Next Level University

Goal Setting Made Simple (2146)

• Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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In today’s episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros break goal setting down to its most practical and powerful form. They share a simple four-step framework that can help you get real traction without overwhelm. You’ll also learn the difference between process and results goals, how to reverse-engineer big dreams like earning $100K, and why staying consistent matters more than chasing perfection. Whether you’re aiming for better health, more income, or deeper relationships, this episode gives you a smarter way to move forward.

Learn more about:
Free 30-minute Business Breakthrough Session with Alan -https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-free-breakthrough-session?month=2025-04
Free 30-Minute Podcast Breakthrough Session with Kevin -https://calendly.com/kevinpalmieri/free-30-minute-podcast-breakthrough-session-with-kevin

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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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Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

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Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/

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Show notes:
(2:22) Why quarterly goals work best
(4:01) Process Vs. Results: What to choose
(6:26) Breaking down a $100K goal
(11:20) How to think in 12-month cycles
(15:39) At NLU, your success is our purpose. Join our Monthly Meet-up every first Thursday of the month for tools, insight, and the spark to move forward. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NzwOxCMxTDyRJg4CLJS1qg#/registration
(17:01) The four-part goal-setting framework
(24:04) Commit, repeat, and improve quarterly
(28:34) 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

(0:00) So yesterday, we did not get as deep as we had hoped when it comes to goal setting, and I told Alan, I said, we gotta make it smaller, we gotta make it smaller, we gotta make it smaller, we gotta make it land. (0:12) I am not gonna stop doing this freaking episode until we make it smaller and we make it land, so we're gonna do it again, baby.

Alan Lazaros

(0:18) Some people are macroscopic thinkers who then go micro. (0:22) Other people are microscopic thinkers who then go macro. (0:25) And I think I'm going to try my best to start micro and go macro.(0:30) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:33) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:35) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus. (0:38) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no-BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:44) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:51) 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

(1:07) Self-improvement, in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:13) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:19) Next Level Nation, today, for episode number 2,146, I'm all over the place. (1:23) I can't figure out what I'm doing. (1:24) I don't even know who I am anymore.(1:25) And I'm running on another 60-something sleep score. (1:28) It hasn't been a great week for the kid in his sleep. (1:31) But we're going to be okay.(1:32) We will persevere. (1:34) We're going to do Goal Setting Part 3. (1:39) That's the title that I have right now.(1:42) Okay. (1:43) Recap for those of you who might not have heard. (1:47) We were talking about goals in a previous episode.(1:50) Alan said, hey, we should really do an episode where you ask me questions about goals. (1:53) I said, I love it. (1:54) Let's do that.(1:54) But I really want to make sure it lands. (1:56) So, in the previous episode, I told Alan, I said, we've got to stop using you as an example. (2:00) We have to find a more tangible example that's based on more of the human experience, because I don't think you're relatable in the human experience, in the best way.

Alan Lazaros

(2:10) Appreciate it.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:11) Of course. (2:11) And so, we're back, okay? (2:13) We left off in the previous episode with me saying, I think you go 50 years into the future and then reverse engineer.

Alan Lazaros

(2:21) Mm-hmm.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:22) I think one year, a yearly goal is a stretch. (2:28) I would say a quarterly goal is probably a good place to start for everyone. (2:33) Nice.(2:34) So, how do I know? (2:38) We got 50 days or whatever left in the quarter. (2:40) But let's say we get to the end of Q3.(2:42) We're getting ready to be in Q4. (2:44) How do I know? (2:47) What the fuck do I do to set goals?(2:48) How do I know? (2:49) Where do I start? (2:50) What do I look at?(2:50) Do I look at the end of the year? (2:51) Do I look at my previous results? (2:53) Where do I start?

