in english class with a very fascinating teacher yeah very, very and kiki and I we would.

Alan Lazaros

We stayed up too late playing video games and we didn't study. We were supposed to study, didn't study and we were supposed to create a cheat sheet for the vocab test. And one of the words on the vocab test was malign, m-a-l-i-g-n. Now I'm not proud of this, didn't have the cheat sheet and I was like we're in trouble. We're in trouble, we're going to fail this vocab test. And by the way, I decided and again I'm a weirdo, I know I'm an engineer blah, blah, blah.

Alan Lazaros

I decided to get straight A's in high school. I was going for the President's Award. It means you get 95 or above GPA for all 16 report cards all through high school. So for me, I'm actually shitting kittens. I'm not kidding. I cannot fail this president's award. I can't get a B. Imagine not even be able to get a B. I got an 89 once. Luckily it was an honors class, so it got weighted. Never took honors English again. By the way, I was a math and science guy. I couldn't stand English. Anyways, malign, I didn't know what it meant. Now I know it's malignant, like a bad whatever, and usually there's a sentence after the word that provides context. So I'm sitting there. Okay, give me a sentence so I can try to figure out what the word means. Right, because you don't have to be exact. He'd give you credit for like anything reasonable. He's malign m-a-l-i-g-n. Malign M-A-L-I-G-N. Malign. Went fishing this weekend. Malign broke and I was like I'm fucked, I can't do it.

Kevin Palmieri

This teacher was. If you paint a picture of a 1970s hippie, this was him. This was him.

Alan Lazaros

I gotta say I was laughing though.

Kevin Palmieri

That was a useless sentence. Super, super funny. Didn't help at all.

Alan Lazaros

I'm surprised you didn't know my line dude, I didn't care that much about english man I'm surprised, I regret that I didn't read books a lot back then, like I was a everything you did.

Kevin Palmieri

I did less of a lot by a lot, too. By a lot again, I was with.

Alan Lazaros

I was with some college kids yesterday.

Alan Lazaros

Quick with this I was with some college kids yesterday and they're 19. I needed to know their ages. I need to know age because I can't contextualize anything unless I know numbers. So so it was 21, 20, and 18. And I was like, oh, you guys don't know anything compared to like. When you're older you'll know a lot and they're going to be fine. They're very educated, wonderful people. It's just interesting to go oh, when I was your age, I thought I knew and I did, statistically compared to other 19-year-olds.

Kevin Palmieri

But age, I thought I knew and I did statistically compared to other 19 year olds. But 19 year olds don't know much. What 19 year old knows? A lot like. There aren't any right. It's so interesting. Well, there's some, there's some, I'm sure some gifted 19 year olds.

Alan Lazaros

I don't know, man, it's all the compound effect. You just don't have enough years of compounded understanding, I mean they don't know this what we're talking about right now. There's no way. I was just on with them yesterday. They don't know this. They would benefit tremendously from listening to our show.

Kevin Palmieri

Well, they haven't been on social media for as long as they haven't seen the change of social media. It's just normal. What they see now is normal.

Alan Lazaros

For us.

Choosing Alignment Over Shortcut Success

Kevin Palmieri

It's like why is everybody so attractive and in such good shape? Everybody has a 12-pack. Wait, what's happening here? I don't want this to be a negative episode.

Alan Lazaros

I don't 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.

Kevin Palmieri

I have really crawled into the rabbit hole for lack of better phrasing and it's weird how a lot of people got to where they got to by just cheating or taking shortcuts or just doing stuff that's out of alignment. And again, who am I to say what's in alignment for them? It's not up to me to decide what's alignment for somebody else, but it is mind-blowing to me how many people who it's like. Imagine if I, so NLU. Imagine if we paid for all of our listens and then I charged you three thousand dollars a month to teach you how to grow your podcast, I would. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Yeah, I would not be able to sleep at night, I would. There's no way. A lot of people are doing that yeah so many people are doing that.

Kevin Palmieri

There are so many people who are just trying to be successful at the expense of their alignment. I don't think 99.9 of you watching or listening are like that.

