This Is Why We Grow In One Direction (2168)

Growth never happens everywhere at once. In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan share why progress in one area often means sacrifice in another and how to know when it’s time to shift your focus. Tune in for real stories, honest lessons, and a simple way to grow with more clarity and intention.

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Show notes:
(2:00) Focusing on one thing at a time
(4:00) The constraints in health, wealth, and love
(6:00) Nothing grows without effort and intention
(9:00) Seasons of growth and decay
(12:00) Acceptance: no one has it all
(14:26) Next Level Dreamliner: The planner, agenda, journal, and habit tracker to rule them all. Get a copy: https://a.co/d/9fPpxEt
(20:00) The cost of trying to do everything
(25:02) Outro

🎙️ 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.

Chapters

• 2:00 Focusing on one thing at a time
• 6:00 Nothing grows without effort and intention
• 9:00 Seasons of growth and decay
• 12:00 Acceptance: No one has it all
• 14:26 Next Level Dreamliner: The planner, agenda, journal, and habit tracker to rule them all. Get a copy:
• 20:00 The cost of trying to do everything
• 25:02 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) At all times, you are in one of the three places we're going to talk about today, and that is why growth is so freaking hard.

Alan Lazaros

(0:09) When I give speeches, I say who in here wants to be healthier, wealthier, and more in love? (0:14) Every hand goes up. (0:16) Those are three full-time jobs simultaneously.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:20) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:23) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:24) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.(0:27) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:34) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:41) 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

(0:56) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:03) Welcome to Next Level University. (1:09) Next Level Nation, today for episode number 2,168. (1:13) This is why we grow in one direction.(1:16) If I look different or I sound different, it's because I'm in a hotel, and there's a wedding in like four hours, five hours. (1:24) So we're getting these episodes. (1:25) And you're the best man.(1:26) I'm the best man. (1:27) I got a speech prepared. (1:28) I don't know about that, but the best they could find.

Alan Lazaros

(1:32) You're the fucking best.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:33) With no effort. (1:34) We're going to show up. (1:36) I'm kidding.(1:37) I'm referencing an old episode. (1:38) Yeah, go ahead. (1:39) Why are we talking about this today?(1:41) I was watching, no, that was a rhetorical question. (1:45) Tara and I were watching something, and this show is about high-powered consultants that, they're all over the place, and they're into a lot of drugs and just wild situations, but one of them is very put together. (2:00) And somebody said, how do you do it all?(2:02) It seems like you have the best of everything. (2:05) And she said, very jokingly but seriously, I go do one thing, and I try to do that one thing really well, and then eventually when I put my head up, I realize the other parts of my life are essentially burning down. (2:17) And then since that part has gone really well, I go focus on the other thing.(2:22) And then by default, something else burns down. (2:24) And essentially, it's rinse and repeat that forever. (2:26) And I think this is a really good example.(2:28) So when we logged on today, Alan was like, dude, where the hell are you? (2:32) I was like, I'm in a hotel. (2:33) The wedding is today.(2:35) This morning I woke up. (2:37) I got up at six. (2:38) I went down to the lobby.(2:40) I worked. (2:40) I did emails. (2:41) I did, awesome.(2:42) I worked from like six to, I don't know, 10. (2:44) Four hours of just deep work.

Alan Lazaros

(2:46) Awesome. (2:46) Big client opportunity.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:47) Big client opportunity. (2:48) Yep. (2:48) And another one, another opportunity.(2:50) And then eventually it got to the point where it was like, okay, other things are going to burn down on the day if I don't do this. (2:58) So let me finish up my best man speech. (2:59) Let me check in.(3:00) Let me make sure everything's good.

Alan Lazaros

(3:01) How is it?

Kevin Palmieri

(3:03) I feel like it's going to be strong.

Alan Lazaros

(3:05) You're a professional speaker.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:06) Well, that's what, that's kind of what scares me, right? (3:09) The expectations are high. (3:10) Yeah.(3:10) It's like if you're a professional chef and you're cooking food for people, you, they expect better than if I say, I don't know how to do anything.

Alan Lazaros

(3:18) You got some good funnies in there.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:19) We're going to find out. (3:21) We're going to find out point I'm making. (3:23) There's micro and there's macro.(3:26) So let's say it's Monday and you have 12 hours to do something. (3:30) Eventually in the day, it crosses the chasm where you should go from one thing to the next thing because it's going to get too late in the day. (3:36) And I think life is that on a macro perspective.