Alan Lazaros

(2:55) So, there's 63 days left in the quarter. (2:59) October 1st is the beginning of Q4. (3:02) You start with, assuming you're going micro to macro, which is what we're trying to do, and this is really hard for me because I've never practiced this.(3:12) You have to look at your past and see what you've achieved thus far. (3:18) Okay. (3:18) Unless you're a macroscopic thinker, in which case, don't do that.(3:21) But yes. (3:21) We're going to pretend you are. (3:22) So, assuming you're a microscopic thinker who goes micro to macro, look at your past and see what you've achieved thus far.(3:28) Okay. (3:29) So, reflect. (3:30) Yes.(3:31) Okay. (3:32) And what did you achieve last quarter? (3:36) So, January, February, March is Q1.(3:40) April, May, June is Q2. (3:42) So, what did you achieve in April, May, June? (3:45) Okay.(3:45) So, reflect and measure.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:47) Yes. (3:48) Okay. (3:49) We're going to make a framework right now.(3:50) I got my notepad out. (3:51) I'm in a good mood. (3:53) I love podcasting.(3:54) It's fun. (3:56) Hell yeah. (3:57) Sometimes.(3:57) Sometimes it's terrible. (3:58) All right. (3:59) Reflect and measure.(4:01) Then what? (4:02) So, now I know. (4:03) I look back.(4:04) All right. (4:04) I did 90 days. (4:06) I did 60 workouts.(4:08) I did 12 dates with my partner. (4:13) And I made X amount of dollars. (4:16) 90 days, 3 months.(4:17) Let's say I made $30,000.

Alan Lazaros

(4:19) Well, so now things get a little more complex. (4:21) I'm going to try my best to explain. (4:22) So, now the question becomes, do you want a process goal or a results goal?(4:28) And there's pros and cons to each. (4:30) Okay. (4:31) I'll explain the difference.(4:32) A results goal is 10 pounds in 10 weeks. (4:36) That's a results goal with a timeline and a target. (4:40) Okay.(4:41) A process goal is a number of workouts. (4:45) It does get confusing because technically when you hit your 60 workouts, you hit a result, but it's not the same. (4:53) A result is an outcome that's tangible in the future.(4:55) So, let's say you want to make $5,000 this month. (5:01) That's a results goal. (5:03) A process goal would be, I want to show up to work on time every day.(5:08) Yep. (5:09) So, you got to decide for you. (5:11) So, I think process goals are super valuable for emotionally driven people.(5:15) I would agree. (5:17) I think results goals are really powerful for people who have really high self-belief. (5:22) How do I know the process is going to lead to the result?(5:25) That's actually a great question. (5:27) And the truth is you don't unless you reverse engineer it. (5:31) And that requires macroscopic thinking.(5:33) So, if you reflect and measure and then look at what you achieved last quarter. (5:39) So, do you have any clients we could use as an example anonymously? (5:44) I could probably do this.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:45) I feel like you'd probably be better suited because you're setting quarterly goals where I'm not always.

Alan Lazaros

(5:49) I got to pick someone who I have. (5:52) I'm very grateful at this point to be coaching a lot of very, very successful people. (5:55) So, I got to pick someone who's more on the statistical norm.(6:00) How interesting is it for me to say I coach a bunch of millionaires? (6:03) It's pretty awesome. (6:04) Yeah, it is awesome.(6:05) It is awesome. (6:07) Okay. (6:07) So, there's someone I'm thinking of who is going to make assuming everything stays consistent is going to make $105,000 in the next 12 months.(6:18) Okay. (6:18) So, let's divide that by 4 to get a quarterly goal.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:22) That would be 26. (6:23) Call it 100 to make it easy.

Alan Lazaros

(6:25) So, 25K. (6:26) Okay. (6:26) So, what's 25 divided by 3?

Kevin Palmieri

(6:30) 8.3. Nice work.

Alan Lazaros

(6:35) So, she is going to make an average of $8,333 a month. (6:42) And if I multiply that by 12, it goes to 100K. (6:44) Yeah.(6:45) Okay. (6:46) Now, let's break that down. (6:48) So, that's per month.(6:49) Now, divide that by 30. (6:50) So, 8.333. Divide that by 30. (6:52) You have to make $277 a day.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:56) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(6:56) That's what she has to do. (6:57) Now, how much does she make an hour? (6:58) She makes about $40 an hour.(7:00) All right. (7:01) So, let's do 277 divided by 40. (7:03) She has to work at least 7.(7:05) She has to have 7 clients a day. (7:07) On average, sometimes 10, sometimes 4. (7:12) But she has to have, on average, 7 clients a day to make 100K.(7:15) And that's the way that I set goals. (7:18) As a business coach, that's all we do. (7:23) I make it sound like it's all we do as if it's simple.(7:26) But you essentially take the dream and then break it into what you have to do today. (7:37) Yes. (7:37) So, that 7%, for example, that you and I talked about in the last episode, that leads to 30%, that leads to doubling your business every two and a half years, you could break that down to the day as well.(7:50) And then you could measure that. (7:52) And so, go ahead. (7:54) Okay.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:59) So, we reflect and we measure. (8:04) I want to leave here with a framework. (8:07) Reflect and measure and then...

