Clarity Is Just The Start… (2308)

Progress requires precision, not hope. In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan expose why ambition without clarity leads to stalled results and wasted effort. This conversation centers on direction, standards, and the systems that turn work into measurable progress.

If you are busy but not advancing, this episode speaks directly to that gap. It challenges vague goals, loose execution, and the habit of reacting instead of leading. The focus is control, alignment, and long-term consistency. Remove the guesswork and start moving with intent instead of momentum.

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Learn more about:
Your first 30-minute “Business Breakthrough Session” call with Alan is FREE. This call is designed to help you identify bottlenecks and build a clear plan for your next level. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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Email:
Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

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

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Show notes:
(2:00) The danger of vague goals
(3:50) How clarity actually creates results
(6:06) Numbers as the foundation of certainty
(9:43) Why untracked progress creates victimhood
(16:01) The pilot metaphor for life direction
(22:07) Why success requires education and standards
(25:46) 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 The danger of vague goals
• 3:50 How clarity actually creates results
• 6:06 Numbers as the foundation of certainty
• 9:43 Why untracked progress creates victimhood
• 16:01 The pilot metaphor for life direction
• 22:07 Why success requires education and standards
• 25:46 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) You would think if you owned a business that made close to a million dollars a year, you would probably have a very, very high level of clarity, but believe it or not, you can get lucky up until that point. (0:12) Clarity is where great decisions start. (0:17) Welcome to Next Level University.(0:20) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri.ieri. (0:22) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.arus. (0:25) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no-BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:31) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:38) 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

(0:54) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:00) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:06) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,300 and, oh my god, I'm out here jeffing in real time.time. (1:14) Uh, 2,308, not 2,307, which I was gonna say. (1:17) We're out here jeffing.fing.(1:19) Clarity is just the beginning. (1:20) Just the start. (1:22) It's just the price of entry for most of us.f us.(1:25) And here's my thought process on this episode.sode. (1:27) I'm delusionally tired, okay?okay? (1:29) I am cooked right now.(1:31) I am past go. (1:34) But, I did an in- Kevin's the traveling podcaster again.gain. (1:38) Yeah, I am the traveling podcaster.(1:40) I did an in-studio live production today of one of my clients talking to one of his mentees. (1:47) And it was very, very interesting for me to see somebody who has never been coached before get coaching live. (1:57) And I was like, this is gonna be interesting.(2:00) And one of the questions that was asked was, well, how much money do you want to make in your business this year? (2:06) And he said, just more, more than last year. (2:08) And he said, well, a dollar more is more.(2:10) We have to get, we have to be more specific. (2:12) Nice. (2:13) And it was just really, really, it was, it was, uh, it highlighted a lot.(2:18) Game show for coach-offs or something. (2:20) That would be really cool. (2:21) Man, I love coaching.(2:22) It highlighted a lot for me because this person is quote unquote successful. (2:27) I mean, they made their best year. (2:28) They made almost a million dollars.(2:29) That's, that's good for a business, strong freaking work.king work. (2:32) And this person has really no idea where they want to go. (2:36) What industry are they H-PAC?(2:37) Next. (2:37) Uh, they are in electric, electrical. (2:40) Yeah.(2:41) Electrician. (2:41) So it was, it was interesting for me to see that because again, I do think we are privileged with the level of clarity we have. (2:47) Much of that is, is due to you, but without clarity, you're just kind of hoping for better and hoping for better is a really good start, but you, you got to get specific.ific.(3:03) I think the best I do, I think the best example you have is if you, you say, well, imagine if Michael Phelps's coach just said, hop in and swim around.ound. (3:11) I think that's like the best example ever because there is no clarity.rity.

Alan Lazaros

(3:16) It's like, well, what do you, what do we do?e do? (3:17) Jump in the pool, just jump around, do whatever you want. (3:20) Michael's like backstroke, front stroke, butterfly.rfly.(3:24) You do a pencil dive. (3:26) If you love whatever you want.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:27) Dumb. (3:28) So there, there's a, I think when we talk about clarity, I think we assume you get clarity once and then it sticks forever.ever. (3:34) No, no, no.(3:35) The, the more next level, the more next level, the more clear you have to get because your options, your opportunities get wider, but your desires get very, very specific. (3:46) And I think that's an interesting place to live.live.

