1 Thing Everybody Should Do When They Level Up (2319)

Are you truly leveling up, or just moving faster without understanding who you are becoming?

In this episode, Kevin and Alan break down why real growth often feels disorienting and why reflection is a non-negotiable performance skill, not a soft habit. They challenge the belief that progress means leaving the past behind and explain how reassessing previous seasons builds grounded confidence, sharper self-awareness, and long-term consistency. Drawing from years of experience, recurring client patterns, and thousands of conversations, they show how clarity, identity alignment, and discipline are what allow growth to compound without burnout or entitlement.

Listen with intention. Then ask yourself if you are earning the next level, or simply arriving unprepared.

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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

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/

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Show notes:
(1:17) Reassessing past levels to move forward
(5:52) Reflection as a performance discipline
(12:13) Self-awareness creates behavioral accuracy
(18:24) Analyzing your past to lead effectively
(27:09) Earning your position every day
(31:49) Belief in human potential without entitlement
(35:54) Proof of progress through reflection
(37:39) 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

• 1:17 Reassessing past levels to move forward
• 5:52 Reflection as a performance discipline
• 12:13 Self-awareness creates behavioral accuracy
• 18:24 Analyzing your past to lead effectively
• 27:09 Earning your position every day
• 31:49 Belief in human potential without entitlement
• 35:54 Proof of progress through reflection
• 37:39 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) I have been going through it lately, and if you've been listening to this podcast, going through it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is this weird reflective place where nothing makes sense and also everything makes sense at the same time. (0:13) We're going to talk about that today.

Alan Lazaros

(0:14) Every time you get to the next level, we believe you should reassess the previous levels, which will be the Mario Kart booster to the next one.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:24) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:27) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:28) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.(0:32) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:38) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:45) We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits, and defining your own unique version of success.

Alan Lazaros

(1:00) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:07) Welcome to Next Level University. (1:13) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,319. (1:17) One thing everybody should do when they level up.(1:21) I went back through, I was cleaning up my Google Drive today, and I found my resume. (1:29) I don't know what year this was. (1:31) Should I pull it up?(1:32) Should I pull up this? (1:33) You can pull it up. (1:34) Yeah.(1:35) Throw this in here. (1:36) Because I had up until... (1:38) Do we want to throw this thing on YouTube?(1:41) No. (1:41) Send it to the team? (1:42) No, because it has my phone number and previous address on there, so probably not.(1:46) I don't live there anymore, so if you want to go there, you can, but I respect the anonymity.

Alan Lazaros

(1:51) Kevin Palmieri. (1:52) That's me. (1:54) Objective, to obtain a position that will enable me to use my hard work ethic, reliability, personality, friendliness, and communication skills to add to any work environment.(2:09) Any environment. (2:11) Doesn't matter.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:13) It's a bit of a wide net. (2:15) Extracurricular activities. (2:16) Shit, this is a bad one.(2:18) The spacing is brutal. (2:19) No, the formatting is worse than you could possibly imagine on this. (2:23) This is...(2:24) Yeah, so the formatting's tough.

Alan Lazaros

(2:26) I am trained in the martial arts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. (2:31) True. (2:32) Comma where you definitely don't need one, brother.(2:34) No period. (2:35) No period. (2:36) I am an avid fisherman.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:39) That's Alan's favorite.

Alan Lazaros

(2:41) And I enjoy exercising and do so daily.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:44) And I do so daily, yep.

Alan Lazaros

(2:45) It also says, I am the man. (2:48) Yes, please hire me. (2:49) It doesn't say that.(2:50) The other three aren't real though.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:51) Yes, it's bad. (2:53) I mean, again, I wouldn't hire me, so I understand why I didn't get hired, but I was telling Alan, it's very interesting because now I can look back and I have told my story a thousand times about how I worked at the gas station and I did this and I did this and I did this. (3:07) But if you said, what years did you work from this job?(3:11) What years did you work this job from till you left? (3:13) I don't know because I never, I've just told my story so many times, but I don't know the years necessarily. (3:20) And I don't know.(3:22) It's just, we had a really good year and I'm moving and things are going really well and new level, baby. (3:31) Everything is at a new level, which is awesome. (3:33) And I'm working with amazing new clients that are at a new level.(3:36) No disrespect to any clients listening, but it's just members, new team members. (3:42) It's just, it's different when you have a client that says, yeah, I'll fly you out so you can help me with something. (3:46) It's just, that's just different.(3:47) That's a different, I didn't know that was going to happen. (3:50) New level. (3:51) But as you've heard me say a million times, and I just, I think it's worth reiterating.(3:56) Every time I get to a new level, I look back all the way to where this started and long before this started. (4:03) And I think there is something to that. (4:05) I think one, it creates a lot of gratitude.(4:08) Two, it most likely will help you build self-belief because in, at the time it was bad, right? (4:19) At the time when I was pumping gas, I was like, this is bad, but it's compared to what though compared to what I'm imagining compared to what I've experienced compared to what I'm imagining other people are experiencing compared to your peers, compared to my peers, they're all in college.