Alan Lazaros

(8:09) So, what did you do in Q2?

Kevin Palmieri

(8:10) Yep.

Alan Lazaros

(8:12) April, May, June. (8:14) What did you do in April, May, and June under Health, Wealth, and Love? (8:17) Yep.(8:19) Boom. (8:20) Now, you decide on a results goal or a process goal.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:22) Now, you have to decide whether or not you're happy with the outcome of what you did.

Alan Lazaros

(8:26) I mean, the truth is, dude, it almost doesn't matter if you are or aren't. (8:33) Let's say you accomplished it. (8:37) In this scenario, did the person have Q2 goals?(8:41) And they're just upping the ante? (8:42) Or is this someone who just isn't...

Kevin Palmieri

(8:44) I think there's two versions. (8:45) Yeah, I think there's two versions. (8:46) Version one is they had Q2.(8:48) Version two is they didn't.

Alan Lazaros

(8:50) Okay. (8:50) If you did have Q2 goals, you're already measuring it. (8:52) Just measure it and then up the ante by a certain percentage.(8:55) In our case, 7%. (8:57) Okay, good.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:58) This is good. (8:59) What percentage do you up the ante without looking 50 years into the future and reverse engineering it? (9:09) I know, I know, I know, I know.(9:10) It's impossible to answer that question. (9:13) That's like saying, how do I get to 42? (9:15) Optimally, yes.(9:16) You cannot have an optimal answer. (9:19) Give me a baseline. (9:20) It entirely depends on the person.(9:22) Good. (9:22) What does it depend on in the person?

Alan Lazaros

(9:24) The level of self-efficacy. (9:26) Okay. (9:27) The level of competence, skills.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:34) As an example, as an example.

Alan Lazaros

(9:35) It's based on their potential, in my opinion.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:37) Yeah. (9:37) The person who has to do an average of... (9:40) What was it?(9:40) Seven calls a day?

Alan Lazaros

(9:42) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:42) Seven times four is 28. (9:43) That's an actual client. (9:46) If they're just doing this for the first time and they're like, you know what?(9:50) I want to make $100,000 this year. (9:51) Six figures, I'm in. (9:53) I want to do that.(9:54) Let's say you're starting at the beginning of the year because you're not going to make $100,000 in the next four months, most likely. (10:02) When they sit down and say, okay, in order to make $100,000, I need to make X amount per week, which means I need to make X amount per day. (10:12) And I know I am at X amount per hour.(10:17) If they say, okay, I have to average seven calls. (10:20) Fuck that.

Alan Lazaros

(10:22) There's no way I'm doing seven calls. (10:24) She's doing 49 a week on average. (10:26) And she's crushing, cranking, cranking, cranking.(10:28) She'll be very successful. (10:30) One. (10:30) She has no fucking life.(10:31) She has no life. (10:32) Two, she didn't start there. (10:34) Yeah, agreed.(10:34) She's been doing this for X amount of years, right? (10:36) By the way, the person listening, I'm joking about you not having a life. (10:39) She's not going to care.(10:40) She probably said the same thing. (10:42) I was going to say, I don't know. (10:43) And again, she loves what she does, right?

Kevin Palmieri

(10:44) I don't know who this person is, but I'm guessing they don't have a life. (10:47) They are extremely, extremely focused. (10:51) This is why I think goal setting is so challenging.(10:53) Because 100K breaks down to X amount per month, X amount per week, X amount per day.

Alan Lazaros

(11:01) Can the month. (11:02) Because the month gets wonky and you know this. (11:05) Because there's five weeks.(11:05) 12 months versus 52 weeks. (11:07) It doesn't work. (11:08) The math doesn't work.(11:09) So the math doesn't math. (11:11) So every week is seven days. (11:12) Every year is 365 days.(11:14) And every year has 52 weeks in it. (11:16) Also, think in a 12-month rolling cycle. (11:20) So I think of, so it's July 30th.(11:21) This is something I've never shared. (11:23) I think this would be of value. (11:24) It's July 30th.(11:25) I'm thinking about July 30th, 2026. (11:29) So at all times, it's a 12-month cycle in my head. (11:34) Okay.(11:35) So by July 30th, 2026, I want to have this result. (11:39) Which means I need to do this today. (11:42) And it does seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, quarters.(11:46) Decades. (11:47) Years, decades, lifetime.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:48) Micro.