Alan Lazaros

(3:50) Yeah. (3:51) The point of all coaching calls is clarity. (3:54) Cause if you think about it, when you're on a coaching session, you don't actually do anything right.ing right.(3:58) All you do is get clarity. (4:01) So clarity leads to certainty. (4:02) Certainty leads to action.(4:04) Action leads to results. (4:07) And then you get a lack of clarity when you succeed or fail.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:12) When you, you need clarity to, you got to do the thing that you think you're clear on in order to realize how unclear you are. are. (4:19) And then you have to go back. (4:20) We were talking before this.(4:22) And so I've been staying at a hotel rather than commuting an hour each way for two days in a row for this client.ient. (4:29) Cause it just makes sense. (4:30) It just makes sense from a time, a time perspective.(4:33) And I was like, I don't, I get to like start bringing my fucking lunch or something because it's 70 bucks a day for food. for food. (4:41) And again, it doesn't have to be, you know, I, I have a very particular Mexican restaurant that I like.like. (4:45) They have great food and it gets, it gets me at least two meals, if not three.(4:53) So it is maybe, maybe I, I influenced you negatively on that because it is getting me, I'm, that's what I'm having for dinner tonight.dinner tonight. (5:02) I had that for dinner last night and I might be able to have that for lunch tomorrow too.

Alan Lazaros

(5:05) That's very different.rent.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:06) So that's three days.days.

Alan Lazaros

(5:07) That's very different.rent. (5:08) It's very different.rent.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:08) That's one third what you said, but I was literally like, dude, it's, it's costing.#x27;s costing. (5:12) I mean, it's going to cost us a lot of money every month.onth.

Alan Lazaros

(5:14) It's actually not that much.much. (5:15) So if you take 70 divided by three, that's what it's costing you.sting you. (5:18) What's that?that?(5:19) $23 and 33 cents. (5:21) Yeah. (5:21) And then it's not like when you're home and food is free.d is free.(5:24) So what it's costing you an extra 30 bucks, something like that.that. (5:28) Yeah. (5:29) That makes me feel better.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:30) Fuck it. (5:30) I don't have to pack a lunch anymore, but there's clarity.s clarity. (5:34) Excellent.

Alan Lazaros

(5:34) I'm glad we did this.this. (5:35) No, but I, and I think, and this is my point, I, I'm always thinking about the magic in the middle and what are we talking about?bout? (5:41) Clarity is what Kevin's talking about.bout.(5:43) And I said, nah, numbers. (5:45) Of course you did. (5:46) Because, because first of all, your story, he said, what are your KPIs?(5:53) Right?

Kevin Palmieri

(5:54) Yes. (5:54) At one point he said, what are the KPIs? (5:56) Yep.(5:56) And the gentleman, the gentleman wasn't sure.sure. (5:59) Yeah. (5:59) He said, I don't, I don't know what, what, what is KPI?at is KPI?(6:02) And the other guy said, key performance indicator. (6:04) He said, I don't really have any at this point.oint.

Alan Lazaros

(6:06) Yeah. (6:07) Well, that would be where you start. (6:10) Numbers provide tremendous clarity and certainty.(6:13) We just did it live. (6:14) Kevin spent $70 on DoorDash, but it got you three days of meals. (6:20) So that's 2333 or whatever per day. day.(6:23) That's actually exactly what it is.t is. (6:24) If it's 70, I know it was 67 or whatever.ever. (6:26) So I think 70 is a good number.(6:28) Okay. (6:29) So 70 divided by three, 23.33. Yeah. (6:33) Okay.(6:33) What is it normally? (6:34) You think, just give me a ballpark. (6:36) Let's imagine in real life we're actually coaching and he actually calculates it.ulates it.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:40) I mean, Taryn does the groceries. (6:41) It's probably whatever it is per month divided by 30.y 30.