Alan Lazaros

(3:40) So we did an episode three weeks ago, four weeks ago, we were reading a book. (3:46) This might actually be three or four months ago. (3:49) We were reading a book called Reset by Dan Heath talking about targeting the constraint.(3:56) I've been talking about that a lot lately. (4:00) At all times in health, wealth, and love, there is a constraint and I can give you my current constraint in each of those buckets. (4:07) My current constraint in business is my inability to, it's time.(4:17) I don't have any more time. (4:18) There is no more fucking time. (4:22) Okay.(4:22) So the number one constraint is time management or I'm actually, I just downloaded Clockify. (4:29) Have you ever heard of Clockify? (4:31) Yeah.(4:32) Showed it to one of my clients. (4:33) He recommended it. (4:34) It is really cool what he's doing with this thing.(4:37) I'm going to give it a shot. (4:37) We'll see. (4:38) We'll see.(4:39) But I'm going to track my time, figure out where it's going, reallocate, reallocate, reallocate. (4:42) Okay. (4:42) So number one constraint is time for wealth, career, business.(4:47) Number two relationship. (4:49) My number one constraint is not closing work by 8 p.m. If I close work by 8 p.m. We have quality time. (4:59) We eat dinner.(5:00) We have plenty of time to connect. (5:02) We catch each other up on business stuff. (5:04) We get to bed on time.(5:06) I wake up on time. (5:07) My morning routine goes well. (5:08) Exercise goes well.(5:09) Everything. (5:09) My keystone fucking habit right now is closing at 8 p.m. Which feels impossible given the first one. (5:20) So I made Amelia a promise that I'm going to close by 8 p.m. I'm going to do my best. (5:25) It's not, I'm pretty particular about promises. (5:28) So I said I'm going to do my best to close by 8 p.m. Okay. (5:32) Number three, health.(5:33) My right fucking knee, man. (5:36) Dude, I was doing legs earlier today, doing some awesome lifts and just a little, oh, all right, there's the end. (5:43) There's the end of progression.(5:45) So I was going up and wait, up and wait, up and wait, up and wait, up and wait. (5:49) Up and reps, up and reps, up and reps. (5:51) And then it was, ah, okay, that's the, that's the max.(5:54) I can't push it anymore. (5:55) Otherwise, I'm going to blow my shit. (5:57) At all times, 24-7, 365, you have one area of your life that is growing.(6:03) You have one area of your life that is coasting. (6:06) And one area of your life that is basically dying, decaying, getting worse. (6:13) You pick whatever label you want.(6:16) Entropy states that all persons, places, things, and ideas that do not get intentionality and time and effort put into them die. (6:25) This is why if you took away a CEO of a company, they would, the company would start to decay. (6:31) If you don't put energy into something, and this is why the whole passive income thing is so hard for me.(6:36) Because even passive income is not passive. (6:39) You have to build a, I have a lot of people that are building financial portfolios and they have passive income, but it's not passive. (6:46) They have to look at their portfolio, see how it's performing, reallocate, talk to their investor, come up with a script.(6:52) There's a bunch of work. (6:53) There's never going to be, and we talked recently about, there is never going to be a time where you like don't work. (6:59) You and I work with a client who is called Retirement Transformed.(7:04) They still work. (7:06) And so that's kind of my point in this episode is 24-7, 365, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not, while you're focused on one thing, something else is slowly decaying. (7:21) And that's what building things up, if you have a home and you're out there and you just start neglecting it, it will eventually be completely rotted and destroyed.(7:30) And if you don't renovate and landscape it. (7:34) So time and effort need to be injected into everyone and everything in order for it to continue to grow. (7:41) And the biggest mistake, last thing I'll say on this episode, or at least before I let you talk again, my bad, is I did not understand how much relationships require, not just intimate relationships, but Kev, how low maintenance am I, dude?(7:57) The most. (7:58) The most. (7:59) If you were to not talk to me as a friend for like a year, would I be upset with you?(8:07) I don't even think I'd be upset. (8:09) Like no, no. (8:11) As business I would, right?(8:12) And that's the goals. (8:13) But I now realize that, and this is again personal, but I hope this can resonate with some of our listeners. (8:19) I had no fucking idea how high maintenance relationships are.(8:23) Takes a lot. (8:24) It's crazy. (8:25) Like it's my birthday.(8:27) You didn't, it's what the, like you didn't wish me a happy birthday. (8:32) I don't give a shit. (8:33) Like I can't even with that stuff.(8:35) But now I realize that I'm the weirdo in that.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:38) It's, uh, that's why I like to talk about seasons so much. (8:42) That's why I like talking about seasons because I think that's the best way to look at it. (8:46) For most people, I think summer is like a relationship season.