Alan Lazaros

(11:49) Let's get back. (11:50) Let's get back to it, baby. (11:51) Seconds.(11:51) Yeah, let's get back to it. (11:52) You can literally break it down to the second if you want. (11:54) But I don't want to do that.(11:56) It's too much. (11:57) You know what you want. (11:58) Yeah, it's too much.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:59) Okay. (11:59) Too much. (12:00) Okay.(12:03) Reflect, measure. (12:06) The third thing would be what? (12:07) Shoot.(12:09) Remeasure. (12:11) What the strategy? (12:12) What is the third thing where I do that equation?(12:14) Where I take the maximum amount of time that I can see into the future. (12:19) And then I break down what I want that goal to be. (12:22) And then I break it down to weekly.

Alan Lazaros

(12:24) Yeah, that's good. (12:25) So if you can see a year out, you divide that by 52. (12:29) Okay.(12:30) Health, wealth, and love. (12:31) Yep.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:32) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(12:33) Now, there's a problem here. (12:36) Yes. (12:36) In math, there's an exponential growth curve.(12:39) So for example, I have a client who's doing fitness coaching. (12:42) He's certified. (12:43) He's not going to start with 10 clients.(12:46) So there's a ramp-up phase. (12:48) So if he sets a goal for the end of... (12:51) So let's say he sets a goal today for July 31st, 2026, when this drops.(12:59) That's 52 weeks. (13:00) But you're not going to start with 10 clients on week one. (13:03) Right.(13:03) Right. (13:03) You have to ramp up one, then two, then four, and then back to three. (13:07) And then that's why it's so difficult.(13:09) And that's why most people who are really successful never hit their goals. (13:13) If you look at all of my goals over the last eight years of us working together, I've almost never hit them. (13:19) I've been a giant part of most of them.(13:22) So I have noticed. (13:23) Yeah. (13:23) But I always hit the long one.(13:25) Yes. (13:26) Yes. (13:26) It's...(13:27) What's a good metaphor for that? (13:31) I think some people need to set small goals they hit and build belief. (13:36) I think other people need to set huge goals that constantly keep them humble.(13:40) I agree.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:40) Yeah. (13:40) Yeah. (13:41) I think it depends on macroscopic and microscopic.(13:43) A very small percentage. (13:44) Yeah. (13:45) Okay.(13:47) Reflect. (13:47) This is going to be good. (13:49) This is going to be my framework.(13:50) It's going to be my framework. (13:51) It's going to have my name on it. (13:53) Reflect.(13:54) Measure. (13:55) KP goal setting. (13:56) KP goal setting.(13:57) Simple. (13:58) Simple, unsexy fundamentals. (14:00) I don't know.(14:00) Will we say strategize? (14:04) All of this is strategy. (14:06) It is.(14:08) Will we say reshoot?

Alan Lazaros

(14:12) Let's use a tangible example. (14:13) Back to the 100k a year. (14:15) So someone wants to make 100k.(14:17) They divide that by 52. (14:18) That's how much they have to make per week.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:19) Yeah. (14:21) All right. (14:21) I guess that's $1,800 a week.

Alan Lazaros

(14:24) Let's do it. (14:28) It's almost. (14:29) So it's $1,923 a week.(14:31) That's way more than I thought. (14:32) Okay. (14:32) $1,923 a year I was born.(14:36) So $1,923 a week. (14:38) Now they divide that by 40 hours. (14:40) You have to make at least $48 an hour.(14:43) And this is USD, by the way. (14:44) This totally changes based on where you live. (14:46) Entirely.(14:47) Cost of living. (14:47) Everything's different. (14:49) Well, the numbers are different, but the way to do it's the same.(14:51) Yeah. (14:51) The way to do it's the same. (14:52) The currency is different and the conversion is different and all that kind of stuff.(14:57) All right. (14:57) So I would say. (14:58) And now here's the question.(14:59) How do you make $48 an hour? (15:02) That's the question. (15:03) Well, there's many different ways.(15:04) Yeah, exactly. (15:04) There's many. (15:05) And that's why it's so hard to choose.(15:07) This is where we get into, well, what do you love? (15:09) What are you good at? (15:10) Strengths and weaknesses.(15:11) That's why coaching is so.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:13) We're going to save that. (15:14) We'll save all that. (15:15) This is going to be baseline.(15:17) Fundamental.