Alan Lazaros

My goal in this episode is to bring awareness to the fact that a lot of the people that you looked up, look up to you might not want to if you knew how they got to where they got and you might think more of yourself if you realize how much of a better person you actually also true, because that's one thing that I've enjoyed as much as this has been atrocious to to realize how many coaches, mentors, people that I looked up to as a kid were not who I thought they were. Yeah, one of the good parts of that is I actually realized that I'm a better man than I thought like. That's the extent of it. Man man Like the, the cheating on the vocab test. I regret that I have. I have other little ones where I regret, but for the most part I was a really, really good person.

Kevin Palmieri

I cheated in math. I don't regret it. Had to happen, had to happen. You know, honestly, if I knew I wasn't going to college sooner, I probably just wouldn't have tried.

Alan Lazaros

So I would have every, every young person. They go through this light and dark moral compass they do, and then what becomes normal is normal. And also I this is important to say as well the modeling in my upbringing, the role modeling as well, the modeling in my upbringing, the role modeling. I mean I wasn't even with inhaling distance of some of the horrible things I was witnessing. So it's just like it comes down to that. I think if I had had role models that I could look up to, that were actually legit, that led by example, that really did teach me virtue, I I would have, I was open to that, I would have been a better, I wouldn't have cheated. You know what I mean I didn't have.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, it was about the result. It was. It was you say who am I to say what is and isn't aligned? I think virtue is, and we've talked about this. I do. We know what's right and wrong. Everyone does, no matter who you are. People all over the world I coach yeah, no matter who you are, there's right and there's wrong. Lying, blatantly lying, taking advantage of someone, deceitful. Someone asked me one time what's the difference between leadership and manipulation? I said deceit, Deceit. If I have to lie to Kevin to get him to look up to me, that's not leadership, that's manipulation. If you look up to me because I tell you that I've exercised every day for 991 days whether you believe me or not, I know for a fucking fact that's true then that's leadership, that's leading by example.

Kevin Palmieri

This is my next play right here. I'm going to take this. I have this car here. I'm going to put it in a little driveway, so I just picked up the new whip. I've been a good year for podcasting, baby. Right, I'll make a little. I'm showing it on YouTube. I'm going to make a little smaller version of myself sitting right here Damn.

Alan Lazaros

Rev that thing up for us, vroom, vroom.

Kevin Palmieri

When I there are certain things, this thing's got so much dust on it it's not even funny. There are certain things you can't put back in the jar. I say that all the time. It's one of my favorite things when I was. I was in high school 17, 16, 17. I almost cheated on my girlfriend at the time.

Alan Lazaros

Oh, dude, can't put that back in the jar. Can't put that back in the jar.

Kevin Palmieri

It was. I won't say as close as you can be to cheating, but I intended on cheating. That night I invited the person over to the party cause I was going to cheat. I invited the person over to the party because I was going to cheat. And then I had that moment where I was like, if I do this, I will never, ever, ever be able to say that I didn't do this, even if it's one time, one mistake for five seconds doesn't matter. I wonder if other people have that.

Alan Lazaros

I'm the same way. I've never once cheated on a partner.

Kevin Palmieri

However, I think character driven people have that for sure.

Alan Lazaros

We had broken up not long before, and so there was that and we were, we were that whole, we were on a break thing. Quote unquote or whatever, but I'm that same way. You know what I realized, Kev. When I say 991 days in a row of exercise, I'm insecure about that being so rare. People might see that insecurity as he might be lying. I'm actually insecure that it's true.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, no, I know.

Alan Lazaros

I know, but I realize the perception of that. When I hesitate it's like oh, I wonder if people think I'm lying when in reality I'm actually insecure of how different I am in that Some people can't even do a week.

Kevin Palmieri

Some people think you're lying. For sure you think so. Yeah, I think if you took 100 people, no matter what you say, some people will believe you, no matter what. Some people just don't care. They're like yeah, whatever, man, good for you. And then some people probably think you're lying. I have switched. It used to be, I believed almost everybody Same, now it's almost like I don't believe you. I don't. I'm becoming more pessimistic.

Alan Lazaros

About people, but more optimistic about your own life. Well, yeah, and it's pessimistic. I think that's the growth journey.

