The Hidden Skills Of Success (2205)

In today’s episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros break down the hidden strengths that often go unnoticed but carry the most weight. You’ll hear how awareness differs from skill, why practice beats knowledge, and why imposter syndrome hides where you’re strongest. Press play and discover the skills that might already be your unfair advantage.

Learn more about:
🎙️ If you want to start, grow, scale, or monetize your podcast? Join our “Next Level Podcast Accelerator” – Round 20 – Starting October 7th. Use promocode: NLULISTENER, for 30% off - https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/group-coaching/

🎁 Your first 30-minute "Business Breakthrough Session" call with Alan is FREE. Designed to help you reverse-engineer success with clarity and confidence - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

_____________________

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, check out our website and socials using the links below. 👇

Website 💻  http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

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

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

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(1:56) Three books that shaped our growth
(2:19) Awareness Vs. Skill explained
(5:50) Why practice matters more than knowledge
(8:47) Taking natural talents for granted
(11:18) Build your future on strengths
(16:31) Skills, imposter syndrome, and growth
(18:15) 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

• 1:56 Three books that shaped our growth
• 2:19 Awareness Vs. Skill explained
• 5:50 Why practice matters more than knowledge
• 8:47 Taking natural talents for granted
• 11:18 Build your future on strengths
• 16:31 Skills, imposter syndrome, and growth
• 18:15 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) I would argue that up to 50% of the skills that I have that have led to my success, nobody would ever know I had to begin with.

Alan Lazaros

(0:11) There are skills, there are sub-skills, there are meta-skills, there's a skill gap between the success you want and where you are now. (0:19) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:22) 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

(0:33) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:40) 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

(0:55) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:02) Welcome to Next Level University. (1:08) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,205, The Hidden Skills of Success. (1:14) I did an episode today on Podcast Growth University.(1:18) Nice. (1:18) And it was three books every podcaster needs to learn, needs to read. (1:23) None of them were books about speaking, clearly, but none of them were about podcasting.(1:29) They were about business, they were about sales, and they were about habits. (1:32) And I think those are the hidden skills that have made us successful that go well beyond what happens when we are on the mics here. (1:39) Whoa, whoa, whoa.(1:39) Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. (1:41) What are the three books, man? (1:42) Oh, you want to know?(1:44) For sure. (1:45) Episode drops tomorrow at noon, motherfucker.

Alan Lazaros

(1:47) Yeah, right. (1:48) No, real talk. (1:49) What are the books?

Kevin Palmieri

(1:49) Real talk. (1:50) To noon o'clock, Eastern Time, tomorrow.

Alan Lazaros

(1:53) You know I'm not doing that.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:56) Atomic Habits. (1:57) Nice, nice.

Alan Lazaros

(1:58) Nice.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:00) Influence by Robert Cialdini. (2:01) Yeah, world-class.

Alan Lazaros

(2:02) Yeah, world-class.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:03) And then Business Made Simple by Donald Miller. (2:05) Nice.

Alan Lazaros

(2:06) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:06) I feel like those three encapsulate a lot. (2:10) A lot. (2:10) A lot.(2:11) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(2:13) Skills, sub-skills, meta-skills. (2:15) I'm just saying words. (2:16) That's how you define what those are.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:18) Yeah, that's how you know what's happening.

Alan Lazaros

(2:19) First question. (2:20) What is the difference between a skill and an awareness?

Kevin Palmieri

(2:26) It's a great question. (2:27) An awareness is something you have. (2:30) A skill is something you practice.(2:33) Whenever we talk about professional development, you get all weird. (2:37) It's not my jam. (2:38) Why?(2:39) It is your jam. (2:40) I worked at a gas station.

Alan Lazaros

(2:42) This is a goddamn success podcast.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:43) And then I cleaned bathrooms at a hospital overnight.

Alan Lazaros

(2:46) And then I did tiling. (2:46) Get over it. (2:47) Sorry, I'm being ugly.(2:49) Get over it now. (2:50) You're a successful man now. (2:52) When are we going to upgrade your fucking identity here?

Kevin Palmieri

(2:54) I think it is, but I think I usually punt to you because I feel like you know more. (2:58) Well, I would say that's accurate. (3:00) So I try to punt to you.

Alan Lazaros

(3:01) No, I appreciate it.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:02) When we do episodes on stuff that I feel like I am... (3:06) I feel like one, you're more passionate about it and you talk about it more. (3:12) Dude, when I'm on podcasts, I talk about the deep inner shit all the time.