Alan Lazaros

(15:18) So you have to work 40 hours a week for $48 an hour every week without any vacation, without any time off, unless you have paid time off, in which case you can count that. (15:30) And then you will make mathematically a hundred grand a year. (15:32) Now, remember that's gross.(15:33) Then there's taxes and expenses and the whole nine, 401k, whatever you do. (15:38) So. (15:40) NLU listener, what is happening?(15:42) 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. (15:51) You can connect with like-minded people and become a bigger part of this amazing global community. (15:57) The link to register will be in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:01) All right. (16:01) The third step is going to be, we're going to call it vision. (16:08) Vision back is what we're going to call it for now.(16:10) Just stay with it. (16:12) That's basically go as far as you can, right? (16:14) Go as far as you can into the future before you lose.(16:16) And just be honest with yourself about this. (16:18) Like I, I remember we were on a podcast one time and Alan was like, how far into the future can you see for yourself? (16:23) And he was like five years.(16:24) And I was like, no. (16:25) And then I think you said three. (16:26) And I was like, yeah, I can.(16:26) And then after I was like, honestly, man, that was kind of a, that was a fib. (16:29) I can't see three years, a year max. (16:31) I'd say for me, a year max.(16:34) Well, I'd say. (16:37) Okay. (16:37) So vision back, what we're going to do is based on- Has that increased over the years?(16:42) Yeah. (16:42) A hundred percent. (16:43) A year is actually a lot for me.(16:46) In the beginning, it was like. (16:48) Weeks. (16:49) I didn't think.(16:50) And honestly, it wasn't even that. (16:51) It wasn't even a conscious thought. (16:51) I didn't think about it.

Alan Lazaros

(16:53) And isn't it weird how if you, if you don't have goals, you won't think about the future. (16:58) But if you don't think about the future, you won't have goals. (17:01) You're basically stuck in this weird- Goals are a pain in the ass.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:04) It's the best.

Alan Lazaros

(17:05) They make everything.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:06) But they make everything terrible. (17:07) Immediately. (17:08) Yeah.(17:08) They make everything terrible and great at the same time. (17:11) Okay. (17:11) Reflect, measure, vision back.(17:13) Look as far into the future as you can. (17:15) Paint a, as clear of a picture of your goals, health, wealth, and love as you can. (17:21) Then we have to break them down with somewhat simple math.(17:26) Now, not super simple. (17:27) There's divide, there's, there's numbers. (17:29) But if you want to go on 12 dates over the next 12 weeks with your partner, that's one day a week.(17:35) Awesome. (17:36) Easy. (17:36) Boom.(17:37) Check it out.

Alan Lazaros

(17:37) That's a process goal though. (17:38) So that's easier. (17:39) A results goal is harder because of the exponential.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:44) What would a results goal under relationships be? (17:48) Going on a trip?

Alan Lazaros

(17:50) Yeah, it could be save a certain amount for a trip. (17:52) It could be get engaged, which is save a certain amount for a ring. (17:56) It could be- Okay.(18:00) So process goals is number of- Experiences or, or- Reps. (18:07) Or reps. (18:08) Yeah.(18:08) Number of reps. (18:08) Okay. (18:09) Number of reps.(18:09) That's fine. (18:10) Results is out physique.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:13) Yep. (18:13) Outcome. (18:15) So results is 10 pounds in 10 weeks.(18:17) Process is out of the 90 days I work out 75.

Alan Lazaros

(18:21) A hundred percent.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:22) Okay. (18:22) Process goals, I would say is definitely the way to go.

Alan Lazaros

(18:24) Just agreed. (18:25) Agreed. (18:26) Yeah.(18:26) Okay. (18:27) And then once you start getting results, which you will, you measure those and then you can start to like create results goals. (18:35) How- So when you start a podcast, start out with process goals.(18:38) Just get an episode a week done. (18:40) And then once you start getting listens, then you can start measuring that. (18:43) And then next quarter, you can have the process goal stay of the once a week and then set the- Okay.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:50) Listens goal. (18:51) For somebody out there who is not great at goal setting yet. (18:56) Do you say to them, run the three months, run the quarter and don't change anything.(19:03) Just do the fucking process. (19:05) And even if it doesn't feel like you're getting a result, it doesn't matter. (19:08) Just do the fucking process.(19:10) Or do you suggest they pivot at some point in the quarter?