Kevin Palmieri

It's pessimistic for preservation. It's not like I'm not. I'm not trying to look down on people. That's not what it is. I've just seen so many of the people that I look up to fall. I was talking to Taryn the other day. I was like how is and again, just sit with me on this one how is Leonardo DiCaprio dating a 19-year-old? He's like 50. I know. Then I said what 50, I know. Then I said what is allegedly? Allegedly. What does that mean? With every like, I know that's only what you see in front of the scenes. What does that mean, though? But what are the layers?

Alan Lazaros

to which one of the most, yeah, to one of the most famous people on the planet it's so unfortunate I don't have many heroes anymore.

Kevin Palmieri

Same.

Alan Lazaros

That's what growing up is, and for anyone else that are listening or watching, there's something to this. Choose, fulfillment, choose.

Alan Lazaros

You can be successful, Choose alignment, Choose fulfillment. Because there was a short time in my life where I was out of alignment I drank I have done drugs and it was awful. It was super unfulfilling. Fulfillment comes from alignment. You can also be successful in alignment. It just takes longer and it's harder but it's better and I've been, I've dabbled on the other side and it's terrible and it's very important to. Yeah, I mean light side, dark side, Star Wars stuff, light side. You gotta go light side.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, well, here's the. This is the question. This is how I would wrap it up. Would you rather get to the goal at the expense of your character, or the journey would be longer, but you would be more and more and more and more of you and who you aspire to be. And, honestly, you might not get the goal, but you'll be way more complete and way more whole than you would ever be. The goal is just the goal, and the results that come with the goal are nice.

Kevin Palmieri

You want to be a millionaire? There's a bunch of ways to be a millionaire. You can go rob a bank. You can do all sorts of stuff. You can go rob a bank. You can sell drugs, you can take your clothes off, you can start a podcast, you can start a YouTube channel. You can start a business. You could ask a million people for a dollar. So many things, so many ways you could do it. Some of those ways will be deeply meaningful. Some of those ways will be deeply meaningful. Some of those ways will be deeply fulfilling. Many of those ways will require you to grow beyond what you're currently capable of, and that's wonderful. And some of those ways will force you out of alignment, and that's up to you. I think it's really hard to imagine yourself as the most successful version of yourself, but the least fulfilled version of yourself, and I think that's what's going to happen if you sell your fulfillment and your alignment along the way.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, and very last thing, when you and I crossed the million dollar mark, I remember thinking that the way we made that money I would have crossed. And again, as pretentious as this might sound, I'm just going to give the disclaimer. I was at lunch with a mentor. He said you know you'd be a millionaire if you still were in corporate right? I said you think I don't know that. And at the time I was broke. I said can you please get this? It's Panera.

Kevin Palmieri

You mind if I get a slice of bread with my salad? You cool with that. Yeah, you cool A roll.

Staying in Alignment for Success

Alan Lazaros

And I think I was 27 at the time, but I always wanted to be a millionaire by 30. And I did have the opportunity to turn down a million dollars, and that's a real story. Kevin was there for it. That's not a fake story. I don't talk about it because I I think it separates me from people and I don't like that. But ultimately and I think most people think I'm an idiot for that but I didn't even want to risk it. I didn't want anyone's hands in our cookie jar. I wanted nlu to be our thing and I wanted to I. So when we crossed the million dollar mark finally, which was a big milestone, I was I.

Alan Lazaros

What are you most proud of? Was one of the questions that you asked me. People asked me, emilia, I said the way we make our money. I am the most proud of the way we make our money, nlu. We make our money by helping people achieve their goals and dreams every time, and it actually helps them. The way we make our money is. I'm more proud of that than the amount, and that's I'm telling you the truth on that, because there are a lot of ways we could make a hell of a lot more money and I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to make more money. You do need to make more money.

Kevin Palmieri

Just do it in alignment I have times I get I get emails all the time about potential sponsorships like there are times I wish I could message back and say, yeah, I have those moments. It's like, yeah, I wish that would be awesome, be awesome just to make money from the podcast, not have to do anything. I have one in my inbox right now.