Alan Lazaros

(4:35) That's usually what people are doing.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:36) Yeah. (4:37) But none of them were successful. (4:38) I didn't have any successful friends.(4:39) Like they were all in college, just getting blackout drunk and sleeping around. (4:42) Now that sounds awesome, right? (4:45) That sounded awesome at the time.(4:46) And I wasn't doing that. (4:48) It's not all they were doing. (4:49) I hope most of them probably.(4:51) Okay. (4:52) Fair, fair assessment. (4:53) I didn't have the most.(4:54) Kevin and I weren't close friends back then. (4:56) We weren't close friends back then.

Alan Lazaros

(4:57) Not that I wasn't getting drunk.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:00) Yeah. (5:00) I was going to say, I mean, you would be in that bucket for sure. (5:04) I'm sure.

Alan Lazaros

(5:05) I did some drinking in my college days. (5:08) Yes, for sure.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:09) But at the time, yeah, I felt like, oh, I'm kind of screwed. (5:13) I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. (5:14) But now when I look back and it's like gas station, hospital, working overnights, cleaning floors and bathrooms, personal trainer, truck driver, forklift operator, fire department, like all of these things for a year before I bounced to the next thing.(5:31) Now I look back and it's like, holy shit, this is a miracle. (5:35) This is a Christmas miracle that this has worked out the way it has worked out. (5:39) But I always like to look back.(5:40) I don't know. (5:41) It keeps me grounded. (5:43) It keeps me grateful.(5:44) It helps build belief. (5:46) It re-engages to make sure the fire's still there. (5:51) That does a lot for me.(5:52) And I just think that maybe we have it easier because I can look back 200 episodes or 500 episodes or a thousand episodes or whatever. (5:59) But I think this is something that everybody should do. (6:01) I do look back.(6:03) If you're in a really good relationship right now, or you just got in a really good relationship, look at all the shitty ones that it took to get to this one. (6:09) I think that's like the best analogy for life is all the mud you have to crawl through in order to get to the place you want, but it's not, it doesn't matter if you don't recognize it. (6:19) I think the only way to really recognize it is to reflect.(6:22) So another episode about reflection, put a dollar in the jar.

Alan Lazaros

(6:27) I said this on a podcast I was on earlier. (6:29) I said every year, and more than that probably, but every year at least I try to re-watch the movie of my own life. (6:40) And I talked about a hard drive that I went through recently that Emilia needed to use.(6:44) And I went all the way back to 11 years ago, all my different iPhones, backups. (6:50) And it was fascinating to say the least. (6:53) The reason why I think everyone should do this is no matter what, you're going to have breakthroughs.(7:00) You're going to reprocess your past from a higher sense of awareness, which will then accelerate your awareness. (7:08) What's an example? (7:10) I need a tangible example of this.(7:14) Okay. (7:15) Courtney and I, we lived together when I was 26 and we had a little bunny named Oliver. (7:24) I used to call him Ollie Buns.(7:26) And he was so cute. (7:28) And I saw some pictures of little Oliver. (7:31) And I was like, oh my goodness, I forgot we had a bunny.(7:35) And again, that's just a, I don't know if there's a lot of lessons in that one, but all the fitness competitions, all the fitness modeling, all the videos, all the Snapchats, all the texts and snaps that I sent to people and saved and that kind of thing. (7:56) You just realize, and this is the way that I like to articulate it. (8:02) I'm Alan version 3.7. And when Alan version 3.7 re-watches the movie of his own life, he's going to see things he never saw before. (8:13) He's going to think things he never thought before. (8:15) He's going to realize things he never realized before. (8:17) And you're going to have breakthroughs.(8:19) You're going to have so many distinctions and breakthroughs. (8:21) Why does that matter? (8:22) Why do distinctions and breakthroughs matter?

Kevin Palmieri

(8:27) I don't, I mean, I think it gives you context. (8:32) I think it makes things feel real. (8:34) It's, it helps you get accuracy on where you actually are.(8:37) Taryn and I had a conversation the other day and I said, I, I dated someone and Jesus, what a good person who had just a fucking terrible experience. (8:48) At one point we lived in a fucking trailer on her, her mom's boss's land behind his house in a fucking RV. (9:00) Like that's where she lived.(9:01) Now I lived with her for a while. (9:03) So that's where I lived too, but I could go home to mom and memes at that time. (9:08) And like thinking about that, the whole fucking situation was crazy.(9:15) The whole situation, it was fucking crazy to be a part of that situation. (9:20) And like that, I don't know, because I think so much of us run from or pretend we didn't go through a lot of shit to get to where we are because it's bad or it felt bad at the time. (9:31) And I'm not saying you should revisit all this stuff, especially if there's like traumatic stuff, but that was pretty fucking traumatic.(9:37) I have playfully referred to our, where we grew up as the boulevard of broken dreams. (9:43) I heard you say that many times and I've never once taken offense because I, that was my experience. (9:49) Yeah.(9:51) And what does that mean? (9:55) Can I add just real quick? (9:57) Yeah.(9:57) One of the reasons that story that I shared, I think is important is because this person had it worse than I did. (10:03) And they went on to be a very awesome, amazing human being who is successful, who has a, what seems like a wonderful family. (10:13) It's not.(10:14) And that's the thing is like reflection isn't about you always. (10:16) I was a part of that and I was a part of that story, but that story wasn't about me. (10:20) Isn't that just it?

