Next Level University

“Overthinking” Is A Super Power (1943)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 41:08

Have you ever been told you think too much? What if that’s your greatest strength? In today’s episode, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros challenge the stigma around overthinking and show you how deep thinking can unlock self-awareness, drive success, and improve relationships. Whether it’s balancing gratitude with ambition or embracing frustrations as tools for growth, they’ll guide you toward seeing life’s challenges in a whole new way.

Links mentioned:
Subscribe & follow -  https://www.buzzsprout.com/742955/share
Free 30-minute Coaching Call with Alan - https://bit.ly/4f3MSUz

______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website 💻  http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

_______________________

Any of these communities or resources are FREE to join and consume
Next Level Nation - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700
Next Level 5 To Thrive (free course) - ​​https://bit.ly/3xffver
Next Level U Book Club - https://bit.ly/3BQBYDr
Next Level Monthly Meet-up:  https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/monthly-meetups/

_______________________

We love connecting with you guys! Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or via email. We’re here to support you in your personal and professional development journey.

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

Facebook ✍
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

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

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(5:09) Strength or weakness?
(12:46) The value of deep thinking
(18:24) Big goals require big thinking
(22:21) Next Level Dreamliner: the planner, agenda, journal, and habit tracker to rule them all. Get a copy: https://a.co/d/9fPpxEt
(26:49) Balancing gratitude with growth
(29:23) Macro and micro perspectives of life
(33:10) Why awareness equals empowerment
(36:33) Lessons from history and curiosity
(40:26) 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.

Kevin Palmieri

gratitude's amazing, just like ambition is amazing. But if you're only ambitious at the detriment of your daily life and the relationships, that's not great. And if you're only grateful at the detriment of your future and your present self and your relationship, that's not great either.

Alan Lazaros

So there's a, there's a juggling act there the cool part about gratitude is it helps you feel appreciative for the person's place's things in your life. The cool part about complaining and frustration is it helps you identify things that could be better. If I'm complaining about Kevin, it's because I believe he could be better.

Kevin Palmieri

Welcome to Next Level University.

Alan Lazaros

I'm your host Kevin Palmieri, and I'm your co-host, alan Lazarus, at.

Kevin Palmieri

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.

Alan Lazaros

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

Kevin Palmieri

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 1,943, it's Freestyle Friday, and last week we je Jeffed it because we were so focused on what we were talking about. Usually, freestyle Friday is we just roll in, we don't really have an episode in mind, we just want to have a deep conversation and see where it goes, and then we name it after. We don't even know the name of it. This was my thought and I know we kind of talked about this recently. But how many times in your life? So two questions One how many times in your life have you been told that you think too much? That's question one. Question two is what would Alan's life look like if he didn't quote-unquote think too much? That's where we're going to start today Nice start.

Alan Lazaros

How many times have I been told you think too much? Uh, I'd say hundreds, hundreds for sure that I don't know if I, I don't know if I can say thousands, yeah, hundreds, yeah, for sure, okay, or things along the lines of I just don't think about it, or I don't think about it or don't worry. Don't think about it or don't worry about that, brushed off Like different versions of you think too much.

Kevin Palmieri

How many people have literally said Alan, you think too much. If you had to guess.

Alan Lazaros

At least 50. Yeah, at least 50. At least, at least 50,. Yeah, at least 50,. One of my one of my, my boss's boss at one of the automation companies that I worked for said for anyone with kids in the room, earmuffs said uh, don't mind, fuck it, don't, don't over, don't mind, fuck it, don't overthink it. And I remember thinking why not? I never understood. Thinking is really really, really important. That is the one human skill that we have that has built everything that we enjoy. Right, everyone can look around, looking at my office. There's a whiteboard and there's a mouse and there's a laptop and there's a phone, an iPhone, there's this mug and there's a 52-inch TV. Every one of these things was created by thinking. My very first personal development book this is way before I was into self-improvement, at least consciously was how successful people think, and I'm a big thinker. I think thinking is. Of course, I'm biased with this, but I think thinking is more important than everything else. By far it is.