Alan Lazaros

(19:18) Most people, I think, pivot too quickly. (19:24) So you've got to err on the side of do the process longer.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:27) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(19:28) And I'm as guilty of that as anybody. (19:29) And then there's very few people who do the process for a year and a half. (19:33) I joke with you.(19:34) You did a process for two years when you were CFO, Chief Financial Officer. (19:39) And I went in there because it had been a while. (19:42) I was busy.(19:42) And I went in there and I was like, this fucking dude, he didn't change a thing. (19:46) Same, same. (19:47) Run the system.(19:47) Same exact system. (19:48) Yeah, run the system. (19:49) I have another client who's still running my finance system from years, five years ago.(19:52) And I went in there not long ago and I started laughing out loud. (19:55) You do realize this has improved drastically since then, right? (19:59) Professionals run the system.(20:00) Just run the system. (20:01) Yeah, no, it's nice. (20:02) It's better than not running the system.(20:04) Ideally, you would iterate and improve the system. (20:06) But if you don't know the fundamentals underneath how the system was built, you basically are just like, I'm going to run this thing.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:14) Right.

Alan Lazaros

(20:15) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:15) Yeah, when the car breaks down, if you didn't build the car, you don't know how to fix it. (20:18) It just brings the mechanic. (20:20) I'm just hoping it doesn't break down.(20:21) Just keep driving that thing until it does. (20:23) Yeah. (20:23) All right.(20:23) We have a couple of minutes left before we get out of here. (20:25) Reflect, measure, vision back. (20:26) Okay, so after I do that, then what?

Alan Lazaros

(20:31) Stay in the process as long as possible before you, until you are certain it is not working. (20:37) So commit. (20:38) Yeah, commit and do not fucking change anything until you're certain it's not working.(20:44) Okay. (20:45) If you go a month and a half and you don't even have a lick of results, you're doing something wrong. (20:52) Okay.(20:52) If you go three days and you have no results, nothing's wrong. (20:55) Nothing is wrong at all. (20:56) I've gone weeks.(20:57) I've exercised every day for three and a half years and I'm still out of shape. (21:01) You're good. (21:02) And again, out of shape is relative, okay?(21:04) Yes. (21:04) But my point is, I remember Kevin came to me. (21:07) He said, dude, it's not working.(21:08) I said, brother, you've been doing it for three fucking months. (21:10) It is working. (21:11) Three months is a long time.(21:13) That's the thing. (21:14) So at the end of the day, if you go for a month and a half and you get zero reward, then you probably want to check in and you most likely are doing the wrong process.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:24) I'm going to fuck you up with something real quick. (21:26) Three years in a 50 year timeline is minuscule.

Alan Lazaros

(21:30) Agreed.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:31) Three years in a year, sorry, three months in a year is fucking massive.

Alan Lazaros

(21:35) I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:35) That's why for me, three months- Everything's relative.

Alan Lazaros

(21:38) That's why I always say that.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:39) Yeah, yeah. (21:40) Shout out to Einstein. (21:41) Shout out to Jeff Einstein.

Alan Lazaros

(21:42) The theory of relativity.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:43) I don't know it. (21:44) I've heard of it and I'm somewhat familiar with it, but I do know that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Alan Lazaros

(21:50) That's Newton, man. (21:51) Shout out to Jeffrey Newton. (21:52) How fucking dare you?(21:53) Jeffrey Newton. (21:54) Shout out to him. (21:55) Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are the reason we have a lot of things we have, my friend.(22:00) This microphone, there's a lot of other shit. (22:02) It's just how dare you?

Kevin Palmieri

(22:03) It's fair. (22:03) Look, I shout out. (22:04) I give them all the love.(22:06) I give them all the love. (22:07) All right, reflect, measure, vision back, commit. (22:10) I got to change vision back because that's the right piece of shit.(22:12) But anything, okay, after commit, then what?

Alan Lazaros

(22:15) You go for at least a month and a half doing the process. (22:18) Yep. (22:18) You get some results and you measure those and then you set new goals based on that.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:24) So then you do the same process?