Alan Lazaros

It's no, it's not gonna work. This podcast, oh, oh yeah, yeah, I almost forgot you to tell you about my, uh, this coffee grounds that I do every morning, you know, dude, it's like the sixth one in a row. For anyone out there who's like, I have some podcasts I used to adore that are just ads now and it's like listen so and so, person, you do not use those coffee grounds and that kettlebell and that and that, like right you?

Kevin Palmieri

you busy day.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, yeah, it's a real busy day you have 12 things you have to use every day in order to do one episode. You know so anyways we are going to. I aspire to be the least full of shit human being on planet Earth.

Kevin Palmieri

Same, yeah, same. It's hard, it's scary. It's scary Because it doesn't seem like many people Not many. It seems like a lot of people aren't doing that. But I'm telling you you will be more fulfilled if you stay in alignment 100%, that I am convinced of. You will be more fulfilled if you stay in alignment and only achieve 70% of the goal than if you achieved 170% of the goal and went out of alignment. I would bet everything on that.

Alan Lazaros

Everything on that. I don't want to be at the top of this mountain and not in love. At the beginning of our relationship, I said I'm doing this one right, everything. I'm not going to lie to you about anything, nothing. And I said I don't want to be at the top of this mountain, not in love. That's a good metaphor for everyone out there watching or listening. Choose your climb it, grow goals and dreams all for it. Don't get to the top of the mountain, not in love with who you are 100 heavy one today and every alleged.

Kevin Palmieri

Everything's alleged. You know you can look it up. You can look it up. Go on youtube, type some stuff, you'll see. You know you'll see some of the research is he seriously dating a 19 year old? Leo, yeah, yeah, there's a meme where I think, if the second, his Girlfriend, gets above 25, he Trades him in for somebody younger.

Alan Lazaros

Oh god, that's so depressing.

Kevin Palmieri

It is weird.

Alan Lazaros

It's depressing For me yeah, because as a kid that was One of my heroes. It's very depressing, but again, really good actor.

Kevin Palmieri

That might be it. You gotta be careful. It's like, yeah, you're good at, you're good at acting male role models.

Alan Lazaros

We are the male role models we never had my friend so I'm proud of that more, more than anything.

Alan Lazaros

I'm proud of that more than anything, and for everyone out there, let's lead by example. Let's be the best people we can be and let's let's let that spread, because I think that not only will you be more fulfilled and fulfilled people don't want to hurt people but also that's what kids need. Dude, I see a responsibility. This speech I'm going to give that's such a responsibility. They were starry-eyed and I have a responsibility to show up as a good person, the best person I can be. I needed that so desperately when I was a kid. Dude, seriously.

Kevin Palmieri

See Well, speaking of being a good person if you're looking for a four-year degree in a journal, allegedly of course the next level Dreamliner is on sale From Harvard or Stanford. Which one?

Alan Lazaros

Yale, yale, oh, of course.

Kevin Palmieri

Let's keep it. Four letters only around here.

Alan Lazaros

You know what I'm saying?

Kevin Palmieri

no, it's you're not going to get a four-year college degree from a quarterly journal.

Kevin Palmieri

Unfortunately, what you will get and I'm certain of this is you'll get daily. You'll get daily reflection, you'll get some alignment, you'll get a lot of perspective and I think you'll build some self-trust, because it's something easy to do every single day. I've done it every day since I got it. I don't know how many days that is, but it's been awesome. So we'll have the link in the show notes. As always, it's on Amazon. It'll ship right to your house. Technology.

Alan Lazaros

Look at this star, at the top of the mountain. That's you, kev, and that's you listener, oh, or viewer. That's us. That's us. That's also, if anyone wants to stay in alignment with their goals, metrics, habits, skills and identity. Who you are now needs to grow in order to achieve your goals and dreams reach out. I adore coaching.

Kevin Palmieri

Favorite work in the world boom as always, we love you, we appreciate you, grateful for each and every one of you and l you. We don't have fans, we have family. We will talk to you all tomorrow stay in alignment.

Alan Lazaros

Next Level Nation.

Kevin Palmieri

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

Alan Lazaros

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.

Kevin Palmieri

Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.

Head Shot

Alan Lazaros

Host
Head Shot

Kevin Palmieri

Host