Alan Lazaros

(10:21) Anyone can go. (10:22) And again, yeah, you can go either way.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:26) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(10:27) Everybody can go either way. (10:29) I think everyone can probably think of someone who maybe in high school or middle school or childhood, you didn't maybe second think, or didn't think much of. (10:40) And all of a sudden now as an adult, it's like, Whoa, they've really done something and made something of themselves.(10:46) And then I'm sure you can think of the opposite. (10:48) I'm thinking of someone in our hometown who could have gotten a free ride to any school, most athletic cross country runner in the history of our school. (10:56) And probably the whole state, to be honest, at the time he broke every record everywhere we went.(11:00) And I didn't, I was trying to get second or third, honestly, because this dude was unreal. (11:08) Like should have been in the Olympics, probably built different, built different. (11:12) It was wild.(11:13) But he, and again, I don't know where he is now, but I remember thinking like that sucks. (11:19) He got into drugs and got hanging around the wrong people. (11:23) And again, I don't know where this person is now.(11:26) Maybe he's flourishing. (11:27) I really don't know, but I do know. (11:28) I remember being sad.(11:30) I remember in my twenties, when things were taken off in my career, I wrote a letter to Christine Pryor, my teacher, my AP Calc teacher. (11:38) And she read it in front of the class and cried. (11:42) She sent me an email back and I cried while writing this for sure.(11:45) Cause she was there for me during my hardest time. (11:50) And she took me to WPI, to the math competitions and exposed me to a whole new world that was outside of the boulevard of broken dreams. (11:59) And you look back and you realize more about who you are and what you are.(12:04) And there's no way you're going to look back and not have new distinctions and breakthroughs. (12:10) So I asked you, why did distinctions and breakthroughs matter? (12:13) Because they get you to see yourself, others in the world more accurately.(12:15) And that matters a lot. (12:18) It matters a lot because something as simple as, okay, I grew up around a lot of alcohol. (12:28) I was used to alcohol being around.(12:31) So now I have a proclivity to drink more. (12:33) Something as simple as that. (12:34) And that's not necessarily mine.(12:35) That was hypothetical, even though that was mine. (12:37) But those little distinctions, dude, you and I do this for a living, 2,300 episodes. (12:44) So we're back in the hyperconscious days, change the way you think, change the way you act, change the way you live back in the conversations, change lives.(12:50) These conversations were new and a lot of people weren't having conversations like this. (12:57) We have 2,300 plus episodes talking about meaningful things, saying things that matter to people who care. (13:03) And these distinctions matter a lot.(13:05) I know a lot of people who have very low self-awareness. (13:09) It's like, I can think of one of my friends. (13:10) It's like, you're super fearful and you're very cowardly, but you don't want to admit it.(13:15) And until you admit it, you're not going to work on it. (13:17) And by the way, I don't blame you. (13:18) Your dad kind of injected a lot of fear into you.(13:21) A lot, all the time, right? (13:23) He always talked about why you shouldn't do things. (13:27) And I don't know, you need to kind of, I believe you should and need to, if you want to flourish, analyze the fuck out of your past.(13:37) Analyze it, understand it, figure it out. (13:41) You got to, you got to read the books you used to read, watch the movies you used to watch and then reassess them. (13:49) I did that.(13:50) I watched Austin Powers again. (13:51) I watched American Pie again, not because I liked the movies, but I watched The Rundown again. (13:56) I needed to see it as an adult.(13:59) I needed to see what I think of it now. (14:03) The Rundown is way more violent than I thought. (14:06) I used to think that was nothing.(14:07) And you know what else we watched? (14:08) We watched Hannibal. (14:11) You ever see those movies?