Alan Lazaros

(8:50) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:51) I think winter is a, I'll focus on me type season. (8:56) And I think we just jump back and forth from those.

Alan Lazaros

(9:00) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:00) I think that's a big. (9:01) Until the holidays. (9:02) Well, the holidays are family.(9:05) The holidays are a big, a big family, a family one. (9:09) But I think, but that's the hard thing is it's a lot of pressure to know. (9:13) I was on a podcast the other day and I said, unfortunately there is no, there really is no such thing as stagnation.

Alan Lazaros

(9:22) Yeah, no way.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:23) Because that suggests that time is not passing. (9:26) So if time is passing, things are either improving or they're going downhill because time affects it. (9:32) Yep.(9:32) It doesn't, it, we're not in a vacuum where it's like, Oh, that's fine. (9:36) It's it's doesn't matter because I didn't get any worse. (9:39) Well time, or I didn't get any better.(9:42) This, this was funny to me. (9:43) I saw a, a meme the other day and it under it. (9:47) Finally, a piece of advice for the common man, finally, a piece of advice for the common human.(9:54) And it was all you have to do to be financially free is take $3 million that you have already, of course, and put it into a, whatever it was like a stock thing or a bond thing that returns you 8% year over year. (10:10) And you make $24,000 a month.

Alan Lazaros

(10:14) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:15) And you don't have to do anything.

Alan Lazaros

(10:16) And let me, let me do the numbers on that. (10:18) Hold on.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:18) I think it's 24.

Alan Lazaros

(10:20) So if you do 3 million times 0.08, you're making 240 a year divided. (10:27) Yeah. (10:27) It's 20 grand a month, 20 grand a month.(10:28) So if you have $3 million and you put it into an account that grows at 8%, you will have $20,000 a month without doing anything passive income. (10:37) You just need, Hey, 3 million. (10:38) Where do you get the 3 million?

Kevin Palmieri

(10:40) Well, that we don't have to talk about. (10:41) That's not, that's not what we talk about. (10:43) We talk about how, when you put it somewhere, you don't have to do anything.(10:46) We don't have to talk about how to make it. (10:47) Did you see the clip that I sent you yesterday?

Alan Lazaros

(10:49) Which one? (10:50) I sent you one where the guy was talking about someone who says, in the last six months, I, Shopify just crushed it. (10:58) I don't think I saw that yet.(10:59) Oh, I sent you a clip of a guy who's, yeah, six months ago, I just started this Shopify and I'm a multimillionaire now. (11:06) But if upon further research, he was doing Facebook ads for 15 years, you know, before that and just happens to not mention it, it's like Kevin and I being like, you know, we, we started podcasting and we had $100,000 a month, you know, almost right away. (11:23) I mean, it's just, it feels, it's almost easy.(11:25) You should start a podcast with us. (11:27) It's the dumbest shit ever.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:29) It was only 96 months.

Alan Lazaros

(11:32) It's not even, I mean, and we didn't even have to work that hard. (11:37) I mean, no, it was terrible.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:39) How, how does somebody get right with the amount of pressure that that creates knowing right now in this moment, whatever you're doing, whatever you're not pouring into is not growing and whatever you are pouring into is growing. (11:56) Even if you don't want it to, even if it's not a positive thing, even if it's not a positive relationship, even if, even if it's not an ideal outcome, how do we get okay with that pressure?