Alan Lazaros

(3:15) But I also think you're more passionate about success principles than you let on.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:20) Fair. (3:21) I think I'm afraid. (3:23) I think I'm afraid you're going to judge my answers.

Alan Lazaros

(3:27) Oh. (3:28) Oh my God. (3:29) Are we having a vulnerable conversation live?

Kevin Palmieri

(3:31) How does that feel? (3:32) Throw it at me. (3:32) I probably will.(3:33) I know, I know. (3:34) But I will judge them fairly. (3:36) But you will judge them and I will be wrong more than I'm right probably in the percentage.(3:42) That's okay. (3:42) That's how we have a healthy dialogue. (3:44) It's okay.

Alan Lazaros

(3:44) I want to... (3:44) What was the question? (3:45) I'll answer it.(3:46) Okay, here we go. (3:47) What's the difference in awareness and skills? (3:48) You were answering it in your defense before I interrupted you.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:50) Yeah, I think an awareness is... (3:53) Awareness is a deeper understanding. (3:55) A skill is something you practice with an idea of an outcome.(4:00) Awareness is great. (4:02) And it's only as powerful as the skill that you attach to it. (4:07) What is yours?(4:10) Good luck following that up. (4:11) I'm fair.

Alan Lazaros

(4:11) Yeah, good luck following that up. (4:13) This is fun. (4:16) I am fairly judging your answer.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:18) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(4:21) A skill is something that you practice, is what you said, yeah? (4:25) But it has to be implemented with the physical body. (4:31) Let me explain.(4:33) Speaking, you can't master speaking by reading a fucking book. (4:38) So it has to be practiced. (4:39) It has to be practiced with the physical body.(4:42) Like, what's a good example? (4:43) That's something that you do.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:44) Something you do is suggesting you're practicing.

Alan Lazaros

(4:46) I'm not saying you didn't crush it. (4:47) That's not what I was saying. (4:48) Okay.(4:48) But what I do want to make sure lands here for this episode about skills. (4:53) This is one of the things that I think. (4:56) I think the personal development industry does a really shitty job of making it clear, not only the difference between awareness and skills, because you can easily read a book and be like, oh, hell yeah.(5:08) So I read an investment book and I was like, okay, yeah, I'm going to do that. (5:12) And I did. (5:12) I went and did it.(5:13) But then I was like, wait a minute. (5:15) What are the skills and sub skills underneath that? (5:19) I had a friend of mine back in corporate.(5:21) And he's like, wow, you make it sound real easy, man. (5:24) And honestly, it was really easy for me. (5:27) And I know that sounds arrogant, but I have a bunch of math skills that I've developed over years and years and years.(5:33) You can't succeed in engineering school without them. (5:36) You will die in engineering school without them. (5:39) Like a lot of people drop out of engineering because they suck at math.(5:41) Seriously. (5:42) That's like a thing. (5:44) So of course, finance is going to come easy to me.(5:47) It's just math. (5:50) And I think that we do people a disservice when we talk about success and goal achievement, and we don't talk about skills. (5:59) And one of the skills that you have, for example, is effective communication.(6:04) Not on this episode. (6:05) No, no, but you do. (6:06) Okay.(6:07) Yeah, but you do. (6:10) No one would necessarily connect that. (6:12) So I was thinking about someone earlier.(6:14) You and I talked about it off air. (6:16) There was someone who came to me. (6:16) He's like, I'm going to start a podcast.(6:18) And I didn't have the courage to say this at the time, but he's a terrible communicator. (6:24) Not good. (6:25) He's jacked out of his mind.(6:26) He's really good at a lot of stuff. (6:28) He's very smart, but he's not a strong communicator at all. (6:31) He had a really hefty stutter.(6:34) And if I could go back in time, I would say, why do you want to be a podcaster? (6:37) And isn't it a little arrogant to think that you're going to be a great podcaster? (6:42) Because he thought he would crush it.(6:45) And I didn't have the courage, nor maybe the awareness to realize how many skills I had that he didn't.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:50) Or that you have that he didn't. (6:52) I think that's why it's so hard. (6:53) Because so many of the hidden skills are hidden because we don't know that we're...(6:57) They just come natural. (6:58) I know. (6:59) They just come natural to you.(7:01) So it's only when you start working with somebody else who... (7:04) And then you start realizing like, oh, you can't do that. (7:08) It doesn't...(7:08) That doesn't come... (7:09) And again, everybody has this. (7:11) They have their own version of this.(7:12) But I think you and I are at a very blessed, privileged is a better word, in my opinion, place because we get to do this. (7:22) And we have made our entire lives around this stuff.