Kevin Palmieri

(14:13) I think I saw Hannibal. (14:15) I don't think I ever saw The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragons, the one after, I think. (14:18) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(14:19) Yeah. (14:19) So Hannibal, dude, I saw when I was too young for sure. (14:24) And I watched it with Emilia a couple of years ago and I was like, oh shit.(14:30) I was watching that when I was fucking nine or something, like too young. (14:34) You remember this? (14:35) And again, spoiler alert, no one cares.(14:37) There's a scene where he eats the dude's brain. (14:40) I mean, this is a fucking... (14:42) I was like, why was I watching that?(14:44) And why was that okay? (14:46) Right. (14:46) And again, at the end of the day, if you're going to be a parent, you got to reassess your own childhood, figure out what was good, keep it, improve on it, figure out what wasn't so good.(14:55) Maybe make some changes. (14:58) Definitely make some changes. (14:59) But yeah, the only wrong answer is not explore, dude.(15:03) Because you and I are going to do an episode on this, but do you understand why you think the way you think? (15:12) Do you understand why you made the decisions you made? (15:15) Do you understand who was influencing you and what you were...(15:18) Do you understand what's driving you, significance or growth or contribution or validation? (15:24) Do you understand why you are the way you are? (15:30) Is it genetics?(15:31) Is it nurture? (15:32) Is it your upbringing? (15:33) Is it something that happened when you were a kid?(15:37) I can't imagine a world where you don't think about this stuff.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:45) I can, because I did. (15:46) And that's why I think it's so important. (15:49) I mean, I don't know if I...(15:52) I feel like most of the things that happened were just circumstance and then reaction. (15:56) Circumstance, then reaction. (15:58) And then eventually you just get backed into a corner where you owe certain amounts of money towards things and you have to stay stuck in there until you pay those things off.(16:07) But you're so miserable that you buy more things that you have to pay off so you get stuck for longer and you just dig this deeper hole. (16:15) And then you don't know why. (16:16) You don't know why you do that or why you did that.(16:20) And I just, yeah, I don't know. (16:21) This is like favorite thing in the world ever probably to talk about. (16:24) Just because I think maybe it's because you and I have such a very unique experience with it.(16:30) Because we've been doing this a long time and we literally talk about... (16:33) Every time I'm on a podcast, I talk about my past. (16:37) That's what people want to talk about.(16:38) They want to talk about where you came from to get to where you are.

Alan Lazaros

(16:40) They do very often.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:41) Yeah, I did earlier today. (16:42) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(16:42) Went deep into it. (16:44) Yeah. (16:44) Very, like deeper than I wanted.(16:48) And you remember the first time you ever told your story?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:52) I literally found... (16:53) One of the first podcasts I ever went on, I don't know why, I have no fucking clue, was Anthony Truck's.

Alan Lazaros

(17:00) He texted me.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:00) I remember I found a text recently somewhere. (17:02) I don't know where it was. (17:03) Nice.(17:03) And it was like, hey brother, hope you're doing well. (17:05) You want to come on the podcast? (17:07) What was it?(17:07) The shift podcast? (17:09) No, it was Own Your Shift. (17:11) Own Your Shift.(17:11) I think that was the name of his podcast. (17:13) Own Your Shift. (17:13) Like Own Your Shit, but Own Your Shift.(17:15) But I don't remember. (17:17) No, I don't remember the first time.

Alan Lazaros

(17:23) I remember when I first started doing the story. (17:25) And I recommend everyone does this. (17:27) You can look this up.(17:28) Look up Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey. (17:33) Google it. (17:34) ChatGPT.(17:34) Whatever you use. (17:36) And it'll come up with a framework. (17:37) It's The Hero's Journey.(17:38) Victim, Villain, Hero, Guide. (17:40) It... (17:41) That's more sort of a framework that I kind of created.(17:46) But ultimately, it's old world and challenges and tribulations. (17:51) And there's a mentor. (17:52) Every movie, every freaking literature, every book is this sort of story of The Hero's Journey.(17:59) And you're the hero of your own story. (18:00) And that's why these movies move us. (18:03) Because we all have a villain we have to overcome, both in ourself, the ego, and someone outside of us.(18:10) We all have played the victim at times. (18:13) We're all the hero of our own story. (18:14) And we all have to eventually become the guide when we grow the fuck up.(18:18) And ultimately, you and I learned how to tell our story. (18:24) But in order to learn how to tell our story effectively, we had to go analyze it.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:28) That was super helpful. (18:30) It was super helpful. (18:32) You know, the other thing I was just thinking when you were saying this, so I sent Alan two screenshots today.(18:36) I said, potential opportunities for episodes. (18:38) Also, please contain your laughter when you look at my, mostly my resume, because you know about the other thing. (18:43) 2019, I made a, this is in quotations, spreadsheet of my income that year.(18:50) Oh yeah. (18:51) And I had four clients. (18:53) I got it open.(18:54) I had four clients and we did two speeches. (18:57) So somehow, I mean, this number was a lot higher than it should have been because we got paid, we got paid $2,000 or $5,000 for a speech. (19:04) 2,000.(19:05) 1,500. (19:06) 1,500. (19:07) Okay.(19:07) So we got paid $1,500 for a speech. (19:09) I made $7,250.

Alan Lazaros

(19:14) $275. (19:15) $7,275. (19:16) Grand total for 2019, $7,275.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:21) Here's why I think reflection is so important. (19:24) I didn't think I was going to make it at that point. (19:28) I thought that was the end.(19:29) There's no way I'm ever going to be successful. (19:32) I don't know if I'm even going to survive 2019.

