Next Level University

The Difference Between Playing To Win And Playing Not To Lose (2035)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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In this episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros explore the mental shift that happens when you move from survival mode to playing with purpose. They break down how fear, scarcity, and low self-belief can keep you playing small — and why success often comes when you take bold steps with confidence. From gut-check gym sessions to pressure-filled business choices, they share personal stories and lessons that will help you understand your own sweet spot between pressure and progress.

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

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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:
(3:34) How self-belief impacts action
(5:22) Pressure: Motivation or shutdown
(7:33) Risk tolerance and abundance
(10:39) Your personal pressure sweet spot
(13:48) Business decisions from fear or trust
(15:53) Join the Next Level Podcast Accelerator: Podcasters growing together. Level up your self, podcast, and business. https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/group-coaching/
(21:11) Sustainability and personal growth
(26:03) What are you really afraid to lose?
(30:18) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

Kevin Palmieri:

I think one of the reasons success is so hard is because, for a lot of the times you're trying to be successful, you're playing from a place of scarcity, and when you're playing from scarcity, you're running away from something as opposed to running towards something. And that energy has always been very different for me, and now, with a little bit more abundance, I feel way better about running towards things as opposed to away from them.

Alan Lazaros:

I've often said, most of us are playing not to lose rather than playing to win, and all of us are playing not to lose to some degree. Some of us are playing not to lose love. Some of us are playing not to lose credibility. Some of us are playing not to be seen as a failure. It all depends on which side of this you're on.

Kevin Palmieri:

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

Alan Lazaros:

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

Kevin Palmieri:

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.

Alan Lazaros:

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

Kevin Palmieri:

Welcome to Next Level University, next Level Nation today for episode number 2035. The difference between playing to win and playing not to lose I know for the vast I won't say the vast majority. For the first several years of this journey, I was what felt like playing not to lose, and I think it's just. I guess there's two thoughts. There's you're sitting at a table and somebody gives you 100 pennies and you're just hanging on to those pennies. You could put a penny in the middle of the table, you might win 5 pennies, you might win 10 pennies, but that's not how you're thinking. You're thinking I have to hang on to all of the pennies that I have. That's playing not to lose.

Kevin Palmieri:

Playing to win is saying well, I have these pennies, let me put one in and see what happens, because me putting one in gives me an opportunity to win, maybe five or 10 or whatever it is.

Kevin Palmieri:

But even that energy. So if we think of if you're down to your last $20, you're most likely going to play not to lose, unless you're somebody who has a very high amount of self-belief, because I think that engages somebody who has a very high level of self-belief. And I think this is why it's really hard to give advice, because when Alan's back is against the wall, he doesn't play not to lose, he plays to win. When my back is up against the wall, I play not to lose, and it's been a very interesting case study for you and I to be working together for as long as we have, because I was on a podcast yesterday and they were asking about something and I said well, I think one of the important understandings for me is, if we have a good amount of money in the bank, almost everything else is fine. Yeah, I'll be overwhelmed, yeah, I'll be under pressure, but that allows me to play to win as opposed to playing not to lose, like I've been doing for most of my life.

Alan Lazaros:

Yeah, this comes down again. We've been talking a lot lately about self-belief. I think that's something we're going to talk about forever. Honestly, if you do have really high levels of self-efficacy that's what it's called in psychology internally, unconsciously and subconsciously, the record you have playing is I got this, I can do it, I got this, we got this, we can do it, we got this then most likely, you are ignited by the prospect of losing.

Alan Lazaros:

So when you and I were at the charity event and we played horse, I started to really kick into high gear when you started to beat me. It motivates me to be behind. I like being behind. It gives me focus, it gives me and I know that that's not always the case for some people, like when I I've been to the gym with people that are way ahead of me and, while I definitely have the wow, like whoa, moment of holy crap, it does, it motivates and inspires me so much. So I went to the gym one time with someone who was way ahead of me and it was definitely a gut check for me. He was warming up with the weights that I max with on shoulder press and he's huge 230 pounds, six foot four just a monster and I had the gut check moment and the next day I was super motivated, like to a whole nother level, and the next few months after that I really dialed up. Can you explain, kev, what your reaction? What would it be like to be on the other end of that Shut?

Kevin Palmieri:

down. Yeah, it makes me want to shut down, it doesn't seem.