Alan Lazaros

(22:26) So if you get, let's say, 50 listens per episode three months in, then you try to get 75. (22:35) Then you try to get 100. (22:37) It really does come down to double down on what's working and then figure out what's not working and try to eliminate it.(22:45) But you can't, and this is the really hard part, you can't get rid of the main thing. (22:50) This is what I find people doing all the time. (22:52) And this is a good example.(22:53) Kevin and I, when Clubhouse was really big, I told Kev, everyone and their mother was trying to get me on Clubhouse. (22:58) I said, listen, stay the fucking course. (23:00) Clubhouse is a fad.(23:02) No one ever got successful on fads. (23:04) Well, let me rephrase. (23:06) People get successful on fads and then they go to the next fad and those are the party hoppers.(23:11) Those aren't people who are building real companies. (23:13) Google wasn't a fad. (23:15) Okay?(23:15) The internet is not a fad. (23:18) So social media is going to be around forever. (23:21) TikTok might not be.(23:22) So you can't have your whole company built just on TikTok. (23:25) That's the way I think. (23:26) So Clubhouse, I said, brother, it's a fad.(23:29) This is going to blow over. (23:31) It might not. (23:31) And if it doesn't, then we'll get on it.(23:33) But we're not going to take time and effort off of the podcasting. (23:38) Podcasting isn't going anywhere for a very, very, very long time. (23:41) And you can ask me, well, how do you know that?(23:43) My brain knows that. (23:45) It's calculating things I can't unpack in one minute. (23:52) So yeah, good.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:53) Wrap this in a bow. (23:54) I'm going to wrap this in a bow. (23:55) Okay.(23:55) I want you to imagine this is a circle. (23:58) There's four parts to the circle. (23:59) And in between each one of these words, there's a little arrow pointing up to the next thing.(24:04) Starts with reflect. (24:05) So let's look back on our previous last time we set a goal. (24:10) Let's say in this example, it was previous quarter.(24:12) If you didn't set a goal last quarter, when's the last time you set a goal? (24:14) Let's reflect on it. (24:15) Let's learn from it.(24:15) Cool. (24:16) So we reflect. (24:18) We measure what happened based on the inputs that we put in.(24:21) Did we get the goal we wanted? (24:23) Did we not? (24:23) Did we get better than we wanted?(24:25) Whatever. (24:25) What surprised us? (24:26) What made sense?(24:27) All of that. (24:27) Cool. (24:28) Now we want to take all that information that we reflected on and measured.(24:31) And we want to look as far into the future as we can actually see and imagine. (24:36) And then go, okay, in the next year, I'd like these three things to happen. (24:40) Cool.(24:41) I'm going to strategize around that. (24:43) And now I'm going to commit to the next quarter to see how it goes. (24:47) And I'm going to do the same shit again at the end of the quarter.(24:51) And you just... (24:51) But better. (24:52) Great.(24:52) 1% improvements along the way. (24:55) And then just rinse and repeat that forever. (24:57) Forever.

Alan Lazaros

(24:58) And by the way, 25 years is 100 quarters. (25:02) You can achieve your dreams in 100 quarters for sure. (25:05) But you do it one quarter at a time.(25:07) I didn't mean to overwhelm everyone.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:08) It's good. (25:08) Good.

Alan Lazaros

(25:09) Say that's good.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:09) One quarter at a time.

Alan Lazaros

(25:10) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:10) One quarter at a time. (25:11) That's it. (25:11) I just had the most successful quarter I've ever had in my entire life.(25:16) Nice. (25:17) Now I'm like, hmm, I'm going to find a way to do that, but better. (25:20) You do.(25:20) That's... (25:20) You set a goal 7% higher. (25:22) Set a goal.(25:23) Right. (25:23) And I'm either going to hit it or I'm not. (25:25) And I'm going to do the same thing.(25:27) I'm going to do the same, same thing. (25:29) This is exactly how I set goals. (25:33) Now, Alan has helped me tremendously.(25:35) It's not like I came up with it. (25:36) But when we were talking, he's like, dude, you got to set a bigger goal. (25:39) And I said, brother, I don't believe it's possible.(25:40) It's not going to... (25:41) I guarantee it's not going to ignite me. (25:43) It needs to feel like it's possible based on my previous goals and accomplishments.(25:48) Yep. (25:48) All right. (25:48) Did we do it justice?(25:50) Did we do goal setting justice?

Alan Lazaros

(25:51) Absolutely.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:52) Do we have to do a part four?