Kevin Palmieri

We talked about that recently. We did an episode recently. The reason I asked is I've told this story before, but at the time, at the time I think it was more ego, the way I felt about my response was more ego than it is today. But I was seeing a young lady and when she essentially stopped talking to me and the last thing she said was you think too much like why can't something just be the way it is, like why do you have to think about it so much? And that was it. And I was like because I want to like that's what I like, that I think there's power in that.

Strength or weakness?

Alan Lazaros

And then she never talked to me again whatever right, whatever it is, it is what it is. Maybe you should go get a partner who doesn't think that sounds like a good life.

Kevin Palmieri

That's probably. Well, that's probably. Maybe that's what that person wants. Right, you do you, you do you. But I'm willing to bet that that person most likely is not going to drastically increase, drastically alter the direction of their life. I'm willing to bet. But I also uh where would you be without overthinking Quote, unquote.

Alan Lazaros

Oh, no, no, no, no, not good Without overthinking, without thinking, I don't want to call it overthinking, because I don't think there's such a thing. Uh, there is, if you're overly ruminating at the expense of it. So there is Okay, but without thinking, I would be in a very, not good place, very, very not good. That makes sense Terrible.

Kevin Palmieri

But that's why I think for some people, when some people tell you that they ask you, do you need to think so much? Why do you think so much? Maybe for them it's not positive, because maybe they're somebody who their drive to five is they just need to think less and do it. I asked somebody recently I was interviewing them, I was doing a producer episode in their podcast and I said which one of these defines you the best Ready, aim, fire Ready, ready, fire, aim, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire. What is your syntax? How do you work best? And they said honestly, I'm way more ready than you probably would guess. So it's ready. Aim.

Alan Lazaros

Aim would be someone who procrastinates Ready aim, aim, Ready, aim, aim, and then ready fire. Would be someone who doesn't think what's ready, ready, ready.

Kevin Palmieri

What if you just did ready, ready, fire would be someone who doesn't think what's ready, ready, ready. What if you just did?

Alan Lazaros

ready, ready fire. That would be someone who doesn't think enough because you've got to aim. You and I just strategized business strategy for Too long Probably. We did business strategy for at least 45 minutes, probably an hour and then I talked to you about personal stuff, strategy, learning, contemplation for another half an hour and now we're recording the fruits of that cognitive labor.

Kevin Palmieri

Whoa, I mean, you don't know necessarily, but to me that's what makes all of this even possible, but it's so invisible it's called invisible work it's very invisible and it's one of those things where it's a seed that gets planted that might not blossom for years and years and years, and you might not even realize when it blossoms. It might blossom, and then it might grow and grow and grow, and then you might not even realize when it blossoms. It might blossom, and then it might grow and grow and grow, and then you might eventually say, oh yeah, now, upon reflection, I realize that that actually blossomed One of the. So, as you know, I love mixed martial arts and the UFC is back this weekend.

Kevin Palmieri

I'm very excited. They've been on break. They take like three or four weeks at the end of the year. It's atrocious, it's atrocious, it's atrocious. And one of the journalists I like and this is a really cool connection for me, One of the journalists I like his name is Luke Thomas. He's like six foot six dude who is in the military but went to school. And when he went to college he studied two things he studied political science and he studied philosophy nice and he was talking yesterday on in his live stream.

Kevin Palmieri

Because I'm still under the weather, I've been spending a lot of time in bed just trying to find stuff to watch and he was saying, bar none, the best class I ever took in any schooling I ever did was philosophy.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

And I think the reason I like listening to him so much is he's always. He talks a lot about the and Almost nothing he says is ever. This is the way it is and there is no other way. It's almost always. This is a way and if you want to look at it from this other way, that's something too. One of our clients, marcus. I did a producer episode with him. He has a degree in philosophy as well.

Alan Lazaros

What's a producer episode? Just for the listeners, Because I know we both coach. Shout out to Chris. He said that. He said I did my first producer episode with Kev. It's always fun with Chris, yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

Chris is good people. Yeah, he is. I always free advice.

Alan Lazaros

Expert tip, as Alan once said in an episode Pro tip, pro tip. We were like that sounded so terrible. Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

If you're a podcaster who is trying to build expertise in your niche, do solo episodes. So you literally what Alan is going to be doing for Business Growth U, what I do for Podcast Growth U sit in front of the camera and solve a problem for your audience. Not all of our clients are ready to do that yet. So what I do is I essentially join them as a co-host and I just ask them questions about the thing and I try to lead them in a valuable direction, which is awesome because I scratch the itch of interviewing. It's great test. It's outside of my comfort zone, so it's really good.