Alan Lazaros

(19:37) One of the people on here for coaching clients is our COO. (19:40) Yes. (19:42) Chief operations officer.(19:43) Shout out to you, Christine. (19:44) I know you listen every day. (19:46) You were Kevin's client originally.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:48) Yeah. (19:49) One of my first clients. (19:50) I think I had four clients at that time.(19:52) But here's why reflection is so important. (19:54) It's not necessarily about that. (19:56) You get to look back on things that you never thought you were going to be able to overcome and a couple things maybe happen.(20:03) One, you realize it wasn't as big of a deal as you thought. (20:06) Two, you realize it was a way bigger deal than you thought. (20:09) Three, oh my goodness, I remember all the stuff I learned, whatever, like that.(20:14) All it is, is you look back and then you get new stuff and then you figure out the new stuff. (20:19) That's it. (20:20) Okay.(20:20) You didn't back then think you'd make it?

Alan Lazaros

(20:23) I didn't know.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:24) I didn't know what was going to happen.

Alan Lazaros

(20:28) Next time you feel that way, maybe you'll have a little extra. (20:34) A little extra something. (20:35) Because you said looking back, and here's the thing, what if you didn't?(20:43) What? (20:44) Make it?

Kevin Palmieri

(20:45) Yeah. (20:46) You'd be talking to yourself right now probably.

Alan Lazaros

(20:49) You and I are on different sides of the coin though, because when I look back, I feel like, when I look back, I realize I believed in myself a lot.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:06) When you look back, you don't feel that way? (21:09) When I look back, we talked about this today, I feel like I was just trying to survive. (21:14) I was so uncertain and so overwhelmed and in over my head so deep where it was like, I've just got to find a way to survive for me.(21:24) If nothing else comes out of this, I think a lot of us go look externally for motivation. (21:32) Look at the shit you've overcome. (21:33) That's great.(21:34) When I look back on that, I am so proud of that. (21:37) It's like, holy shit. (21:38) Same.

Alan Lazaros

(21:38) This has been a wild journey. (21:42) And what you're going through right now isn't that bad. (21:44) Well, at least for me.(21:46) That's a piece, for sure. (21:47) When I look back, it's like, oh, we're going to be fine. (21:51) The past was harder than the present for me, for sure.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:55) I don't disagree. (21:57) I just think it's...

Alan Lazaros

(21:59) No, I do. (22:00) ...harder in a different way.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:00) I'm more overwhelmed now than I was back then because I know more than I did, too. (22:07) Back then, the opportunity was very small. (22:11) The problems felt very big, but in the grand scheme of things, it was like, I don't think they were as big as I thought.(22:18) Just like in five years, the problems I have today probably aren't going to feel as big as I thought.

Alan Lazaros

(22:22) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:23) I think it's just that. (22:24) It's just... (22:24) But it's very hard to take yourself out of the moment unless you have another moment to jump to.(22:29) All right.

Alan Lazaros

(22:29) I want all the listeners to think about their past, but I want to ask this question and we'll get out of here. (22:34) Sure. (22:35) Because you and I have group coaching tonight.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:37) Yeah, shout out.

Alan Lazaros

(22:38) ShadowChef21, pod with purpose. (22:44) So, most surprising looking back at the last nine years, most surprising thing, and then the thing that never changed.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:57) Your old school question.

Alan Lazaros

(22:59) That was the one. (23:00) What was yours? (23:00) You used to ask, what do you want to accomplish before you die?

Kevin Palmieri

(23:02) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(23:03) Kevin and I, back in the hyperconscious days, every guest we ever interviewed, we asked those two questions, too. (23:08) Mine was, you change, you grow, you evolve. (23:10) I had a whole thing and some things never change.(23:15) What about you never changed? (23:16) That was my question. (23:17) Yours was, what do you want to accomplish before you die?(23:20) So, let's answer those. (23:22) Those or the other one?

Kevin Palmieri

(23:24) Those. (23:25) Oh, man. (23:30) What has never changed?(23:33) Yeah. (23:33) In the last nine years, a lot has changed. (23:35) What hasn't?(23:37) Every episode, I come on here and think about how we can help someone. (23:40) Every episode. (23:42) So, we had a plan and I literally said to Alan, I don't think we can do it because I don't think it'll be good for the audience.(23:47) That has never, I don't care. (23:49) We've turned down guests with millions of followers. (23:53) I don't fucking care.(23:55) It doesn't, whatever. (23:57) Yeah. (23:57) It's about the audience.(23:57) It's always been about the audience for me. (23:59) I don't care about learning from guests. (24:00) That's not why I have people on.(24:02) I literally, it's my job to know everything about the guests so I can get something new out for the audience.

Alan Lazaros

(24:09) Nice. (24:10) What about you? (24:11) What's the second one?(24:13) What is it? (24:14) What do you want to accomplish? (24:15) It's your question.(24:16) Your question. (24:17) What do you want to accomplish before you die? (24:20) Heavy question, huh?(24:21) Back in the day.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:22) I love heavy questions. (24:23) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (24:24) My goal, my goal, it started, my goal at one point was to have a net worth of $2 million.(24:30) I was like, fuck yeah. (24:31) That'll be cool. (24:32) My goal is to donate in some way, shape or form $10 million in my lifetime.(24:38) If I can do that, I will be a successful man. (24:43) That's my wealth goal. (24:45) Yeah.(24:45) If I don't do that, I will feel like a failure.