Alan Lazaros

(7:25) You know what I was thinking about? (7:26) And again, this is going to come off arrogant to some people. (7:29) And I don't mean it that way.(7:31) So please understand that in advance. (7:37) I was thinking about this recently. (7:38) I don't think about stuff like this enough.(7:41) There was someone on our team. (7:42) Shout out to you. (7:43) You're listening.(7:43) I know you are. (7:44) Who said, I don't get how you guys do it. (7:47) And I'm like, what do you mean?(7:48) She's like, you jump on the microphone. (7:51) You and Kevin pick a topic. (7:53) Lights, camera, go.(7:55) And you guys crush it every time. (7:58) And I was sitting there thinking to myself like, yeah. (8:02) Like, what do you fucking do?(8:05) Seriously, I'm not joking. (8:06) Dude, whatever, right? (8:08) Do you think that's awesome?(8:09) Yes. (8:11) I think we take our gifts for granted. (8:15) I do.(8:16) I don't mean to. (8:18) I don't. (8:18) That is not even on my radar.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:20) Because I don't think you're seeing other people try to do the same thing you're doing. (8:23) Don't mean raw videos I've seen from people before they get edited.

Alan Lazaros

(8:27) Brother. (8:27) So many. (8:29) This is something I never think about.(8:31) I did earlier. (8:33) I was like, is there anyone else on our team who could do that? (8:36) And my answer was like, not only no, it was like, absolutely not.(8:41) And dude, it's not like just because of 2200 episodes. (8:43) We used to do that too. (8:45) We did that from the very beginning.(8:47) Now, a lot of it was garbage. (8:48) But for the listeners, I hope that you think about what comes naturally to you. (8:59) Because I think communication doesn't fucking come naturally to me, but it kind of does compared to most people.(9:07) I think I'm a terrible communicator. (9:08) And behind the scenes, you've said no chance. (9:10) You're one of the best.(9:12) It's all relative. (9:14) It's what it depends what you compare to. (9:15) It's like.(9:16) I very rarely compare down very rarely. (9:20) I'm competing with Tony Robbins. (9:22) I'm I, I think James Clear, Darren Hardy.(9:26) I watch these communicators. (9:27) They're very strong. (9:28) Now again, I actually don't even think they're that good.(9:30) I mean, Tony's very good, but like. (9:33) I've been doing it a long time weird. (9:35) I live in this weird world where skills aren't talked about enough.(9:42) That's that's my thesis. (9:43) They're just not. (9:44) They're so unsung.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:46) What is what is talked about enough? (9:49) What's the difference between a skill and a habit? (9:51) Is this a habit, just a skill you practice regularly?

Alan Lazaros

(9:53) No, a habit is a thing you do. (9:55) A skill is something you can. (9:58) Improve and deploy to add value via a vehicle.(10:01) So coaching, training and podcasting are skills.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:05) They're also vehicles, obviously, but but at this point for you, they're all habits. (10:12) You do them every day.

Alan Lazaros

(10:14) Yeah, but I don't feel like that's a habit. (10:17) A habit is like brushing your teeth or doing, you know. (10:22) You're journaling Dreamliner like those kinds of things.(10:25) I don't feel like skills are a habit. (10:27) I think skills are developed through doing habits.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:31) A scale is like a craft that yeah, fucking craft. (10:35) So skill is skill is the amalgamation of all the practice you've had in that thing. (10:40) You can have a habit to paint every day.(10:42) It doesn't mean you're not going to be garbage, but well, just as an example, one of the best things I ever did for speaking is I did an Instagram story every single day for a year. (10:49) That was a habit and that helps me develop. (10:52) No, we should.(10:54) I feel like success and skills are super connected. (10:59) I agree. (11:00) I agree.(11:01) But I think for you, I think coaching is a. (11:04) The reason you've gotten so good at it is because you've done it. (11:07) Coaching, speaking, you've done it 12,000 times.(11:10) That is definitely part of it.