Alan Lazaros

(12:05) The first thing is acceptance, accepting that everyone's in the same boat with that. (12:10) I think about this a lot. (12:12) A lot of people see famous people and they are envious.(12:17) And I understand that person struggles to go to the gym too. (12:23) They like a lot of famous people are very out of shape. (12:28) And I think to myself, it's not like you don't have the time and money.(12:31) You obviously could figure that out, but they, they struggle too. (12:34) So realize that not no one gets everything that, that helps accept that no one gets everything I am trying. (12:44) And so is Kev to have it all health, wealth, and love, but almost no one does.(12:49) I think that acceptance of you're in the same boat as everybody else. (12:53) Yes. (12:53) We all have strengths and weaknesses.(12:55) Yes. (12:55) We all born in different countries. (12:56) Yes.(12:56) We all have different ethnicities and cultures, but no one just wakes up happy. (13:01) That's not a fucking thing. (13:03) I promise.(13:04) The neuroscience talks about how that's not possible. (13:07) You can't just convince yourself to be happy. (13:10) Happiness and fulfillment is a by-product of growth, contribution, core values, quality of life, all these different things we talk about.(13:18) There's no one who doesn't have bad days. (13:20) I coach a lot of people, very successful people, very beautiful people, very wonderful people, people that are on the far end of dialed in and they are struggling every day. (13:29) So I think that's how you, where you start.(13:31) You have to start knowing that everyone you see from the outside, I could show you some clients of mine that are from the outside. (13:37) They're gorgeous. (13:38) They're, they're killing it.(13:40) They work really hard. (13:41) They're dialed in. (13:42) They're in great shape.(13:43) They're in love. (13:44) Some of them, and they're fucking struggling so much behind the scenes. (13:48) Not, not because they're trying to hide their struggles, but because that's life.(13:53) That's actually life. (13:54) Like I look nice. (13:55) You look nice.(13:57) We show up here. (13:58) We talk about our life, but you're not seeing how much work I put in every single day. (14:07) You and I talked about longevity recently.(14:09) And dude, every second of every day, I'm considering longevity. (14:13) Otherwise I know I was aging very poorly for a while there. (14:16) I was very concerned.(14:17) I would look in the mirror. (14:18) I was like, what the fuck is going on? (14:19) I've got all these wrinkles.(14:20) But see, I think that's, that can be too much heaviness too quickly. (14:24) So then I would ask you. (14:27) Hello.(14:27) Hello. (14:28) Hello. (14:28) NLU listener.(14:29) Thank you as always for listening to Next Level University. (14:33) Real quick. (14:33) I just want to jump in and let you know about the Next Level Dreamliner.(14:37) This is a journal that I use every single day. (14:40) Achieve your dreams 90 days at a time. (14:42) It breaks down your dreams into goals, milestones, and daily habits.(14:48) We hope you enjoy it. (14:49) The link will be in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:52) Whatever, whatever the constructive doses is what I would say. (14:55) If you're, if for the first time you're really thinking about it, like, okay, I think conscious, uh, not consciously from a, a fundamental understanding. (15:08) I understand that if I'm not at the gym, I'm probably not building muscles.(15:11) Cool. (15:12) I understand that if I'm not tracking my finances, I'm not maximizing my capability when it comes to finances. (15:17) Cool.(15:18) Right. (15:18) Good. (15:19) And then the next question is how quickly do you pivot from one thing to the other?(15:25) When the alarm, it's probably not even that. (15:27) What are the, what are the alarm bells that suggest that you need to pivot from one thing to the next thing?

Alan Lazaros

(15:33) I think your emotions are a signal telling you when to pivot. (15:38) Recently, I've been getting the alarm bells of I'm, I'm investing too much in other people and not enough in my relationship. (15:46) And I could tell how emotional intelligence, but I think our emotions are trying to say, Hey, this is my truth.(15:58) Okay. (15:58) Take it for what it is. (15:59) My, I think my highest self and I'll paraphrase, but it says, Alan, what the fuck dude?(16:06) Like, come on, you're better than this. (16:08) What the fuck are you thinking? (16:10) Get it together, man.(16:11) That's, that's what my highest self says to me. (16:16) Like, how long are you going to let this ride every day? (16:20) We all deal with that.(16:21) It's not just me, right? (16:22) I mean, every single second of every single day, my highest self is saying, Alan, what are we doing?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:27) I don't think for most people, it's every single second of every day. (16:29) No.

Alan Lazaros

(16:30) Well, one thing that I'll share is it depends on your, your standards and your goals. (16:34) So the higher your goal is, the higher your standards have to be. (16:38) Your highest self is saying that shit more than ever, right?(16:41) Yeah. (16:41) Okay. (16:42) That, then you, you go, you explain it.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:48) I don't even know.

Alan Lazaros

(16:51) Like, does it say, hey, Kev, get at it. (16:53) What the fuck are we doing here? (16:54) Get in the gym.(16:55) Like, of course it does, right?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:56) Yeah. (16:57) But also the business one is louder.

Alan Lazaros

(16:59) Yeah, exactly. (17:00) So you listen to the business one first and then, right? (17:03) Yeah.(17:03) Because it's, yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:05) I would say right now, health is the, the lowest.

Alan Lazaros

(17:09) And then eventually that'll shift.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:12) I, the problem is it almost never does. (17:15) It almost never does. (17:17) Like, I had a moment.