Alan Lazaros

(24:48) What would, whoa, nice.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:51) Not really, no.

Alan Lazaros

(24:52) It's not nice. (24:53) No, no, it's tough, but that's new. (24:55) What would a nine-year-old, nine-year-old, nine-year-ago Kev think of that?

Kevin Palmieri

(25:00) Hang on to that money. (25:03) You know what I mean? (25:04) Probably hang on to that money.(25:06) And, but what it will take of me in order to be able to do that is a very, I mean, there's a long way for me to evolve as a human being before that is even remotely, remotely possible.

Alan Lazaros

(25:19) How would you explain to Kev why you're doing it? (25:22) When he says hang on to that money, because he only made seven grand or whatever. (25:28) Well, nine years ago you made $0, so we'll call it zero, which is abject poverty in Massachusetts, by the way.(25:36) But what would you say to Kev to teach him why that's a good goal? (25:41) And why you would consider yourself a failure if you didn't. (25:44) How interesting, right?(25:45) That means you believe in yourself way more.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:47) I don't know if that's the case or not. (25:48) I just, I think that's what I'm here to do. (25:53) I don't even, like you and I have had conversations.(25:55) You want to teach somebody how to fish. (25:57) I just want to give them fish. (25:59) I'm not saying it's the right answer.(26:01) I don't, I'm not saying it's the right answer. (26:03) But like a dream, if I know so many amazing heart-driven podcasters, where if I could just swing in and be like, here's a thousand bucks a month. (26:13) Do whatever you, I don't care what you do with it.(26:15) I would, I hope you do something with your podcast because I want this to help your pod. (26:19) Or maybe it's more than, I don't know. (26:20) I don't know what the numbers are yet.(26:22) That, like, I don't, you know, I don't want a sponsorship. (26:25) I don't care if you say anything publicly. (26:27) You don't have to say this is sponsored.(26:29) Don't care. (26:29) Could give a shit less. (26:31) Just do something with it and be more successful and do the thing that you want to do.(26:36) Like, I want to give you the opportunity to do the thing that you want to do. (26:39) Because I would have killed for that in the beginning. (26:42) I would have killed for that.(26:43) Not really. (26:44) I would have longed for that. (26:46) I wouldn't have committed any violent crimes.(26:49) I don't know. (26:50) I don't know what I would say to Kev nine years ago. (26:52) Like you'll, you'll understand when you get there.(26:56) You'll understand when you get there. (26:57) Because that's why you started this in the first place. (26:59) How do you help him understand that he'll get there?

Alan Lazaros

(27:03) I don't know. (27:04) What's going to make the difference? (27:06) Tell him.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:09) Just show up. (27:12) Just show up every day. (27:15) Try to take some lesson out of every interaction you have.(27:20) And don't ever let your, like, don't ever forget that you're nothing in the grand scheme of things. (27:25) But you have to earn. (27:27) You don't just earn the position you're going for.(27:29) You earn the position you have forever. (27:31) Forever. (27:32) That.(27:33) You just earn the position you have. (27:35) And make sure that you keep earning it. (27:39) And learn every day.

Alan Lazaros

(27:40) And what would someone with inflated self-worth say to that? (27:44) They would say, what do you mean? (27:45) You're already worthy.(27:46) Well, yeah, you're, you're better than that. (27:48) Yeah, you're better than that. (27:49) I would say earn it every day.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:50) Aren't you currently worthy of all things? (27:52) You can politely do you and I'll do me and, and we'll see what happens. (27:56) I don't, we'll see what happens.(27:58) I would say, honestly, I would say you have work to do. (28:02) On that, but just like there's other people out there that will unfortunately get walked on way more than they should, because they're, they have work to do on the other end. (28:10) And I have work to do on both ends for sure.(28:12) I think I'm just more, I'm the most accurate I've ever, I've ever been. (28:18) That's a, that's been a big shift.

Alan Lazaros

(28:19) How is that any different than the quote of you can never own success. (28:22) The rent is due every day. (28:23) It's the same thing.(28:24) You never own success. (28:26) You never own health, wealth, or love. (28:28) You, the rent is due every day.(28:30) I think it's suddenly be like, Oh, all right. (28:33) I don't really feel like being a good husband anymore. (28:37) You know, that's how you get divorced.(28:39) Yeah. (28:41) And yeah, I don't know why anyone believes there's an arrival point.

Kevin Palmieri

(28:46) I think because we, that's what a lot of us want when we start. (28:51) I understand. (28:52) I'll always understand that.(28:54) I'll always understand that. (28:55) I wish people explained it. (28:57) I wish people explained it.(28:59) It feels really, it feels really good to imagine that I could just wake up one day and then everything would just be easy. (29:07) That.

Alan Lazaros

(29:09) You're in some serious trouble.

Kevin Palmieri

(29:10) Well, I know, but, but I, but I think that's what happens is, is people make it seem like when they're successful, it's like they won the lottery. (29:18) Like now I don't have to worry about anything. (29:20) But when in reality, in order to keep everything going, you of course, They're worrying all the time.