Alan Lazaros

(6:47) Yeah. (6:47) But it's, it's, it's probably like seven bucks a meal.n bucks a meal. (6:51) Okay.(6:52) So 23 minus seven. (6:54) So you're looking at 18, seven, 16, 16, 16., 16. (7:00) Yeah.(7:00) 16. (7:01) So it's costing you $16 more per day when you travel.avel. (7:07) So that's way different than what you originally said, which is it's costing me 70 bucks every week.very week.(7:12) It's costing you an additional 16 bucks, three days.days.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:18) And then factor in, okay, well, how much is it? (7:19) How much does it take in terms of money to charge the car? (7:23) Cause I'd have to charge my car twice as much like there.here.(7:26) Yeah. (7:27) I mean, but that, none of that happens if you and I aren't focused on being very intelligent with money, which also is a clear goal.goal.

Alan Lazaros

(7:35) Yeah. (7:36) And a key, key PI, a KPI. (7:40) I was on with a client recently.(7:41) I know you're listening.ning. (7:42) Love it. (7:44) She was promised a certain percent raise 5% and I have her tracking everything end to end gross in cash on hand, what she's spending, where it's going, every fucking dollar.ng dollar.(8:03) And you need to know end to end your finances. (8:07) In my opinion, if you want to be really successful, you have to know like what's coming in, what's going out, what's staying, where it's going every day.7;s going every day. (8:16) I do this with all my clients.(8:17) So if anyone wants to pull their finances together and crush it in 2026, I've got you. you. (8:21) But anyways, so we pulled up one of our pay stubs and I say, which one's the gross?ross? (8:26) Because traditionally I will say this.(8:28) Most people only care about what goes into the bank account. (8:32) I've done this for years.ears. (8:33) Some people don't even know how much they make an hour.hour.(8:35) It's, it's mind blowing to me.ing to me. (8:36) I'm very numbers driven, so I can't even imagine that.gine that. (8:39) But at the end of the day, we looked at her pay stub and we found the gross number before anything gets taken before taxes, before health insurance, before everything.(8:51) Okay. (8:51) Boom. (8:52) There's the number.mber.(8:53) All right. (8:53) Well, this is what goes into my account versus that number. (8:55) Okay.(8:56) That's called top line income, top line income.come. (8:58) Here's what goes into your account.ount. (9:00) Here's what stays in your account at the end of the month after expenses.nses.(9:02) Awesome. (9:03) Everybody gets it. (9:04) But here's my point.oint.(9:06) She got a raise. (9:07) She's like, Oh shit, I got a raise.aise. (9:09) And I was like, awesome.(9:11) And I called her and I said, how long would it have taken for you to find that out without me coaching and pulling up a pay stub? (9:17) How? (9:17) And she's like, I would have known in like three days, Alan, don't worry.7;t worry.(9:20) I'm like, okay, we're good.7;re good. (9:21) Cause if it, if you weren't going to figure that out for the six months, we need to have a conversation.tion. (9:27) Okay.(9:29) Uh, that said, I said, let's calculate it.e it. (9:35) She's like, well, they said they'd give me 5%.ive me 5%. (9:36) I'm one of the top people at the company.pany.(9:38) And I was like, awesome. (9:40) Let's calculate it.e it. (9:41) Cause there's no way that's 5%.#x27;s 5%.(9:43) We calculate it. (9:44) 1%, 1.0. Oh no brother. (9:47) And here's the thing that pisses me off. off.(9:51) Yeah. (9:51) They would never have said anything, right? (9:54) Why would they?(9:55) And here's the thing.hing. (9:56) Who do you blame the company who didn't give her 5% or the person who didn't calculate it?culate it? (10:01) You blame both.(10:03) You blame the credit card company for being snakes. (10:05) Or do you blame the individual who doesn't know math?math? (10:08) You got to blame both.(10:09) And the truth is as a math person, it's like, listen, you got to know your numbers, baby.baby. (10:14) You got to know your numbers. (10:15) Success is a numbers game period.(10:18) There is no successful company that is really successful. (10:23) Obviously this person, right. (10:24) Who's really, really successful that don't like Netflix knows every metric.ry metric.(10:28) They know every single metric. (10:31) And, and at the end of the day, you don't need to know every metric, but you have to, you can't jump in the pool and swim around.im around. (10:36) You can't, you can't do it.7;t do it.(10:38) It's bad. bad. (10:39) You can't win a fitness show, jump in the pool and swim around.ound. (10:43) You need clarity and you need numbers to get clarity.(10:46) You really do. (10:46) And, um, I really hope everyone knows how much they get paid. (10:50) I hope everyone knows how much stays in the account.(10:52) I hope everyone knows where their money's going.oing. (10:54) I hope everyone knows the percent increase. (10:56) And she actually, uh, was able to calculate the percent it's old minus it's new.x27;s new.(11:03) No old minus new divided by old times a hundred. (11:05) You can look all this up. (11:07) Like if you don't know how to do it, just look it up.t up.(11:09) The only wrong answer is to not calculate.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:11) I do it backwards. (11:13) I think I do percentages backwards where I like multiply it. (11:15) I couldn't even, if you said like, Hey, I need you to like check your work.work.(11:20) No, I don't know how I can't check my work.k my work. (11:22) It just, I just do it. (11:26) So that person knows more than I do about that for sure.