Alan Lazaros

But one of our FYI sir. Yeah, you said solve a problem for your audience. No, no, no, no, no. Help them identify a problem.

Kevin Palmieri

Depends.

Alan Lazaros

Then identify the root cause of said problem. Well that's Then solve that problem for them and take none of the credit Thoughts.

Kevin Palmieri

That's one way to do it. I'm just joking.

Alan Lazaros

Probably not the way I would suggest. Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

But that's one way to do it. One of our other clients, Marcus I did a producer episode with him last month. He has a degree in philosophy as well and I resonate with that because it's very much. There's always thoughts underneath it and I would say that if you're thinking of philosophy, you're genuinely thinking of people who think too much by definition, because what you see is not good enough. It's not good enough to just see it and say, okay, that's what it is, but there's power in that. I think there's power in that, and there's no way we would have a podcast and a business and you and I would have the relationships we do and relationships with each other, if we didn't, if we weren't classified as overthinkers.

Alan Lazaros

There's no way.

Kevin Palmieri

There's no way. So if somebody out there has told you that you're an overthinker, my brain is not working, it's very humbling. I would say they're wrong number one and I would say it would probably be beneficial for them to think more, because they're probably missing out on a ton of lessons.

Alan Lazaros

That's what I always used to say is to myself. I was too cowardly to say it out loud, but I would say you think I think too much, I think you think too little. Yeah, why are you? Why are you trying to get me to think less? Don't we want to think more? Don't you think humanity would be better off if we all thought more?

Kevin Palmieri

It's scary to think a lot though.

Alan Lazaros

Well, this is a really, really harsh, hardcore, scary example, but I think the scary examples sometime sometimes can be valuable. And no one please take this out of context. But in world war ii, hitler would burn all the books because he would try to keep people stupid. Because when you kept people stupid and they didn't think they're easier to control. And so I think that thinking is really important because if you're not questioning yourself, questioning others, questioning, I mean we all need to understand government and how it works and business private versus public and the more you understand about the world, the more control you have over your world, and I think that's really empowering.

Alan Lazaros

I used to talk about open source knowledge. One of my friends laughed at me for this, but I said it would be really nice to live in a world where everyone has access to knowledge. Not everyone's going to seek it, but I believe in open source knowledge. In other words, that's part of what NLU is built on. Is free information, free knowledge Like, let's say, there's a 15 year old out there who doesn't hate you and I show does and they and they listen to next level university.

Alan Lazaros

They, through this podcast, can learn more than you and I ever knew. I mean, you can take our decades of pain, failure, frustration, challenge, learning, growth, relationships, health, wealth, life, love and you can download it into your consciousness for free from us 1% improvement in your pocket every day, from anywhere on the planet, completely free, next level university, and that's what this whole podcast is built on. We used to have something called the hyper-conscious podcast before we rebranded, and I's what this whole podcast is built on. We used to have something called the Hyperconscious Podcast before we rebranded and I remember I was in the studio with you and I said we are modern day philosophers and back then you didn't identify as that and I said well, you never know. And again, this is a little weird, but in a thousand years from now, like we would be considered philosophers, I have to write my book on my thesis about the world.

Kevin Palmieri

Yeah, for sure In a stone tablet, probably like an iPad, I would say. To be left behind for the youthful generation, for the folk.

Alan Lazaros

For the folk. There's a philosopher named Lucius Seneca who said on a book called On the Shortness of Life you got me out here philosophizing and he said we all pour from the time of life as if it's an endless supply, but yet and we all protect our property vehemently, but yet we all squander the one asset that is the most precious, the one that we should be the most careful with, which is time. You never get time back. You can earn more money, you can buy a new laptop.

Alan Lazaros

If someone came in and stole my laptop, I would spend my whole day trying to figure out who stole it and make sure that I call the police, whatever it is, but yet I'm never going to get back the time, and I think that that's one thing that I think a lot of people don't contemplate. That book will fuck you up in the best way. If you read on the shortness of life by Lucia Seneca I read it to Emilia once. She likes to when I read to her before bed at times, and it is a powerful book It'll just get you questioning everything you do and don't do, which is scary.