Alan Lazaros

(29:25) But nobody, nobody shares that part.

Kevin Palmieri

(29:27) Nobody shares that part.

Alan Lazaros

(29:28) Yeah. (29:30) Uh, all right. (29:30) So we got to get out of here.(29:34) What was the first one?

Kevin Palmieri

(29:36) Your question.

Alan Lazaros

(29:37) Oh, what never changed? (29:41) Believe in people's potential. (29:43) Now, I do think it has wavered at times because now I think I'm more conscious of, there's a big difference between what people could do and what they're willing to do.(30:00) I think that's been really fucking hard on me because I see potential everywhere. (30:05) I see potential everywhere. (30:07) I don't see the person now.(30:11) I see what they could be. (30:13) I see what, what could be. (30:14) I do.(30:14) I see it everywhere in myself, others all the time. (30:19) But the belief I've never given up the fight for people to reach their full potential. (30:26) That will never change.(30:28) I want to reach my full potential and I want to help others do the same. (30:31) That has, I told you Amelia last night, the night before we were talking about something and I said, I think I've spent my entire life. (30:38) Even before I knew I was doing this consciously, I spent my whole life.(30:41) I said, what percentage of your life have you spent trying to help other people be more successful? (30:45) She said, the whole thing. (30:46) I said, me too.(30:48) I said, do you think that's why we work? (30:50) She said, yeah, we spent our whole life trying to help people be more successful, dude. (30:55) Like genuinely, I can name at least seven people off the top of my head who I got a job.(31:01) For them and set them up for success. (31:03) Like I, I feel like that's what I was born to do. (31:06) And it's been fucking brutal to be completely honest because I didn't realize.(31:12) Lucious Seneca has a great quote. (31:14) He says, self-imposed servitude to thankless people. (31:18) Self-imposed servitude to thankless people, AKA you're fighting for people and they become entitled and they become, it's like, how did we go from you?(31:28) So grateful to even be my friend to now pissed at me that I'm not at your birthday. (31:32) Like that shifted really quick, huh? (31:35) And that entitlement piece bothers me.(31:37) But that's my answer is I believe in human potential, maybe more than any person I've ever met. (31:44) Emilia is right on the top of that list too. (31:47) And that is like what we do.(31:49) That's, that's who we are. (31:50) It's what we do. (31:51) It's what we live and fucking breathe every single day.(31:53) So that, what do I want to accomplish before I die? (31:58) Self-improvement, personal development, and personal growth is not ubiquitous. (32:02) It's not normal.(32:04) It's not common. (32:06) It is alarming to me that we didn't learn it in school. (32:08) It's not okay.(32:09) We didn't learn about goals. (32:10) We didn't learn about habits. (32:11) We didn't learn about courage, humility, and vulnerability.(32:13) We didn't learn about goal setting. (32:15) We didn't learn about metrics. (32:16) We didn't learn about the inner work, communication skills, leadership.(32:22) Where were these classes? (32:24) We didn't learn about conscientiousness. (32:27) We didn't learn about consciousness.(32:29) We didn't learn about awareness. (32:30) We didn't learn about mindset. (32:31) Where was the mindset class?(32:33) Mindset determines a huge part of your whole existence, but we're going to completely skip over it. (32:40) What do I want to accomplish before I die? (32:41) I want to fucking fix that.(32:43) That is a huge problem. (32:46) You have to know better to do better. (32:47) And I want to reach the people who want to know better, but they maybe didn't have the role models or the access to the education.(32:54) So I want education to be open source. (32:56) I want anyone on this planet to be able to listen to this for free and actually have a chance at living a great fucking life. (33:03) Because that's good for everyone.(33:04) That's not just good for them. (33:06) If they're a good person, it's good for everybody. (33:07) So I believe, I remember I was in the shopping, not mall, we were in a grocery store.(33:14) And one of my ex-friends, who was being a dingus in my opinion, and I said, I believe in open source knowledge. (33:23) And he said, that's dumb. (33:25) And I said, what do you mean?(33:27) I believe education should be free. (33:29) Everyone should have a chance. (33:32) Not everyone's going to use it.(33:34) Not everyone's going to put in the work, but I believe in open source knowledge. (33:37) I believe everyone should have access. (33:39) I don't care if you were born in a hut in a third world country or in the top economy on planet earth, you should have access to this podcast and you should have a chance.(33:51) Because if you're uneducated and you don't know anything, you don't have a chance. (33:54) I was watching a documentary recently. (33:57) There were some very uneducated individuals in this documentary.(34:00) You remember the Deepwater Horizon oil spill BP 2010? (34:03) We're watching a documentary. (34:04) It's called The Great Invisible.(34:06) Very depressing. (34:07) But it's in Louisiana and they're talking about some of the stuff that happened in Louisiana. (34:13) And some of these people, I'm like, oh my goodness.(34:15) They don't have the education necessary to succeed. (34:18) They just don't. (34:19) And some of them could and don't.(34:22) And some of them probably couldn't. (34:24) And the access isn't there. (34:25) So to me, I believe in that more than anyone maybe ever on planet earth.(34:30) Because I got financial aid and scholarships to go to one of the best engineering schools on planet earth. (34:34) And that changed my life. (34:37) Because growing up where I grew up, that got me out of really the boulevard of broken dreams.(34:42) Got me out of the boulevard of broken dreams. (34:44) And I met some people and I got into some companies and I had mentors and coaches. (34:51) And in hindsight, some of them were subpar.(34:54) But it was a lot better than what I grew up around. (34:56) So you need exposure. (34:58) And I hope that we can expose people to at least the opportunity.