Alan Lazaros:

Like there's a point.

Kevin Palmieri:

Yeah, it's almost like I'm so far gone there's no point in. I couldn't get there. I couldn't possibly overcome this. I think oftentimes what people talk about is they talk about how, when you do have success, you have to keep your foot on the gas. You can't take your foot off the gas. I don't think that's a super big problem for me, because I want to be success, abundance, certainty. It creates safety for me and when.

Kevin Palmieri:

I'm safe. I feel like, okay, what would you rather do? Would you rather be losing a fight and you have to get a knockout in the last round, or would you rather be winning the fight and then you can kind of I won't say play it safe? But you know, you just have to keep doing what you're doing and you'll win the fight. Those are two very, very different energies. One energy is I'm behind and I got to land. I got to. Something miraculous has to happen. And the other one is all right, everything I'm doing is working really well. I just have to keep doing the same thing in the same way.

Alan Lazaros:

Well, I think this is a pendulum Too little, too much, okay, too much pressure and you shut down Too much competition. You shut down Too much contrast between you and the other person. You shut down Too little contrast and I'm not ignited so for you, it motivates you to have someone with you that's ahead of you but not ahead of you by so much that it shuts you down, type of thing. I would say so yeah, because one of the things excuse me, it's late, I'm so sorry everybody, my, my throat's not great right now and I'll have to keep doing that. Unfortunately, a production team. If you can do anything about that, I appreciate it, if you can. I totally understand One of the things that happens to me and I'm working really hard on this, but I do get complacent really quickly when we are winning and you say that that's not a problem for you.

Kevin Palmieri:

No, if anything, I'm willing to take bigger shots, Because if I take bigger shots and it doesn't work out, it's not, it's like whatever. If I have enough, it hurts less. When I try to get more and I don't work out, it's not, it's like whatever. If I have enough, it hurts less when I try to get more and I don't get it. But it doesn't make me want less, if that makes sense.

Alan Lazaros:

Do you ever get complacent or cocky or like okay. So let's say, we wave a magic wand and we have a million dollars in our bank account, cash on hand. Okay, just boom, wave a magic wand and we have a million dollars in our bank account, cash on hand. Okay, just boom. Wave a magic wand, it's there. Would you work more or less?

Kevin Palmieri:

Same, same. I would probably say like hey, I'd like to go away for a weekend with Tara, but outside of that I don't really think about it. I look at our bank account every day day, but it doesn't change the way I operate. Maybe I'll order something that I wouldn't like. Oh yeah, I could use some new workout sweats like let me order those yeah but outside of that it's not.

Kevin Palmieri:

It's not like well, we have money in the bank so I can be done at two today. It says I don. It doesn't really work that way.

Alan Lazaros:

Okay, I think everyone has a sweet spot of playing not to lose and playing to win. The moment you set a goal, you have something in the future to lose. I think a lot of people are concerned about losing money in the present, and we talked about opportunity cost a few episodes back. When you set a goal in the future, you lose that goal if you don't align with it. But to bring it back to the practicality of this episode, I do think I step off the gas. When we're winning a little bit, it's not a lot, like I'm not suddenly lazy, like that's not what I'm talking about. But when we're losing, it's another level of. There's this thing called the challenge skills sweet spot that I keep talking about. I've been talking about it for years. We interviewed Steven Kotler.

Alan Lazaros:

The book the Art of Impossible is behind me. It's one of the. I think it's one of the. I think it's one of the most honest books about achievement ever written. It's very honest, it's very hardcore, but it's. He essentially says I've written 12 books. Two of them are in a drawer, 10 of them are published and never once did I do a project, a book project. Finish a book, publish a book. Finish writing a manuscript of a book without at one point, being in the middle of the floor, completely ungluing, punching the floor and like screaming at the ceiling. I think that's very honest. I think that's an honest book. I mean, when you have a lot to do and very little time to do it. If we're all playing not to lose and playing to win, you only have a limited amount of time. You have a limited amount of effort. It's too much pressure sometimes, but too little pressure isn't good either. That is the point the challenge skills sweet spot in the Art of Impossible.