Alan Lazaros

(11:28) How many people would have gone all year in 2026? (11:31) Just assuming it was 5%. (11:35) Oh, probably a good amount.(11:37) Yeah. (11:37) And I think that's, that's scary to me because that means people are not, why is it scary to me?ary to me? (11:45) Let me unpack it.(11:46) You basically are a victim of circumstance if you're not calculating.ting. (11:51) I don't think a lot of people track many things.ings.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:56) If you're out there right now. now. (11:58) And again, like I know you have eyes on this, but we're, we're a little bit guilty of this right now.right now. (12:03) Like you're not going through every credit card transaction.tion.(12:06) Yeah. (12:07) But I, I know. (12:08) Yeah.(12:08) I know. (12:08) Yeah. (12:09) But in like, just in fairness, like I know, you know, you know the number.(12:12) I know. (12:12) I know. (12:13) I understand.(12:13) But we could do better with that. (12:16) Of course. (12:16) And we should, but dude, we know the profit margin.

Alan Lazaros

(12:19) I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:20) I know. (12:20) Okay. (12:21) And I know, but I'm just saying the day I'm just saying a lot of people are in that position where they're, they're not going through checking it every day unless they're not, most people aren't doing it proactively.n't doing it proactively.(12:33) They're doing it reactively.vely. (12:34) Like what the fuck? (12:35) Where's my money go?y go?(12:37) Like, it's been going slowly for the last, you know, however long.long. (12:42) And again, I'm talking as much to myself.self.

Alan Lazaros

(12:43) I, I track everything now.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:47) Well, now I do, but I remember I always knew since, so the job I used to work where I made a good amount of money, I was working on what's called prevailing wage.wage. (12:57) So your boss does not decide what they're going to pay you. you. (13:01) When you sign up for a contract, it essentially says you, you must pay your workers this amount to ensure that everybody has a fair chance of getting that job.(13:09) Essentially. (13:10) You can't just come in and say, ah, okay, we'll do it for $8 an hour.8 an hour. (13:14) It's like, no, you have to pay everybody $50 an hour.hour.(13:16) That's the way this works.orks. (13:17) I knew before we even went to the job site, how much money we were making per hour, because I was obsessed with the money part of it, but I wasn't tracking my finances.nces. (13:26) I had no fucking clue where all the money was going.(13:30) And it was going, I mean, it was going quick.