Kevin Palmieri

That's why I think overthinking is scary. My voice is Jeff, and me you need to do some more philosophy you might have to. I told Taryn today I was like what a shame I could like break my arm or twist my ankle or whatever. It really wouldn't affect me that much because I can just sit in my chair. The second my voice goes, everything goes. Yeah, because I, because I speak for a living brother don't even think about it yeah, no, it's. Why don't you think about it? Yeah, no, why don't you just not cough.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah. Why don't you just not think about it, Don't worry about it?

Kevin Palmieri

This is what I was going to say. This is my philosophy statement of the day. What goes unseen often goes unappreciated, if you think about it. Most of the things Right now. I am very much understanding that I have taken my voice for granted because I can't effectively speak, which is usually very easy for me. This is usually a very easy thing Turn the cameras on, hit the mic, cool Off to the races. We can rattle off however many episodes we want.

Kevin Palmieri

I tried to do Podcast Growth University today and I literally could get through 10 minutes and I had to get up in the middle of it and go get water and take breaks and it was just the most humbling thing ever. What if I didn't think about that? What if I didn't sit with that and say, well, what does that mean? What else am I underappreciating? What else am I taking for granted? I think overthinking is only overthinking if you're underacting. If you're thinking and you're taking lessons, I appreciate it and you're taking awareness and you're able to use that information in a new way. That's very constructive.

Kevin Palmieri

This person that told me I was overthinking they not to make them wrong, not to talk down about them. They were okay with just kind of things going the way that they were going to go. They had a yeah, they had a. They had a decent job that they liked, they had some passions and some hobbies that they enjoyed and they said, yeah, I'm pretty much good. If this is my life forever, then you probably don't have to think as much as I do, and that's the truth of it. But that's not what I want. I don't want just like an okay relationship. I don't want an okay business. I want the best it can be. But that's going to force me to think more than it would if, let's imagine, you have two puzzles. One puzzle has seven pieces and it's a fucking fire engine, and the other one is 7,000 pieces and it's this giant Mosaic. Mosaic, which one you're going to have to think more to put together.

Alan Lazaros

The second one. Which one's going to be more terrible to?

Kevin Palmieri

put together the second one, but it's also going to be more beautiful.

Alan Lazaros

You're also going to have to say more valuable.

Kevin Palmieri

Does this piece go there? No, there's seven pieces. You don't have to think that much. There's only so many ways the pieces can go, but when there's 7,000, you're going to have to go on a heck of a journey, proverbially, to get to it and get through it.

Alan Lazaros

Two, two questions, three, technically, because you opened with the first two, the first two questions. Uh, what was your answer to those?

Kevin Palmieri

uh, one one time specifically someone said I think too much only one time oh shit, yeah, less than you yeah I've been. It's been insinuated. I'm very analytical. Yeah, you're very analytical. It's been insinuated where people have said things like laughed at me when I talked about how, if the if gravity decides to take a day off.

Kevin Palmieri

well, I mean, if you think about it, though, next time you're driving down the street, you're on a road, look up at the sky and realize that you're nothing. In the grand scheme of things, it's the most humbling thing in the world, it is. It's really good.

Alan Lazaros

And then I want to take us through in a sec. It's so cool.

Next Level Dreamliner: the planner, agenda, journal, and habit tracker to rule them all. Get a copy:

Kevin Palmieri

Continue and then the second one was where would I be if I didn't overthink? I wouldn't be doing this Jeffed, I would be Jeffed. This all started with I want to talk about stuff that is really cool to talk about and it might not. And I said for episode number six, I interviewed a guy named Dan Garino that I went to middle school with, and I reached out to him on whatever it was Facebook and I was like, hey, dan, long time no talk. This is gonna be super weird. Just wanna put that out there.