Alan Lazaros:

He talks about it. It's changes for each person and he said this to us in the interview and I do agree with him. He said some people need 40% outside their comfort zone to be ignited, to be fully ignited. Some people only need 4% or 3%. And he said to us and this is his words, not mine he said Alan is a 40% person. He needs to be 40 40 outside his comfort zone to be fully focused and ignited and to get into flow. This is called what's known as flow triggers, aka Anyone out there watching or listening.

Alan Lazaros:

Think about the last time you were in the zone and you were just dialed in, emily and I we started a new morning routine. I had a 10 30 am Call today and we went to bed I think around like 9, 30, 10 ish and we slept long. She got a 95 sleep score, I got a 93, so we slept really well. I got up early, I did my morning routine, boom, boom, boom. And then we have this thing we call seal team, where it means listen, game time, like don't talk, let's. I need you to be effective right now. So I woke her up and I said seal team, we're either not going to go to the gym today or we're going to go to the gym and I'm.

Alan Lazaros:

I mean, I was in the shower rinsing off, not 10 minutes before my first coaching session and that sucks. I hate that. It genuinely blows Like the quality of life really sucks when you don't plan ahead. Everyone knows that. You know what it's like to be late. You know what it's like to be not on point. It's the worst. But it was either that or don't go to the gym. And I did not want to skip. I don't want to skip workouts if we can help it.

Alan Lazaros:

And last week when we said we were going 10 out of 10 but we had to rush in, rush out. You know, obviously it's commute traffic, all this kind of stuff. What's my point? Too much pressure is not good, but too little pressure is not good either. And this all comes down to your own unique sweet spot, like I do believe that if you had a million dollars in the bank, it would. It would change a little, maybe, maybe not a lot, maybe not as much as me, but in order for me to be focused at level 10 and ignited at level 10 and dialed in at level 10, seal team, so to speak I have to be under some level of pressure. And when I'm not under any pressure, I don't feel like I'm growing, I don't feel focused and I don't get into flow as much.

Alan Lazaros:

Now there's also us trying to record an episode in 15 minutes when we only have 17, and I don't get into flow because it's too much pressure. So it really depends. And so Stephen Kotler said that I need 40% outside my comfort zone in order to stay in flow. Kev needs 4% or 3%, I forget the exact number. But for anyone out there watching or listening, rather than us talking about us for this episode, the point of it, figure out which end you're on. Are you? Are you, do you get complacent when you're winning, like I do, or do you actually get more abundant and more aspirational and more goal oriented when you have abundance? Or are you and the alternative of that, and do you think you're playing more to win or playing more not to lose? And if so, what as well?

Kevin Palmieri:

There's a scene in the Wolf of Wall Street. I love that movie Again, don't ask me about the main character in real life, that's not what it's about. But there's a scene in the movie where Leonardo DiCaprio is saying oh, you lost your car. What is it Like? Dial, make a dial, sell Whatever oh, your wife's mad at you. Dial Whatever your kids hate you, you're broke. Dial, dial, dial.

Kevin Palmieri:

That's not the way I work. It doesn't work like that for me. It's not okay. Things are terrible, go play to win. When things are terrible, I play not to lose, and I think that's the best example I can give is I was. I did a speech for one of our clients has a bunch of clients who are looking to start podcasts and she said I'd love to have you come in and speak about podcasting and answer any questions. And I said yeah, of course I'd love to. And a bunch of people booked podcast breakthrough sessions and I did one yesterday or the day before and the person said I'd love to work with you, send me the pricing and let me know how much it is.

Kevin Palmieri:

I was like yeah, of course, I sent them everything and they responded and said awesome, I'll reach out. In a few months I'm going to get all my ducks in a row, super excited to work together. Playing my ducks in a row, super excited to work together, playing to win, is saying awesome. If you have any questions in the meantime, do not hesitate to reach out. We'll be ready and we very much look forward to working with you. That's playing to win. Playing not to lose is I can't wait a couple months. This has to happen now. So what can I do to get this person? And that's how you fuck things up.

Alan Lazaros:

Scarcity is not a good but that's not always how you fuck things up. Sometimes that can create the pressure that keeps you on.

Kevin Palmieri:

If point if, if you're within the challenge skill sweet spot, I would say exactly yeah, I've made that mistake before of somebody saying, yeah, I'll, I'll give me a couple months and I needed it now, like I needed that money to pay the bills.