Alan Lazaros

(17:18) Well, then you need to set a goal or something.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:20) Yeah, but I don't know. (17:21) I don't know if I want to set a conflicting goal. (17:24) I had a moment today where Alan texted me or sent an audio message and he was going to the gym.(17:29) And I was like, all right, he's most likely going to be running behind. (17:32) I have extra time to do stuff. (17:34) I don't want to not get up at six.(17:36) So I do it at the detriment of sleep. (17:38) Like I got up at six this morning. (17:40) Like we went to bed at whatever, it wasn't super late, but.

Alan Lazaros

(17:43) How do you know you won't regret that? (17:45) I'm not asking because I'm assuming you will. (17:47) I'm asking because I think that's the contemplation here of.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:50) Because it's almost like in my mind that is the price I must pay for certain experiences that you might not, the collective you out there.

Alan Lazaros

(18:07) Okay. (18:08) What's an example?

Kevin Palmieri

(18:09) For me or for the collective you. (18:12) Like I have to get up at six. (18:14) It doesn't matter.(18:14) It doesn't matter. (18:15) You don't have to, but in your mind you have to. (18:18) Yeah, internally I do.(18:19) I have to.

Alan Lazaros

(18:20) Okay. (18:20) But that internal is based on a goal.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:24) It's based on a goal, but it's yeah. (18:26) And it's also based on, I think I would, every time I sleep in, I regret it.

Alan Lazaros

(18:30) Okay. (18:31) Almost every time. (18:31) Why?(18:32) I'm not actually asking why as an attack. (18:34) I'm asking why as in let's get, let's unpack it.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:37) Because I feel like I could do, I could have done more and I could have done better.

Alan Lazaros

(18:42) Which is predicated on a goal. (18:44) Unconscious. (18:45) One thing I'll share with everybody.(18:47) I was on with a client yesterday and I said, we, she was unpacking all this stuff that was going on with her family. (18:55) I'll keep it anonymous of course. (18:58) And I've been coaching her for probably four years now or something, which is crazy.(19:04) Yeah. (19:06) And we only touch base once a month. (19:07) So a lot of it is unpacking.(19:10) And I opened monthly coaching again, by the way, because I know some people want to coach, but can only afford the once a month. (19:15) So reach out if, if you want monthly. (19:18) And then hopefully we can earn more money and then, and then ramp up because obviously monthly is not ideal.(19:24) Okay. (19:26) She was unpacking all this stuff with her family. (19:28) And I said, isn't it interesting how you and I have grown over the years to let go of being the glue for our families?(19:37) Because unconsciously as a kid, I took on the responsibility for my family to have a bigger, better, brighter future. (19:42) That was my vision. (19:44) My vision was, we're all going to have a wonderful life.(19:47) And I mean, it was fucking not true, but it was my vision. (19:51) Now I could have made that happen, but it would have been at the detriment of my other dreams. (19:57) And I think letting go of some visions is how you free yourself to serve other goals.(20:06) And that's exactly how I feel.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:08) That's exactly how I feel about this. (20:09) I, there is going to have to be a level of sacrifice. (20:14) Okay.(20:16) If you have an opportunity to do something like this is me, this is me talking to me. (20:20) If you have an opportunity to do something and you don't want to sacrifice the opportunity of doing that thing, when you go do that thing, you're going to have to find a way to make a sacrifice somewhere. (20:29) And for me, how do you know what to sacrifice?

Alan Lazaros

(20:33) Because in this case, you sacrifice sleep, which could be sacrificing longevity.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:37) I, that is what my go-to. (20:40) Do you think that's optimal? (20:42) What else would I do?(20:44) I sacrifice sleep and exercise.

Alan Lazaros

(20:46) This is what we would do in coaching. (20:47) This is what I'm doing in coaching at all times is it's called multidisciplinary optimization. (20:51) How the hell are you supposed to get great sleep?(20:54) I tell Emilia this all the time. (20:55) I can't be a great homeowner and a great business owner and a great partner and a great pet dad and a great leader and world-class in fitness and world-class speaker and world-class coach and never miss an episode. (21:10) And there's too many, man.(21:12) I'm running a 62 sleep score. (21:14) Yeah, it's not great. (21:16) But and live to 120.(21:21) And be best friends with everybody. (21:23) I'm not optimizing for 120. (21:25) I know.(21:26) I know. (21:27) That was me being playful with you.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:28) No, no, I know. (21:28) But you are legitimately.