Kevin Palmieri

I have a podcast. I'll send you an episode and I would love for you to come up to my house. I'll send you an episode and I would love for you to come up to my house. I'll have everything set up and I just want to talk about what your life has been like since middle school. And I was like, we'll see, this is going to be the weirdest message. He's probably gotten in a minute maybe, and I sent him an episode. He checked it out. He said, dude, awesome, that's awesome. Yeah, I'd love to. I actually live my partner lives close, so let's schedule it. He came up and it was the best I interviewed him about. He had practiced boxing, he was in a band for a while. He seemed like very confident and very outgoing ital, very italian, and it was just. It was really cool. But all the questions I asked came from me thinking too much. Some of the best questions I've ever asked were because I was thinking too much.

Alan Lazaros

I don't want too much yeah these are all in quotes.

Kevin Palmieri

I want to facilitate a conversation that hasn't been had before, and the only way to do that is to think in a way that hasn't been thought, not necessarily ever before, but in that way. So none of this would exist. I wouldn't be doing any of this. I love this. It's the best.

Alan Lazaros

Apple's slogan way back was think differently, think differently, think differently. Third question Didn't get to it before. And then I have a thing I want to take everyone through. That I did the other night, which was very cool. I before. And then I have a thing I want to take everyone through, that I did the other night, which was very cool.

Alan Lazaros

I think, and again it might suck. My question for you was hold on, hold on. Ah, you, sir, realize the importance and value of your voice now that you've lost it? In hindsight, is it clear that you didn't value your voice enough? For sure, 100%, Hello, hello, hello, NLU listener. Thank you, as always, for listening to Next Level University. Real quick, I just want to jump in and let you know about the Next Level Dreamliner. This is a journal that I use every single day. Achieve your dreams 90 days at a time. It breaks down your dreams into goals, milestones and daily habits. We hope you enjoy it. The link will be in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

I feel like I'm very guilty of not valuing things until I Until I imagine them gone. It doesn't necessarily Like I think about Taron all the time. I think about the cats You've heard me tell those stories before but it's hard to always think about what things would be like without certain things. And when's the last time you thought about what life would be like without certain things? And when's the last time you thought about what life would be like without internet? I mean there's many or electricity, there's many people on the planet that that is their everyday existence. I don't think about that. That much is it that I don't appreciate it? No, I I do appreciate it. It's hard to think about all the things that we have and imagining life without them, because oftentimes I'm taking advantage of the things that we have to try to add value to the world, and it's a whole. I can't just sit around all day saying like, ah, big toe, you know medium sized toe.

Alan Lazaros

Grateful for you. Big toe Grateful great.

Kevin Palmieri

All the way down to the little toe, the little candy corn toe that everybody seemed to love when I talk about. It's hard to, because I think you could lose yourself if all you're doing all the time is practicing gratitude. Gratitude's amazing, just like ambition is amazing. But if you're only ambitious at the detriment of your daily life and the relationships, that's not great. And if you're only grateful at the detriment of your future and your present self and your relationship, that's not great either. So there's a, there's a juggling act that's why life is so hard.

Alan Lazaros

It's always an end. It's always an end. You can never be, you can never rest on. I'm really good at this, because there's an opposite side of that coin that has devastation on the other end of it. Emily and I have a new I don't want to say rule guideline in our relationship, where we believe that innovation comes from frustration. And so, from now on, we're very grateful and we always talk about our gratitudes we do them every night and from now on, when we talk about things and that we're grateful for we, we always say and and then share a frustration. And I'll give you a tiny example.

Alan Lazaros

I have this new mug that my mom got me and it's this big, huge glass mug. I mean, this thing can fit two full diet. Canada dries in it. Nice, it's Big fan, cause I don't have to get up twice. I mean it's a tough life but somebody has got to live it. And so one meal, one mug, don't have to get up. It's awesome, cause I used to just get up and get a second one If I wanted to diet. Canada dry, by the way, unbelievable, huge fan, better than the regular Canada dry.

Kevin Palmieri

Don't know how Sprite Zero is my drink of choice right now, just saying so.

Alan Lazaros

I am so grateful for this mug and this thing is as heavy as a fucking dumbbell I am. I don't like it. I don't like that. It's so damn heavy, but I love that it's big enough to fill me up. So here's the cool part. Why share frustrations? Why is complaining good? Complaining to complain is terrible. Please don't do that. Complaining just to complain is fairly useless. Actually, complaining to learn and to improve is world-class. It's awesome. So Emilia said don't worry, I'm going to get you the same size mug, but it's going to be not plastic but off glass. I don't know what the. Yeah, it's going to be light. It's going to be the same size mug, same thing, see-through, just like you like, but lighter Perfect. The cool part about gratitude is it helps you feel appreciative for the person's places, things in your life. The cool part about complaining and frustration is it helps you identify things that are that could be better. If I'm complaining about kevin, it's because I believe he could be better.