Alan Lazaros

(13:34) So what would you say to you now, assuming you wanted to be more successful, right? (13:41) At the end of the day, you would have to sit you down and say, brother, this is what I would say.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:46) I know I had a moment last dude, honestly, I had a moment last night where I was like, I can't even fucking order food.food. (13:52) Like I'm that obsessed now with making sure I do the most optimal thing.hing. (13:56) I feel guilty about ordering the $70 Mexican food.(13:59) Also real quick story. (14:01) I'm looking on my DoorDash app. app. (14:04) Ah, they're coming.ming.(14:05) Here we go. (14:05) Let me throw on my sweatshirt. (14:07) Let me run down there.(14:07) I run down there. (14:08) There's two gentlemen with a giant bag of Mexican food.food. (14:12) Boom.(14:12) I walk up, I say, hey, I'm Kevin.evin. (14:14) And they just look at me and like, go, okay. (14:18) I'm like, that's mine.27;s mine.(14:19) I pointed the bag and said, that's mine.mine. (14:20) And then I showed him my DoorDash order and they're like, dude, we're checking in.ecking in. (14:24) I was like, oh my God, I'm an idiot.diot.(14:26) And then the nice young lady walked in with my food and said, Kevin? (14:29) I said, yeah, that's me.s me. (14:30) Okay.(14:30) The guy behind the counter who was amazing was, they were, everybody was laughing at me. (14:35) All three of them were just cracking up at me.

Alan Lazaros

(14:37) That's great.reat.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:37) Kevin's biggest fear right there.here. (14:39) No, it was good. (14:40) I was in a good place.(14:41) I know, I'm kidding.ding. (14:41) But I would say, I know it seems good to have the frolicky like, ah, don't worry about it.t it. (14:50) I don't have to track that.that.(14:52) Don't worry.orry. (14:52) I make enough, whatever it is. (14:54) Honestly, it does suck to track everything because you get a lot of awareness all the time and it does feel at times restricting, but does it not take restriction in order to create abundance eventually?(15:07) I think so. (15:08) Right? (15:09) So I'd rather be on the end of second guessing everything I do from a place of proactivity as opposed to getting to the place where it's like, I can't even, I can't afford this even if I want to.s even if I want to.(15:20) I think that's, you either do it as proactive effort or you do it as reactive effort.fort. (15:25) And as somebody who has had to do it as both, reactive sucks worse for sure.

Alan Lazaros

(15:30) Way worse. (15:31) Imagine you and I get on a plane, private plane, which will happen at some point. (15:36) Okay.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:37) It will. (15:37) Not me. (15:38) I'm going to have to vet this pilot.ilot.(15:40) Like, have you had anything to drink recently?

Alan Lazaros

(15:42) You and I, we head up to the front, getting a little turbulent. (15:44) So you head up to the front, you and me. (15:45) Okay.(15:45) Talk to the pilot. (15:47) And I have a client who is a pilot, so I'm going to assume it's a her in this case.this case.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:51) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(15:51) It's you if you're listening.listening. (15:54) And we say, hey, what's the, where are we heading?ding? (16:01) She's like, no idea.idea.(16:02) Wherever. (16:03) Yeah, wherever. (16:04) What's our altitude?tude?(16:06) No fucking clue. (16:07) What do you mean? (16:08) What is altitude?(16:10) How far are we from the ground? (16:12) You know, it's my nightmare.mare. (16:14) What angle are we heading in at?(16:16) Are we, I don't know enough about this.this. (16:18) Uh, no clue. (16:22) It would be alarming, right?(16:24) Okay. (16:25) I know this is a funny metaphor would be unplayable, but like, all right. (16:30) Be a dick for a second.(16:33) That's what I think when people are like, no idea with their life.life. (16:40) I literally I'm like, what, what?what? (16:43) I get that.(16:44) I'm extreme.reme. (16:44) I get that everything's by design.sign. (16:46) I get it.(16:46) I'm not a fun guy at a barbecue.ecue. (16:48) I know. (16:48) Okay.(16:49) Don't care.care. (16:51) If you're on a plane, you need to know the altitude.tude. (16:54) You need to know the direction, the angle.(16:56) You need to know the airspeed. (16:58) You need to know the weather. (16:59) You need to have instruments that measure all that.(17:01) And pilots who know how to read them, right? (17:03) For sure. (17:04) Can you imagine going up to that, that guy?(17:06) How old was that guy? (17:07) The mentee 40 mid forties, mid forties. (17:12) I would be like, brother, brother, where are you going to be when you're 55?e 55?(17:17) No clue. (17:19) Better than where I'm at now. now. (17:21) That it's just, it is, it's unintelligent.telligent.(17:24) I'm calling it out. out. (17:25) It's unintelligent.gent. (17:26) And I'm not saying that you're a bad person.ad person.(17:29) I'm just saying you're being unintelligent if you're winging it.;re winging it. (17:32) And that's like being in school, not knowing what your grade point average is.e is. (17:36) I had no fucking clue, baby brother.(17:38) That was dumb. (17:39) Don't care.care.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:40) Didn't need it.d it. (17:41) Not going to college, not going to college needed it for what for life. (17:46) So when somebody rolls up to me in the gas station says, Hey, what was your GPA?(17:48) I can say 3.7 mother, mother goose.