Kevin Palmieri:

So it's like I can't. I don't know if we're going to be here in a couple of months. Now again, were we? Yes, we always were, but I didn't always feel like we were, so it wouldn't. I wouldn't have been able to be as abundant with my response as I was. Next level nation. We would love to invite you to our 18th round of next level group coaching. It is the next level podcast accelerator. If you are a podcaster who wants to level yourself up, level your podcast up and level your business up, this 12-week program is perfect for you.

Alan Lazaros:

So we've done this 18 times. We've iterated and iterated and improved and improved. The first four weeks is level up yourself. The next four weeks is level up your podcast. The last four weeks is level up your business. Build a brand underneath your business. The promo code is NLULISTENER all one word. Put that in at checkout for 30% off. It comes to less than $25 per session for the 12 sessions. Kevin or I will be on every single one of them. We hope to see you there.

Alan Lazaros:

Well, this comes down to the conversation, too, about too much abundance and too much scarcity. There were times in my life we talk about productive paranoia and if you are too abundant, you won't be humble enough. Too abundant, you won't be humble enough, you'll basically celebrate before you get in the end zone. I've been so guilty of that. I mean, there were times in the past where I would kick my own ass. If I could go back, I'd be like dude, you need to scarcity up. Like you're too abundant, you got to stop listening to these books. Like you are broke as a joke and you better get it together. You are too abundant for your current circumstances and you're going to have to pay the piper eventually. But there are other times where I got to say this I do believe that if you now I got to be clear about this If we're just talking about success and we're not talking about fulfillment, just success, goals, success, external achievement you basically can never get overly abundant. The moment you get overly abundant, you are immediately getting complacent and losing. In a way. You're arriving instead of striving. Now a lot of people say, say well, I had one person at the speech that I gave it was sort of their first exposure to business and he said well, what's the point of making all those millions of dollars if you didn't enjoy your journey along the way? And I said well, what you're missing from that equation is the snowball that you create from momentum. You siphon some of it off the snowball Just because the snowball is compounding and you're getting more and more and more long-term success doesn't mean that you don't get to improve your quality of life along the way, like that's what it should be.

Alan Lazaros:

I have one client he's definitely listening what's up, brother? And he is now integrating. So he's going to start doing potentially Airbnb or whatever, and he's in real estate and he used to be sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. Now he used to have the investor mindset of play to win long term, but I'm going to lose right now, which I actually think is where a lot of these really successful people start.

Alan Lazaros:

And then, when they start to build momentum and they start to actually get success and they start to actually make you know hundreds of thousands, okay, 500,000, okay, but it keeps rising All of a sudden it's wait a minute. I don't know if I want to suffer for an additional 20 years. I need to actually have some lifestyle as well, and so we've been talking a lot lately about how do we? Here's the truth of it the long-term snowball will slow down when you start siphoning some off of it, like you. If you picture a big a snowball rolling down a hill, when you siphon some off the snowball, it does slow down the progression of the snowball getting bigger. That's just the way wealth works.

Alan Lazaros:

However, you can improve your quality of life drastically along the way, and now every decision you make is different. So, bringing this back to the original point of the episode, though, it all depends on your goal. Everything depends on your goal, and your goal depends on your self-belief. So, and then your temperament. The challenge skill is sweet spot.

Alan Lazaros:

There are times in the past where I was overly complacent and overly abundant, when I should have been more dialed in in my opinion. There are other times when we were doing really well and I was still working, you know, 12 hours every weekend with an empty parking lot outside the studio while everyone else had fun and enjoyed their summer I it depends on your level of goal. Everything does my goals actually require that and I I want to be more honest with everybody about that Like my goals actually required me to work more, not less. When I look back, I People are like, oh, I wish I hadn't worked so hard, I wish I hadn't worried so much. I don't look back and think that I look back and say, alan, you were a little overly complacent, to be completely honest, but it's all based on my goal In fitness. I mean, I totally stepped off the gas, I was way too abundant.

Kevin Palmieri:

See, I don't well, for me at least. I didn't step off the gas because I was too abundant. I stepped off the gas because I Honestly, if anything, it was the opposite Too scarce, yeah. I was too scarce money-wise and it was like I have to find a way to make money. This fitness thing, it doesn't matter if I'm jacked, that doesn't pay the bills, that doesn't grow the business right.