Alan Lazaros

If I'm complaining, about no, no, it's the. It's the first one.

Alan Lazaros

If I'm complaining about me being out of shape, it's because I know I could do better. If I'm complaining that my left knee clicks when I do mobility, it's because I'm annoyed that I don't do enough mobility to where my I'm aging not as well as I would like. Blah, blah, blah. So on the other side of every complaint, there is an opportunity to improve, unless it's something that you just have to accept, like Kevin, being short is a good example. You just have to accept it. It is what it is. That's it for me, all right. The other thing that I wanted to take everyone through I know we got to jump here in five. I had this moment. I read before bed and I read in the morning, not every single time. So I'm trying to do a little bit of reading before bed, a little bit of reading in the morning, and it's good because it keeps my head right.

Alan Lazaros

I'm reading a book right now called Sapiens. It's the story of human history and Homo sapiens and it's fascinating as hell. It's Yuval, something, I don't know his exact name. World-class, awesome book. It'll get you thinking about. I mean, it's a zoom out. That's what I call it. I need a zoom out. I can't read Atomic Habits Before Bed, that's a morning book. Atomic Habits is a let's get up and get after it. Book Before bed. I'm not about to learn about. Well, if I have it stack this, it's like no, can't do it. So philosophy before bed, productivity in the morning.

Macro and micro perspectives of life

Alan Lazaros

But I did this zoom out where I said, okay, imagine you're watching yourself from above the room you're in. I have my eyes closed for this, by the way, if you're driving, don't do this. All right, Imagine you're in a room and you're seeing yourself from above the room. Okay, now zoom out and imagine the neighborhood that you're in. Now zoom out again and imagine the town you're in, or city. Then zoom out again and imagine the state or province or whatever Geography. And then zoom out and imagine the country. And then zoom out in the continent and then zoom out. Now you see the world. Now zoom out. Now you see the milky way. Now zoom out. Now you see other galaxies. Now zoom out. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Now here's where it gets. Cool, kevin's got his eyes closed. I, I opened mine. Uh, now do the same shit, but go inward. Okay, now imagine you and I want you to zoom in to one of your I don't know organs mitochondria um, that's where we're headed to the power.

Kevin Palmieri

We're headed to the powerhouse of the cell powerhouse of the cell.

Alan Lazaros

Hell, yeah, all right. Now you zoom in to an organ. Then zoom, zoom in. Let's do the brain. Zoom in to your brain Okay, now you see your brain. Okay, zoom in to a brain cell. Now zoom in.

Alan Lazaros

Synopses Now zoom into the cell. Okay, now. Now you see the nucleus Okay, zoom into the nucleus. Okay, now you see the mitochondria Is outside the nucleus. I honestly don't know. All right, now, zoom in. And now you see the molecules h2o molecule, a little water in the cell. Okay, now zoom in. Now you got hydrogen and oxygen two oxygen, one hydrogen. Okay, now zoom in. You see an atom. Okay, now zoom in. You got quirks or whatever in quantum physics quirks, quirks. The point is is you can infinitely zoom in with a microscope and you can infinitely zoom out with a telescope. Very cool, we are a part of something so much bigger and I think that that's very powerful. And in your world you are the center of the universe, but there's a much bigger universe out there and there's a much bigger universe outside when you go on the micro too. And, by the way, that's what micro and macro are microscope, telescope.

Kevin Palmieri

So when you zoom out and look at the world, yeah, it isn't called that.

Alan Lazaros

But why is it called?

Kevin Palmieri

a telescope. What is?

Alan Lazaros

tell idea.

Kevin Palmieri

I'm not a scope telephone Telegraph telegram telegram Telementry, telement telemetry to limit Ella, I had some yesterday I was going to share something I'm sure that helped your throat. Honestly it did. Oh really. Yeah, it was weird. I had the same thought. I was like this is going to be terrible, but it, like it, itched my throat on the way down. Nice, it only happens when I talk into the mic.