Alan Lazaros

(17:51) No, because the GPA is an indicator of your intelligence and education level. (17:57) Education matters, brother. (17:59) We've done this before.fore.(18:01) Take away all your awareness of podcasting. (18:03) You are now useless to that, to that team. (18:05) For sure.(18:06) Like we really do. (18:08) We, we don't, we don't talk about it enough.it enough. (18:11) We don't harp on it enough.ough.(18:12) Who was I with recently? (18:14) I was with someone recently. (18:16) I'll keep it anonymous where I was like, Oh, you're in trouble.n trouble.(18:19) You're in some trouble.uble. (18:20) You're like not educated enough to be successful.sful. (18:23) I'm not kidding.ding.(18:24) Like you just don't know enough.ough. (18:25) You can't like picture when you're old, when you're 10, everyone picture being 10.cture being 10. (18:30) All right.(18:31) Imagine a 10 year old running Apple. (18:34) No, I don't even know who's running Apple.ing Apple.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:36) Tim cook. (18:36) You do know? (18:37) No, I know.(18:37) But like, I don't know what the day to day looks like of that, but you know, they can't do it.7;t do it.

Alan Lazaros

(18:41) Right? (18:42) Of course. (18:42) Yes.(18:42) Of course. (18:43) Okay. (18:44) It's like, okay, now let's, let's do a less extreme example.xtreme example.(18:48) Let's imagine you've never played basketball before, you know, nothing about basketball, nothing about the angles, free throws, three pointers, no idea, team dynamics, coaching, offense, defense, you know, nothing., nothing. (18:58) Right. (18:59) You're in the NBA. NBA.(19:01) You would be laughed off the court for sure. (19:04) And I think that's a metaphor for like education is, is what underpins everything.hing. (19:08) You can't be uneducated and successful.sful.(19:12) Like, and I don't mean educated formally.ally. (19:14) Yeah. (19:15) Steve jobs dropped out of college that he was very educated as a human though.(19:19) He knows how the world works more than most. (19:23) And you can't build Apple if you don't.on't.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:25) And I think that's, I think that's a, that it always goes back to the goal and it goes back to the clarity around the goal. the goal. (19:31) And then as you get closer to it, you realize you're actually not getting closer to it.o it. (19:35) You are, but you don't, you, you're getting closer to what you need to know in order to unlock the next level and just rinse and repeat that.peat that.(19:42) A lot of what I'm getting right now with this client, a lot of it's like trial by fire.l by fire. (19:48) Not that I don't know what I'm doing, but the very specific things we're doing, I'm like learning kind of as we go in the, in the unique ways we're doing them.ys we're doing them. (19:57) So, but that this is all a bigger piece of one of the things I said a long time ago is I want to eventually have a piece of our business where we go to people's houses and we go to people's businesses and we build studios.d studios.(20:12) I want that. (20:13) Like, that's a thing I still aspire for. for. (20:15) Is that going to happen?(20:15) I don't, I don't know if it'll make sense, but that, that clarity, that goal is one of the reasons I'm doing this.I'm doing this. (20:23) I might not have even done this if it wasn't for that goal, because it's requiring way more of me than maybe a normal opportunity like this would.his would.