Alan Lazaros

(11:11) But I also feel like I've always been there. (11:15) Really that I feel like it's a natural inclination. (11:18) There's a book called Mastery by Robert Green.(11:21) I'm not a huge fan of that author personally. (11:24) Again, if Robert were ever to see this, it is what it is. (11:27) I the book is world class.(11:29) He's a very strong writer. (11:31) OK, I like the writing. (11:33) I don't like Robert.(11:34) OK, but the point is he talks about your natural inclinations and how you don't want to build your future on weaknesses. (11:43) And I wonder how often we talk, not just we as in on this podcast, although I think that we're taking a huge L there, too. (11:51) But I have clients who you you got to build your future based on what you're already naturally good at.(12:00) Like if you're not all, if you take 100 random people globally, I'm talking random people in a room. (12:04) You just show up on a random people. (12:06) If you're not top 20, don't even start a career there.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:11) You're so hard, though, because I didn't feel top. (12:14) You were, though, but I feel like you were. (12:17) So how does how does somebody know?

Alan Lazaros

(12:19) Yeah, you have to actually tell you logic, not emotion, because, you know, in hindsight, right? (12:23) You were top 20 out of 100 and now.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:26) But it I think it took me a while to figure that out. (12:30) Yeah. (12:31) And you you were like helping me figure that out.(12:34) But I don't know. (12:35) I don't know how long it would have taken me to figure it out by myself. (12:37) Have you ever struggled to communicate with other people?(12:43) Yeah, probably. (12:44) I'm sure I have. (12:46) I'm sure I have, man.(12:48) What do you mean? (12:49) When I get super emotional, it's hard to communicate effectively for sure. (12:54) Yeah, of course I have.(12:56) Of course I have. (12:58) 100 percent.

Alan Lazaros

(13:00) Yeah. (13:01) Where are you on the bell curve out of 100 random people? (13:04) Brother, you didn't know me when I was 22.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:09) You were all I knew you in fucking high school. (13:11) I didn't know you actually. (13:12) But I wasn't good at community.(13:13) I was fucking terrible. (13:14) You were far better communicator than I was in high school. (13:16) How do you know?(13:18) Because I know this game recognizes game and lack of game recognizes game even more. (13:23) I know. (13:24) How do you know?

Alan Lazaros

(13:26) Because you were better than me. (13:31) Based on what? (13:32) What are we even talking about?(13:33) You see my speeches?

Kevin Palmieri

(13:35) Yeah, I was in classes with. (13:36) Yeah, law class. (13:37) Yeah, you were far better communicator than I was for sure.(13:41) Well, then why didn't you fucking vote for me? (13:42) Because you didn't convince me. (13:45) No, because there's a difference between communicating and influence.(13:51) Those are two very, very different things in this case. (13:53) I think you were. (13:54) I will in this case in that in this joking case, I think you were better than I was for sure.

Alan Lazaros

(13:59) OK, I think I'm of all your skills. (14:02) Don't you think that's one of the stronger ones? (14:04) You were a rapper.(14:05) Words come easily. (14:06) You can name titles in an instant. (14:09) I'm telling you, man.(14:10) Think it's been exponential just because of how much I've done it. (14:13) Have the rap thing is something you were always funny. (14:16) You always had tons.(14:17) Like when you were around people, you always communicated effectively. (14:20) Everybody liked you. (14:22) Like, I feel like it was probably all you were popular.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:24) I know you say you weren't. (14:25) I do. (14:25) I was an introvert.(14:27) I don't think I was that good at communicating. (14:28) I was very introvert. (14:29) I think people just liked me because I.(14:32) I don't know. (14:33) I don't know why people liked me, honestly. (14:34) OK, let's do the opposite then.(14:36) Do you think you were bad at communicating? (14:40) I don't think I was above average. (14:42) No, I would say I was below average.(14:43) No chance. (14:45) I think so. (14:46) No exercise is something I've been above average since I started.(14:50) OK, the second I started exercising, it all made sense and everything makes sense to me. (14:55) All of it. (14:56) It all makes sense.(14:57) I can I can feel my body doing exercises right now. (14:59) I don't know how to explain it.

Alan Lazaros

(15:01) Nice. (15:02) There are certain things we got to go here in a second, but there's a book by Howard Gardner who talks about the multiple intelligences theory. (15:09) It's my theory is what it's called.(15:11) There's nine different types of intelligence. (15:13) One of them is kinesthetic. (15:14) So you're talking about the kinesthetic always came naturally.(15:18) All right. (15:19) All right.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:20) For me, it was my body.