Kevin Palmieri

Nutella. Yeah, yeah, it's my drug of choice. I would say it's good stuff. Nutella's my drug of choice. I was going to say something oh, I've been watching a lot of you were talking about World War II and I watched. There's this channel I've watched. It's called I think it's like the Infographic channel or something and it's this cartoon channel that takes you through historic events. So I watched a couple. Yesterday I watched the last stand of the 300. 300 Spartans. I watched the last 24 hours of Hitler. So when you said that, it was like, oh yeah, I just learned about his last 24 hours. I watched what else? I watched a bunch, a bunch of them, and the reason is because I want to learn about that stuff. I think that's cool. It's really cool to learn about stuff that I have no idea about.

Kevin Palmieri

I'm watching a documentary right now on the Unabomber. I know that's a little dark, but what an interesting human study. The dude lived in the woods with no electricity, no internet, no power, no running water and like just wild, just wild shit. Stuff like that makes me even more curious of the stuff I don't know yet. So I'm going to label myself and this is quotes in quotes an overthinker. If you're an overthinker, you've come to the right place. And if you've noticed that Alan and I have gone kind of in a different direction, I think it's because we're trying to figure out who we are always and this podcast very much started from a place of philosophy and just having deep conversations and seeing what lessons came from them, and I will always have a soft spot for that.

Why awareness equals empowerment

Alan Lazaros

So what if someone came to you and said well, what's the point, what's the point of thinking so much, what's the point of learning, what's the point of curiosity, what's the point of these conversations? What would you say?

Kevin Palmieri

You will raise your awareness, which gives you more control over all of the outcomes in your life. If I know how to fix a car better than you do, I am in more control than you are, because I don't have to take my car to someone. I do, but say my phone. If my phone screen cracks and I know how to fix that, I don't have to go to those sketchy places in the mall when I don't know how much they're going to charge me or if they're going to take my phone and run away, no idea. But if I know how to fix it myself, I'm in control. Yeah, so I think that, and I am now more than ever of the belief that when you work on yourself internally, the external world affects you less or in different ways, maybe not less, but in different ways. It doesn't control you. It controls you less. Or in different ways, maybe not less, but it in different ways. It doesn't control you. It controls you less, it controls you less.

Kevin Palmieri

I I think one of the reasons I used to be super certainty focused with all outcomes around me is because I was just wildly uncertain with myself. I'm still certainty focused, but just way less, way, way, way, way, way less than I ever was, and I I think that's because of deep conversations that essentially don't seem like they matter. But when you see one thing differently, you see everything differently. That, when you see one thing differently, oh, I've never thought about.

Kevin Palmieri

Okay, now I know this thing about myself. I know that I tend to think somebody is better than they are when I meet them because of blank. That's a really good place to start. Now you replay your entire life and say well, did I think that about my friends growing up? Did I think that about my teachers? Did I think that about my bosses? Did I think that about my parents? Okay, what does that mean? Are my relationships built on the fact that I think people are better than they are, better humans, better character than they are Interesting? Why? What would happen if I didn't? Okay, now, if I knew that, would I still be friends with those people? Then you're down the rabbit hole of increasing your consciousness.

Alan Lazaros

That's why yeah, it gives you so much more power. That's what empowerment means. To be empowered is to. If you think back to 15-year-old Kev, 25-year-old Kev, 35-year-old Kev, 35-year-old Kev is much more empowered. Yes, because he's more aware and more capable and that has gone through the accumulated compound effect of learning through deep conversation and podcasts and books, and I remember in the beginning you didn't know the value of books. That was hard for me. We had a guest we interviewed and he was like ah, screw books, I don't like books.

Kevin Palmieri

I had such a hard time. Yeah, you were like hell, yeah, man, and, and I remember thinking that's gotta be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I. I believe that now, at the time, I was on his team for sure.

Alan Lazaros

But I also remember posting on Facebook very last thing, way, way, way back, and this was more tongue in cheek than anything. But I, I, I posted back when it was mostly college students and it was just alan lazarus is or kevin palmeri is, and then you just put a status alan lazarus is, I read about the dangers of drinking, so I quit reading I still one of my favorites I've ever heard.