Alan Lazaros

(25:53) We got... (25:53) No, I think we got farther than I've ever gotten on explaining goals. (25:56) Cool.(25:57) That was the goal. (25:58) Which is good. (25:58) I used to be in front of a whiteboard trying to do goal setting exercises.(26:01) And I had a YouTube channel back in the day called Real Life Superheroes. (26:05) And this was really cool because it took me 10 years, but I feel like we got somewhere. (26:11) The greatest, greatest intro of all time for Real Life Superheroes.(26:14) It was a great intro. (26:15) It was a great intro.

Kevin Palmieri

(26:16) Yeah, you were ahead of your time.

Alan Lazaros

(26:17) Flying over the clouds. (26:18) Thank you so much. (26:19) If anyone has...(26:20) If you sit there and you're like, I don't know how to do this. (26:24) This is my... (26:26) I love this.(26:28) This is... (26:28) I love this. (26:29) I want to do this every day for the rest of my life.(26:31) I will make you so successful. (26:33) It's not even funny. (26:34) I literally say this to my clients.(26:37) I will be... (26:38) I will consider myself a fucking failure if you're not wildly successful. (26:43) And I can actually say that because I'm no longer working with people who aren't work.(26:47) If you don't have work ethic and humility, forget it. (26:49) I can't make you successful. (26:50) But if you have work ethic and humility, I can make you very successful.(26:55) It's a formula.

Kevin Palmieri

(26:57) It's an equation. (26:58) It is.

Alan Lazaros

(26:58) Kevin has work ethic and humility. (27:00) So... (27:00) It's this.(27:01) All you have to do is come up with the right recipe and iterate.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:04) Yeah. (27:04) I did a post today on Instagram about... (27:07) It was my whiteboard from when I lived in Worcester.(27:09) Worcester, Mass. (27:09) Like 30 minutes from where Alan lives. (27:11) And it was just...(27:12) It was like 12 habits. (27:13) It was yoga, micro shake. (27:16) I used to have my micronutrient shake every day.(27:19) Exercise.

Alan Lazaros

(27:19) And the show notes? (27:21) Because I reposted it too.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:21) I don't even know.

Alan Lazaros

(27:23) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:23) Yeah. (27:23) I'll send it over to the team. (27:24) Yeah.(27:24) Yeah. (27:25) But that's... (27:26) It's the same thing.(27:27) It's just different now. (27:29) There's more. (27:30) And now I have a better idea of what does what.(27:33) But at that time, I was like, hey man, what do I... (27:35) Give me 12 things I should do to be successful. (27:37) It's like, all right, these are the 12.(27:37) Do these.

Alan Lazaros

(27:38) Eight years ago, you hated sales. (27:40) Now you do sales every day and you're killing it. (27:41) I love sales.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:42) I love sales.

Alan Lazaros

(27:43) See? (27:44) All right, cool. (27:44) Transformation, baby.(27:46) Next level lesson. (27:48) It's the only wrong answer at this stage is to have no goals. (27:52) Goal setting is a skill and you can develop it.(27:55) And the only wrong answer is to just wing it. (27:58) Cool. (27:58) All right.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:59) Mine is reflect, measure, vision back, commit. (28:01) Those are the four steps. (28:02) Are there more steps?(28:03) Absolutely. (28:04) Is that a great place to get started? (28:06) Absolutely.(28:06) There's a drastic difference between optimal and realistic. (28:09) Let's start realistically and then we can optimize as we go. (28:12) Boom.(28:12) Can we get a digital asset of that in the show notes or? (28:15) No, we're not gonna have time to make that. (28:17) What do you think this is?(28:19) Business growth university.

Alan Lazaros

(28:20) Can you take a photo of it? (28:20) Throw it in for the people. (28:23) Now, hey, production team, we'll just put this in the show notes.(28:27) Kevin's gonna send you a photo of it. (28:28) Just throw it in the show notes. (28:30) I'm sure it'll at least be the steps.

Kevin Palmieri

(28:32) We'll see what we can do. (28:33) We'll see what we can do. (28:33) All right, cool.(28:34) As always, we love you. (28:35) We appreciate you. (28:36) Grateful for each and every one of you.(28:37) And look, if you are as focused and as committed to getting to the next level as you say you are, make sure you tune in tomorrow because we're gonna be here every single day helping you get to the next level. (28:48) Keep reaching for your true potential, Next Level Nation. (28:53) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University.(28:57) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(29:00) We mean it when we say family. (29:02) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (29:05) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(29:09) Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.

People on this episode

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Alan Lazaros

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Kevin Palmieri

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