Kevin Palmieri:

But I think the most important thing is understanding yourself, because you might not value lifestyle as much as somebody else does, so you're willing to sacrifice more, quote unquote. I think that this is the number one question I would ask what is sustainable for you? That's the question what is sustainable for you? Because I've had times where I tell Alan, like we're about to do an entire rebuild Because what we're doing right now just is not sustainable.

Alan Lazaros:

Yeah, rebuild, rebrand.

Kevin Palmieri:

Yeah, and we all know it. Like you and I have been saying, once we get to a certain date, we need to sit down and we need to do a rebuild, because it's just not sustainable. We're cracking under the pressure, not we're cracking under the pressure, not in a terrible way but what would you do differently if you could go back?

Alan Lazaros:

I'm proud of where we've gotten. I'm grateful I would have communicated.

Kevin Palmieri:

I would have communicated with you more about how much I was suffering, but I don't know if anything would have changed, because I don't know.

Alan Lazaros:

Oh of course it would have. I don't think I knew yeah.

Kevin Palmieri:

Yeah, I don't think I. I don't think I wanted you to know. I don't know. I have pride in that. I remember when I was doing my bodybuilding show, my coach saw on Facebook it was my birthday and he's like dude, why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? I would have given you a cheat meal. And I was like, because I don't want it, it's a normal day man.

Kevin Palmieri:

I want to win the show. I don't want a fucking cheat meal. I'm starving, but I want to. I didn't sign up so you would Wish me a happy. That's not why I'm working with you, so you give me my birthday off. It's similar. It's like Did I know what this would take? No, I didn't, but I also I don't know. I don't want to be the the one who slows the Snowball down, are you?

Alan Lazaros:

Well, I appreciate that, holy crap. Of course, man, it's really important. No one wants to let the team down. But I also understand that like this has to be based on your goals, your belief, your core values, your temperament, your challenge skills, sweet spot, and that's what NLU is going to keep saying, like of course. I'm going to look back and say, alan, you should have worked harder. This has taken a lot longer than I expected. Yeah, and there's definitely a lot of other things that I would have done better. I mean, I would have refocused my time and effort, I would have worked way smarter. I wouldn't have just worked harder, I would have worked way smarter. Right, more than working harder, honestly, I, but I definitely wasn't maxed out. No way, no way, and I think that that's that's got to be a piece of this right. Like I very rare, I don't want to make it. It's one of those things where someone recently, uh, I felt unseen about something recently behind the scenes and I said, alan, I had this conversation myself.

Alan Lazaros:

Alan, you can't make it look easy and then be upset that no one feels bad for you. My whole goal is not to make this look hard. I'm not trying to make it look tough. Eight episodes a week. You know all these clients. Boom, boom, boom, ceo, blah, blah, blah. So it's. I can't really be upset when no one feels bad, when I do kind of make it look easy from the outside in, even though from the inside out you said to me one time I had no idea you were even struggling. And the truth the matter is is I'm not maxed out and we're going to talk about that infinite game in an episode soon. But like, how often did you feel maxed out? Because I think that'll be valuable for the listeners too. Like, if you're out there watching or listening, do you feel maxed out right now? Because if you actually do feel maxed out, the last thing you should do is dial it up.

Kevin Palmieri:

Yeah, I felt that way for most of the time maxed out yeah, the way and how I would define maxed out is stretched beyond a constructive. I was maxed and more I mean we were redlining. It wasn't necessarily the amount of time I was putting in, it was time plus circumstances plus pressure yeah it wasn't just that.

Kevin Palmieri:

Oh, you guys work a 14 hour day like that's not that bad, all things considered. I get to work in my sweatpants like it's not that bad. I'm not out here swinging a hammer, working in a hot attic or whatever what were you playing not to lose?

Alan Lazaros:

because you were playing not to lose credibility from me.

Kevin Palmieri:

You were playing not to lose in terms of business I think I was just playing to survive, which is not playing to win, just playing it's like that is kind of how you win in business, though maybe, well, maybe a little bit.

Kevin Palmieri:

yeah, there's some truth to that, right Well yeah, I mean, look, I don't, I can't get on the well I. You know I've been doing this for three months. I just want to. I don't want to trade my time for money anymore. It's like okay, trades, and that's why the business is growing. It's not 100 because we raised our prices to ten thousand dollars. Right, that's like that, ain't it? That's. That's a business tangent alan will talk about on on bgu what were you?