Alan Lazaros

(15:21) It was that.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:22) Yeah, I could feel my body in space. (15:24) I know what it's going to do. (15:26) Whatever that that's what it is.(15:27) I like it. (15:28) I could do front flips and back flips and I could jump off walls into leaf piles and I could tuck and roll and I could do stuff that people that I knew could about relational intelligence. (15:36) That's one of the nine we're going to do.(15:38) Absolutely. (15:39) Yeah, we're gonna have to do part two. (15:40) It was hot.(15:40) It was hot shit. (15:42) Terrible. (15:42) When I was younger.(15:43) Absolutely atrocious. (15:45) You have you ever struggled to get along with people? (15:50) Oh, I thought you meant like intimate relationship.(15:52) No, I know you're bad at that.

Alan Lazaros

(15:54) That was hot garbage.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:54) That I know for sure. (15:56) Get all weird. (15:57) I think I think one of the reasons I got along with people is because I just kept my mouth shut.

Alan Lazaros

(16:02) I don't think it was because I never had trouble getting along with people. (16:04) True or false. (16:06) Except for people that you thought were toxic.(16:09) So I don't I don't know. (16:11) I gotta think about it more. (16:12) This is a perfect example in real time of someone who genuinely has no clue what it's like to struggle with these things.(16:18) It's like hilarious.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:20) I just don't have examples necessarily. (16:23) Okay, so that might my goal for part two. (16:25) My goal is to come with some examples because I think that'll be helpful.

Alan Lazaros

(16:31) And my thesis for this episode, because we obviously want to add value to the listeners, not just talk about ourselves here, is what are your skills that you might be taking for granted? (16:39) I totally take it for granted that I can just spreadsheet up a storm. (16:43) Like that is so fucking easy for me.(16:45) I've always thought in spreadsheets and graphs and that kind of stuff, but I never knew. (16:49) I have no idea what it's like not to have that.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:52) Right, right.

Alan Lazaros

(16:53) So you take it for granted. (16:54) You don't even mean to. (16:55) And that also means you're probably terrible at some other stuff.(16:58) And I think that strengths and weaknesses from the frame of skills. (17:03) How do you double down on your strengths? (17:06) And then how do you mitigate your weaknesses?(17:07) I mean, that is a big part of success.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:11) It's a massive part. (17:11) I actually have some questions about that. (17:13) I'm interviewing Alan on Business Growth University tomorrow.(17:16) I'm pretty excited about it. (17:17) I'm going to wear a full fucking suit. (17:18) I was told I was not dressed enough today, so we couldn't do it.(17:20) I'm going to wear a full suit.

Alan Lazaros

(17:21) By the way, I wouldn't have you interviewing me. (17:23) I literally said there's no one I'd rather have interview me. (17:26) Oh, I appreciate that.(17:27) Seriously, no one. (17:28) And it's like, and I said, you've earned that. (17:30) But one of the reasons is because that's a skill for you.(17:33) I don't just want anyone to interview me.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:35) It's fair. (17:36) I think a lot of for a lot of people on my end, you're where your greatest quote unquote skills are, is also where your greatest imposter syndrome lies.

Alan Lazaros

(17:46) Yeah. (17:46) Okay, we'll take it. (17:47) We'll think it was like a thing where you don't belong or whatever.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:51) What's like you? (17:52) What if you think I'm better than I am? (17:54) What if you think I'm better than I think I am?(17:56) And I'm right that it's all that. (17:58) I get stories for days on that. (18:00) All right, we're going to do that tomorrow.(18:02) Next Level Podcast Accelerator starts October 7th. (18:04) If you're looking for the hidden skills behind the scenes of success, Alan's coaching. (18:08) He still has slots available.(18:09) If you're looking for somebody to help you build the skills, the habits, the metrics, the awareness, all of that stuff. (18:14) We'll have the link in the show notes for that. (18:15) As always, we love you.(18:16) We appreciate you. (18:17) Grateful for each and every one of you. (18:18) And if you are as dedicated as you say you are to getting to the next level, make sure you tune in tomorrow because we will be here every single day to help you get there.(18:25) Keep reaching for your full potential.

Alan Lazaros

(18:27) Next Level Nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:30) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (18:34) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(18:36) We mean it when we say family. (18:38) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (18:42) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:45) Thank you again, and we will talk to you tomorrow.