Alan Lazaros

(20:31) That goal is 100% doable. (20:33) You know how to do it. (20:34) You get a contractor, you know, you get the materials, you do a quote, like you've done all this.this.(20:40) It's not, it's not whether or not you hope it happens.t happens. (20:42) It's whether or not you make it happen because you're educated enough to, and here's the thing.27;s the thing. (20:47) What if you weren't educated enough to know that was possible?ible?(20:51) I mean, that was most of life, right? (20:54) I think education and understanding brings belief, but then belief brings goals, which then brings clarity. (21:00) Like, yeah, you don't start with clarity.rity.(21:03) No one does. (21:03) You, you, you're born into the world and you have no clue that there's a certain amount of countries.countries. (21:08) You have no idea the difference between them.(21:09) You don't know what the president is.t is. (21:11) You don't know, you don't know anything. anything. (21:12) You know, you don't know what government is.t is.(21:14) You don't know what philosophy is, you know?know? (21:16) And then you just go out into the world and you figure it out. (21:19) But I think that one thing that's been really hard for me is like, I'm very grateful to have had one of the best educations in the world.the world.(21:28) And I see people who don't, and I see how screwed they are. are. (21:31) And it makes me sad. (21:33) And that's why I always teach and I come off so preachy.achy.(21:36) I do. (21:37) It's because like, I think I care more about your education than I do about your opinion of me.f me. (21:44) And if you don't like me, you might not listen.sten.(21:45) So that's a problem.blem. (21:46) But at the end of the day, I don't give a shit about anything, but every listener getting smarter and better and stronger and more capable.able. (21:53) Like, I don't want you to come here and have fun. fun.(21:57) I really don't.27;t. (21:58) I don't care if you have fun at all. all. (21:59) If you have fun, great.(22:00) But you're here because you want to get to the next level and become more successful and more educated.ated. (22:07) The only reason why we're pointing at success is because that's the goal. the goal. (22:12) If you don't want to be more successful, you won't learn.7;t learn.(22:14) So we've decided to make it a success podcast so that you level up and you believe that you can get more successful if you learn.earn. (22:22) Because no one just learns to learn. (22:23) Emilia does.(22:24) She totally just learns to learn. (22:26) But very few people do. (22:27) So I realize, okay, you have to give people what they think they want in order to get them to do what they don't want.want.(22:32) Like you, dude, you didn't like books.ooks. (22:34) I remember you, I still don't.27;t.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:36) Alan was like, what did you listen? (22:37) It took me an hour and 20 minutes to get home. (22:39) He said, what'd you listen to?n to?(22:39) I said, sports talk radio. (22:41) I would straight up do that straight up.

Alan Lazaros

(22:43) 95 you wrong. (22:45) The sports hub, the different, let's have this conversation.tion. (22:48) And I know we got to get out of here.(22:50) I would never do that. (22:52) Why? (22:53) Like really, let's talk about it.t it.(22:54) Is that because I'm better than you? you? (22:56) No, it's because what if I know the downside of what you're listening to versus what I am?what I am?

Kevin Palmieri

(23:01) Like, that's very, for me, it was like, I am so far past go.t go. (23:05) I am not, honestly, I'm not going to do it.o it. (23:09) I had the moment of like, throw on, I'm not going to do it.o it.(23:12) I'm not listening to beyond entrepreneurship 2.0 in fucking Friday rush hour traffic.ffic. (23:18) I'm not going to do it.o it.