Lessons from history and curiosity

Kevin Palmieri

I thought it was funny, I'm still one of my favorites.

Alan Lazaros

I was in college and I was doing some drinking, so when did you get?

Kevin Palmieri

when did you get facebook?

Alan Lazaros

oh, dude, I don't know, probably probably well in high school back in our day.

Kevin Palmieri

Uh, myspace was the one and I know you didn't never get I did lazzo, never got my what was your song? Do you have like a top song? That was a thing right.

Alan Lazaros

I had, uh, goodwill hunting the duck pond scene on my, on my, I don't know. I probably had Trust Company or something for my song.

Kevin Palmieri

And people said you think too much. Huh, and that was your scene on MySpace. Did you know? You probably know I don't know whether you're watching or listening what was the guy's name? Tom from MySpace Sold the company for hundreds of millions of dollars, I believe, and now does photography as a hobby. Dude's living his dream nice. Nobody knows who he is, nobody knows where he is. I think he just goes and takes pictures for fun and has all the money in the world and he's crushing life. So shout out to Tom.

Alan Lazaros

I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Kevin Palmieri

I think that's it, that's it, that's all there is and that's the end.

Alan Lazaros

That's it. That's all there is, that's it, and that's the end of the episode.

Kevin Palmieri

That is the end of the episode.

Alan Lazaros

Next.

Kevin Palmieri

Salvation. If you are looking to be a part and I know this can be challenging, because maybe there is a shortage of people in your life that want to have deep-ass conversations that help you change in positive ways. That is what we are here to do every single day. So if you want to make sure you never miss an opportunity to be part of a deep conversation, subscribe on whatever platform you are listening or watching on, and you'll get a little reminder every time we drop a new episode of NLU.

Alan Lazaros

Way back in the day, kevin and I went to a speech to see one, david Meltzer. We missed the time slot. It got moved. We ended up seeing someone named Michael Burt Coach Michael Burt. We interviewed him on the podcast. We enjoyed that interview very much and we asked a question. I remember I think I was the one who asked this question. I said just sell me on why someone should get a coach. And he said I don't really know how else to explain it because it's such a weird question to get. But I just know how to do it and you don't, because I've done it. And so, as pretentious as that might've come off, if you want to start, grow, scale, monetize a business online, build a brand and turn your passion into purpose, into profit, I know how to do it because Kevin and I have done it. And if you want to learn how to do it, I've got you. Reach out.

Kevin Palmieri

Boom. It sounds weird sometimes when it comes from that perspective, but if it's anything else it makes total sense. If you have a flat tire, you don't know how to fix it, you bring it to this.

Alan Lazaros

If you are sick and you don't know why you're sick In sports there are no teams without coaches, no, so it is weird how we don't have coaches for life.

Kevin Palmieri

I think the admittance factor of someone out there well, maybe it's just the admittance of I would find it would be beneficial for me to connect with someone who would ask me questions. That would shift the way I look at myself. You know that's scary. It could be scary For sure. Also, my light's just Jeffed. I don't know what just happened to my lights.

Alan Lazaros

Yeah, I don't know what that was either. Absolutely, I thought that was on my end, to be honest.

Kevin Palmieri

No, something happened with my lights, I don't know. They just like got very dull in here all of a sudden. I don't know Old.

Alan Lazaros

Kev would have been freaking out about that. New Kev rolls with the punches because he's so internally developed.

Kevin Palmieri

Well, the new Kev is quite. Yeah, he is quite. What's the word when you're like so, so inner developed? You're like a monk mode. I have no idea. No, I went to monk school with Jay.

Alan Lazaros

Shetty, I have no idea, no.

Kevin Palmieri

I went to monk school with Jay Shetty. We did it together.

Alan Lazaros

Me and Jay Shetty. We did monk school together. That's why I'm so centered.

Kevin Palmieri

All right, as always. We love you, we appreciate you, grateful for each and every one of you and at NLU we don't have fans, we have family. We will talk to you all tomorrow Next Level Next Level. Nation. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. We love connecting with the Next.

Alan Lazaros

Level family. 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.

Kevin Palmieri

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

Head Shot

Alan Lazaros

Host
Head Shot

Kevin Palmieri

Host