Alan Lazaros:

yeah, what were you playing? Not to lose? In hindsight? I think in hindsight I was playing not to lose love. That is so obvious to me, and I think that'll wrap this in a bow too, because I was playing not to lose friends and family, and I was playing not to lose love. And I was playing not to be disliked and not to be villainized, and once I accepted that that was inevitable, I feel like I was really unlocked and unleashed. What were you playing? Not to lose?

Kevin Palmieri:

I'd probably have to think, because the thing that jumps to the top of my mind is I was playing not to lose the future potential Nice but I didn't know exactly what it was. I didn't really. I was playing not to lose what you said the future could be like. But, that's why it's so hard, because it was like you traded in quality of life because you believed in the promise.

Alan Lazaros:

So much so much, so much.

Kevin Palmieri:

That's why, behind the scenes, I told Alan I had a really big quarter. I said, dude, I just need a little taste. Maybe a little piece of pie or something.

Alan Lazaros:

Let me buy, give me a little something.

Kevin Palmieri:

And Alan's like what do you mean? How much do you want to spend? I was like I don't know, it's not about that, I just it's like I need to reward myself, yeah, for accomplishing, because then I don't. But it doesn't and you'll want to accomplish more, yeah, it doesn't make me. When I got a new car, it didn't make me say like, alright, cool, I got a nice car, I can slow down if anything. I was like, oh shit, I really wish I didn't get this thing. This is gonna be.

Alan Lazaros:

It's going to be way more expensive than I thought it was going to be yeah, okay, it scared me.

Kevin Palmieri:

It lit a fire under me. It lit a fire under you, 100%, 100%. Last thing before we get out of here Matt, my buddy Matt. When I told him I was thinking about buying a new car, he's like dude, that's a great fucking idea. That'll light a fire under you Like no.

Alan Lazaros:

Did he?

Kevin Palmieri:

say that matt knows me. He was right, matt was right oh matt was right, but matt does really well with necessity too. A certain level of necessity it's like a constructive. It's not like my back's against the wall, my back's against something, but it's something positive that I created, not like we can't pair our things.

Alan Lazaros:

So you're playing. Not to lose your dream car is motivating for you. Yeah, for sure Once you have it.

Kevin Palmieri:

That's interesting, I need to know there's a difference between playing for potential that you can't see and playing for something constructive that you have existing. Yeah, right.

Alan Lazaros:

That's a new. If great leadership is inspiring and motivating others. I have really fucked this up.

Kevin Palmieri:

Well, there's something there's something to that. It might I'm not saying use this as an excuse to go buy nice shit and then say like, yeah, it'll, this might get me going because you could put yourself in a hole that is devastating, that you can't climb out of either right you don't. You got to be really careful with this, so everyone out there watching or listening.

Alan Lazaros:

Definitely be careful with this answer. The question what are you playing not to lose? And I was playing not to lose the mission. I was playing not to lose our goals and dreams, but I was also playing not to lose love. And I realized at some point that I'm I'm going to be villainized, no matter what. I have to embrace that. Otherwise, I have to give up my goals and dreams, and I can't do that. I have to give up my goals and dreams and I can't do that. I have to give up my potential.

Alan Lazaros:

I would rather I had this honest conversation and I'll get off the soapbox in a second. I had this honest conversation with myself Alan, would you regret losing friends more or losing reaching your potential more? And I knew my answer I didn't want to lose either, right? I didn't want to lose any friends, right? I didn't want to lose any friends, Like, if it was up to me, it wouldn't be that way. But I did have the honest conversation inside of myself of like I would regret not reaching my potential more. I would personally and I've been there, you know, when I wasn't reaching my potential. So everyone has to kind of have that honest conversations with themselves and then figure out all of us are playing not to lose. Everybody I know is everyone I coach is you got to identify what it is and then face that fear and now you can really unlock which is really powerful.

Kevin Palmieri:

Boom. All right. If you are looking for a group of like-minded humans who are into personal development, self-awareness, all the stuff we talk about here, make sure you check out next level. We'll have the link in the show notes. 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.

Alan Lazaros:

Keep it Next Level, 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 a hold of us is in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri:

Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.

People on this episode

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Alan Lazaros

Host
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Kevin Palmieri

Host