Alan Lazaros

(23:19) I'm not going to do it.o it.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:20) I'm not going to do it.o it. (23:21) And when Alan asks me, I'm going to tell him I didn't do it.7;t do it. (23:23) I didn't do it.o it.(23:24) It's okay.okay.

Alan Lazaros

(23:24) It's all good.good. (23:25) I don't want this to be me versus you. you. (23:26) You do realize you're doing that knowing it's going to make you less, that you're losing potential.sing potential.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:33) I'm doing that.that. (23:34) I don't think of it that way because I think I'm doing it knowing it's not going to get me as much as more.s much as more.

Alan Lazaros

(23:39) Yeah. (23:40) You will be less successful because of that decision. (23:42) And you do that knowing that, right?(23:43) Yes. (23:44) Yes. (23:44) And if you could talk to Kev buying everyone's shots all those years ago, like you'd probably say, brother, I'm not asking you not to be Kevin.ot to be Kevin.(23:51) I'm not asking you not to be generous, but have you considered your future and you know, where it's headed?;s headed?

Kevin Palmieri

(23:57) That, and I would say like, Kev, the only reason you're doing this is because it gets you significance.ance. (24:01) Like you want everybody to like you. (24:02) So you're using your money.oney.(24:03) Like there's a lot of other ways you could just befriend people.ople. (24:07) You don't have to do it with copious amounts of illicit substances.nces. (24:11) I guess alcohol is not illicit, but destructive for sure.(24:16) For sure. (24:17) I appreciate it, man. (24:18) Well, I, it's, it's always, I did my 30 minutes of learning today.ing today.(24:24) I did that. (24:25) I got that in. (24:26) And it was just like, I'm not, I'm not doing this right now.right now.

Alan Lazaros

(24:30) I understand. (24:31) Everyone has those. (24:32) I've had those moments.ents.(24:33) Okay. (24:33) I have, it's not like I only ever listen.sten.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:35) Last night I told you we recorded in the hotel room. (24:38) I was like, dude, I'm not going to work out right now. now. (24:40) Are you kidding me?

Alan Lazaros

(24:41) You did? (24:41) I did.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:41) I saw. (24:42) I had the pull. (24:43) I had, it was like Kev.(24:45) Best version of Kev would do that. (24:47) I didn't even ask that today.oday. (24:50) Maybe for, maybe for a maybe out of self-preservation.(24:53) I don't know.know. (24:53) But also I do think so. (24:55) I don't think, you know, how far past go I am right now. now.(24:57) And I'm sorry if you feel unseen, but at the end of the day, I'm advocating for best Kev. best Kev. (25:00) Always, always, always, always. (25:02) All right, cool.(25:03) If you're looking for the best version of you, Alan has coaching slots available.able. (25:06) And again, this is what you need. (25:08) We all need somebody in our corner who's saying, Hey, did you do the thing you said you were going to do?o do?(25:13) Because just like me in this example, I did get my 30 minutes of learning it as I do every day. (25:17) But if I had a coach, Alan doesn't do calls with me anymore because he's too busy for me.sy for me. (25:22) If I had a coach, he said, Hey brother, what the hell did you listen to on the ride home?(25:26) As Felger and Maz sports talk radio, you would kick my ass right as a coach. (25:30) That's, that's what we want.t we want. (25:32) We're looking for accountability.lity.(25:33) We're looking for knowledge.edge. (25:33) We're looking for somebody who wants us to win at times more than we want or believe we can win. win. (25:38) So Alan can do that for you.(25:39) If you're looking for a group of amazing humans who are also focused on getting to the next level, next level, the nation, our private Facebook group, the link will be in the show notes below.elow. (25:46) As always, we love you. (25:47) We appreciate you grateful for each and every one of you.(25:49) 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 be here every single day to help you get there.

Alan Lazaros

(25:56) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential. (25:58) Next level nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(26:00) Thanks for joining us for another episode of next level university. (26:04) We love connecting with the next level family.

Alan Lazaros

(26:07) We mean it when we say family. (26:09) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (26:12) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(26:15) Thank you again, and we will talk to you tomorrow.