Kevin Palmieri

(35:02) Well, next level university, the university piece. (35:05) Because we want to have an online campus at some point. (35:08) Yeah.(35:09) Right. (35:09) That's where that all like, here's your health building. (35:11) Here's your wealth building.(35:12) Here's your love building. (35:13) You can virtually go to it and there'll be classes. (35:15) And again, I don't know what the hell it's going to look like.(35:17) Well, you've been in the old metaverse. (35:18) So you know that. (35:19) I have been in the metaverse.(35:20) I'm a big experiencer of the metaverse. (35:25) Yeah. (35:25) I didn't want to come out.(35:26) Dangerous. (35:27) Meta fitness building? (35:28) Sure.(35:28) Well, I don't know. (35:29) You tell me. (35:30) I don't know what it's going to be.(35:31) It's going to be awesome. (35:32) Leadership. (35:33) I didn't want to leave the metaverse.(35:34) Personal development. (35:35) Really cool. (35:35) The metaverse was really cool.(35:37) Well, I'm excited, man.

Alan Lazaros

(35:39) I don't know if I am or not. (35:41) We have an app called Optimal. (35:43) It's not out yet.(35:45) It was out. (35:46) Beta tested it. (35:47) We put it back in the garage for a little bit.(35:49) Yeah, we put it back. (35:50) Working on it. (35:50) It'll come out again.(35:51) Habit tracking. (35:52) Metrics. (35:53) Oh, yeah.(35:53) Individuals, teams, and businesses optimized. (35:55) We're doing it.

Kevin Palmieri

(35:57) We are doing it. (35:58) Look, if you want to do it... (35:58) Find a way or make a way, man.

Alan Lazaros

(35:59) Good stuff.

Kevin Palmieri

(36:00) We're going to find a way, make a way, and then teach. (36:03) We're going to chart a path as well.

Alan Lazaros

(36:05) You'll give people fish. (36:06) I'll teach them how to fish. (36:07) Everybody's going to be successful.

Kevin Palmieri

(36:09) I love giving people fish.

Alan Lazaros

(36:11) I do. (36:12) I do. (36:13) That's always been the jam for me.(36:14) I love teaching people to fish. (36:16) Perfect. (36:17) Kevin's like, you can't teach them how to fish if they're starving on the boat.(36:21) That's what I'm saying. (36:22) Yeah, but after you give them fish, now you have to teach them how to fish too, so they're not dependent on you for fish. (36:26) Yeah, that's what you're for.(36:28) Well, we're a good team, man. (36:29) That's what you're for.

Kevin Palmieri

(36:30) I just want to be the person I needed. (36:32) That was the person I needed. (36:34) I had you already.(36:35) I didn't need somebody to teach me how to fish. (36:36) I needed somebody to give me fish, but you would never give me fish because you were teaching me how to fish. (36:40) You know it.(36:41) Now you're a self-sustaining leader. (36:44) But I can also give them a fish while I teach them how to fish.

Alan Lazaros

(36:47) Fair. (36:47) That's fair.

Kevin Palmieri

(36:48) That's my thought process. (36:49) You did almost starve on the boat, for sure.

Alan Lazaros

(36:51) Metaphor.

Kevin Palmieri

(36:51) It wasn't great. (36:53) It wasn't great. (36:54) And that is why reflection is so important because you realize how far you've come.(36:58) It might not feel like you've made any progress and it might never feel that way if you don't look to see how far you've actually journeyed. (37:05) So that is my rally cry for this episode. (37:07) Okay, if you need someone in your corner to teach you how to fish, Alan is the guy for that, for sure.(37:14) He's not going to give you any fish, but he will teach you how to fish. (37:18) And at the end of the day, that is way better because then you are in control of your life. (37:21) So reach out to Alan for coaching if you're looking for that.(37:24) And then we'll call out the website because we talked about it. (37:27) We don't have the university type buildings up, campus up yet, but nextleveluniverse.com has a lot of different stuff and it will continue to have stuff as we lean into that more and more. (37:38) So we'll have the link in the show notes for that below.(37:39) As always, we love you. (37:41) We appreciate you. (37:42) Grateful for each and every one of you.(37:43) 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

(37:50) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential. (37:53) Next Level Nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(37:55) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (37:59) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(38:01) We mean it when we say family. (38:04) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (38:07) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(38:10) Thank you again.

Kevin Palmieri

(38:11) And we will talk to you tomorrow.