Alan Lazaros

(21:30) I'm not. (21:31) It is definitely ridiculously difficult to balance. (21:33) That's why I think you and I talked behind the scenes.(21:36) Last thing, I know we got to jump. (21:37) I have decided in advance to be villainized because I know it's not going to be understood. (21:44) Most of the things that I do are predicated on a goal no one can see.(21:49) And none of it will make any sense until later. (21:51) What's going on, Kev? (21:55) Kevin, his face looks like something is potentially wrong.(22:02) Something has happened to his microphone. (22:04) I have to sail us on out of here. (22:06) Can you still hear me, Kevin?(22:10) I don't think Kevin can hear me. (22:13) Absolute mayhem over here. (22:14) Can you hear me good, sir?(22:16) Nice. (22:17) All right, let's sail us on out of here, man. (22:19) It was working.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:21) My mic is not working. (22:22) No, no, it's working. (22:23) Okay, it's not.

Alan Lazaros

(22:24) It's working.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:24) Okay, I didn't hear anything you said.

Alan Lazaros

(22:26) I'm sure it was super freaking valuable. (22:28) It was mostly production team, leave all that in. (22:31) It's all good.(22:32) I think we're good. (22:33) I was holding space well. (22:35) This is a good example of Kevin is investing in a relationship.(22:39) He's the best man at a wedding. (22:40) And our podcast is suffering in real time. (22:43) And that is life.(22:44) Now, I'm not making you feel bad about that. (22:46) At the end of the day, everything is a choice. (22:50) You choose.(22:51) You choose what you value. (22:54) If you're not clear on your core values, what happened to me will happen to you. (22:57) I was everything for everyone.(22:59) I was popular. (23:01) This will be the last thing we'll go. (23:04) When I focused on being liked, I didn't like my life and I didn't like myself.(23:09) Because being liked is a full time job. (23:13) I downloaded a book once called the 36 ways to be likable. (23:17) I deleted it immediately.(23:19) This book might as well be how to be completely full of shit, inauthentic and wildly unfulfilled. (23:23) That might as well been the fucking title.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:25) Well, how to win friends and influence people. (23:27) I remember reading that. (23:28) I was like, this is fucking stupid.

Alan Lazaros

(23:31) It is worse than I thought. (23:33) Yeah, I think there's some principles in there that are good for sales. (23:37) But agreed, it's you got to take it with a grain of salt because you might lose yourself.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:43) I'm telling you right now, some of those old books are fucking terrible. (23:47) And nobody else is going to tell you that you're going to meet an entrepreneur.

Alan Lazaros

(23:49) Some of them are garbage. (23:50) Most of them are garbage. (23:52) 130 million books ever published, according to Google in 2010.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:56) They can't all be winners.

Alan Lazaros

(23:56) Most of them, a lot of them are garbage.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:59) But it makes sense. (24:00) I mean, how many movies are made? (24:01) And how many are not a percent?(24:04) One, one. (24:06) All right. (24:07) Next of the nation, if you are looking for an amazing group to help you get to the next level, we have next level nation.(24:12) It's very appropriately named a private Facebook group. (24:15) We'll have the link in the show notes for that. (24:17) And 130 million books that we said 130 million.(24:20) We have not gone through all 130 million of those books in the next level book club. (24:25) We are making our way through. (24:26) And it looks like the next book is going to be thinking in bets by Andy Duke.

Alan Lazaros

(24:30) This book is freaking awesome. (24:32) If you're struggling on how to decide what to do and what not to do, this is the book. (24:37) She is a world class poker player.(24:39) And she talks about how to make effective decisions based on probability. (24:44) What is the probability that your future is going to be big and bright if you don't read books? (24:48) Again, hypothetical question, but join us on book club.(24:51) The link will be in the show notes every Saturday, 1230 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. (24:56) Whether everyone shows up or no one, we will be there every single Saturday because we do not miss growth.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:02) As always, we love you. (25:03) We appreciate you. (25:04) Grateful for each and every one of you.(25:06) And if you are as committed as you say you are to getting to the next level, make sure you tune in tomorrow because we will literally be here every single day, even if I'm at a hotel getting ready for a wedding.

Alan Lazaros

(25:17) Keep reaching for your full potential. (25:20) Next Level Nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:23) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (25:27) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(25:29) We mean it when we say family. (25:31) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (25:35) Everything you need to get a hold of us is in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:38) Thank you again, and we will talk to you tomorrow.