Your Normal Is Not THE Normal (2336)

Stop accepting less than you’re capable of. In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan break down how lowered standards quietly become your normal and why comfort slowly erodes performance. They challenge distorted self-perception, weak discipline, and passive habits that limit long-term growth.

This conversation centers on self-awareness, personal responsibility, and identity-driven execution. It reinforces the importance of clear standards, consistent action, and ownership of results. Do not just listen. Raise your baseline and operate at the level you were built for.

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Learn more about:
Alan’s coaching, “Business Breakthrough Session.” Your first 30-minute call 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

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• Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
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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:
(3:35) Adapting to decline without noticing
(7:24) Gratitude, struggle, and responsibility
(9:16) Comparing yourself to your past
(11:09) Historical context and mental resilience
(13:47) Entitlement versus work ethic
(18:17) Locus of control and personal agency
(21:08) Effort as the path forward
(23:09) 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

• 3:35 Adapting to decline without noticing
• 7:24 Gratitude, struggle, and responsibility
• 9:16 Comparing yourself to your past
• 11:09 Historical context and mental resilience
• 13:47 Entitlement versus work ethic
• 18:17 Locus of control and personal agency
• 21:08 Effort as the path forward
• 23:09 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) I have said many dumb, unintelligent, naïve things in the past and most likely will continue into the future, but today's episode is based on one that I used to say a lot.

Alan Lazaros

(0:12) We are all in our own echo chamber of our own experience. (0:16) It's very hard to live in an objective reality when we have a subjective mindset.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:21) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:24) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:26) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.(0:29) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no-BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dreamchasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:36) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:42) 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

(0:58) Self-improvement, in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:04) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:10) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,336, Your Normal Is Not The Normal. (1:16) Back in the day, Alan, you know this about me, I used to do a lot of traveling for work and we worked various shifts and I lived in hotels for weeks at a time and over the course of a year, I spent 10 months living on the road every single week. (1:30) It was brutal.(1:32) And I was not getting much sleep. (1:35) Very, very little sleep. (1:36) And it got to the point where eventually, I convinced myself, I'm just one of those people that only needs like four hours or five hours or six hours of sleep and I'm good to go.(1:48) Then I became an entrepreneur and I started taking naps during the day. (1:53) I do not advise this early in entrepreneurship. (1:55) Yes, let me finish the story and you'll fully understand.(1:58) So then I became an entrepreneur and I would take naps in the middle of the day and I remember thinking like, oh my goodness, I feel so much better than I ever have. (2:11) But I got so used to a certain level of sleep that that became my normal quote unquote and I didn't know anything better and I didn't know anything different. (2:21) And this connects really nicely to the episode that we did on drifting.(2:26) Because you get a certain amount of sleep and then you get used to it and then you drift into like, oh I need less sleep because I feel fine and you don't ever really know what it's like to feel good again. (2:37) As weird and simple and sad as that sounds.

Alan Lazaros

(2:40) This is why it's so wild to see yourself in photos 10 years ago. (2:48) Because it's a good example of this. (2:53) Old movies is a good example of this.(2:54) You watch old movies and they're just not good. (2:59) The openings are so long. (3:01) Watch a movie from the 90s.(3:03) The openings are so long. (3:05) Now everyone would have left the theater by the time it gets to the first scene. (3:10) But that's the thing is it's hard to take yourself out of it and zoom out.(3:17) So the reason why we're doing this is I had a client send me an excerpt about a sleep study. (3:25) And Kev was actually guilty of this for lack of better phrasing.

Kevin Palmieri

(3:30) Let me find it. (3:30) That is the phrase for sure. (3:32) I practiced this.(3:34) We'll say that.

Alan Lazaros

(3:35) All right. (3:35) So in this study participants were restricted to four hours of sleep, six hours of sleep, and eight hours of sleep. (3:43) Three different groups for 14 consecutive days.(3:48) And what they found is that performance continued to degrade across all days but eventually the participants got used to being sleep deprived. (4:01) So they didn't know that they were less but they were performing worse. (4:07) But they felt like they were performing fine.(4:09) And I think that that's exactly what we're talking about here is your normal isn't normal. (4:18) Growing up, I grew up in a household that my stepdad and mom loved to party. (4:26) And it was so normal.(4:31) Drinking was so normalized. (4:34) And then all their friends would drink. (4:37) And everyone, it was so normal.(4:41) And then when you're 37, you look back and you're like, ah, that was wild. (4:48) Like why do you have an ice luge on a Tuesday? (4:51) You know?(4:53) And in high school, it was awesome. (4:56) But as an adult, it's like that was kind of reckless. (5:01) And I'm tempering my truth on a public medium here.(5:05) It was kind of reckless. (5:06) It was atrociously reckless. (5:08) And I think that, and maybe this is just me, I don't know.(5:11) But I talked to my mom recently about this. (5:14) I was like, why did we do that? (5:19) We had a pretty intense, deep conversation.(5:21) I do this in book club all the time. (5:23) Everyone think of your childhood. (5:27) In hindsight, what was not normal?(5:30) Okay. (5:31) The person I was talking about in the last episode, you're 13 years old. (5:34) You live in a 5,200 square foot house.(5:36) It might as well be a fucking castle. (5:38) That's not normal. (5:40) But it is to you.(5:42) Right? (5:43) Ceilings, they're super high. (5:45) Yeah.(5:46) But here's the thing. (5:47) You don't really know. (5:49) When you're a kid, you don't know anything else.(5:51) You have no clue. (5:53) And so what's a good example of this? (5:54) So let's say that home was a million dollars.(5:56) That's one in, if you think globally, people with house that size at 13 years old, that's got to be one in a million, if not one in 10 million, statistically. (6:09) That's why I love statistics. (6:10) That is it.(6:10) It's because you get to take yourself out of yourself. (6:13) Go watch Slumdog Millionaire. (6:15) Watch that fucking movie.(6:17) Try to feel bad about yourself after that. (6:20) I can't stand it, dude. (6:21) It pisses me off.(6:22) I'm so frustrated. (6:24) Everyone's poor me, poor me, poor me. (6:26) Go watch Slumdog Millionaire.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:29) I watched, what did I watch? (6:32) I think I told you about this. (6:33) I don't know if we talked about it.(6:34) I watched a very short YouTube documentary about, what's the capital? (6:38) Is it Mumbai? (6:40) I believe so.(6:42) I think it was based on that, but it was talking about how there is extremely wealthy parts of Mumbai where they're building high-rises. (6:50) And then there's the part where you have to take the train three hours to your job. (6:58) And the trains are like, there's three times more people on each train where you literally have to hang out of the train.(7:05) And people die every day. (7:07) Not like occasionally.

Alan Lazaros

(7:09) It's New Delhi, by the way.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:10) It's New Delhi. (7:10) I think, okay. (7:11) So what I think I watched was, I think it was on Mumbai.(7:14) Okay. (7:14) But every day people die on the train on their way to work. (7:18) It's just- Now try to feel bad for your life.(7:20) I still don't like that. (7:21) That doesn't vibe with me. (7:22) I still- Seriously?(7:23) No, no, no.

Alan Lazaros

(7:24) I know people are like, well, it's so invalidating. (7:26) Honestly, come on. (7:28) I understand.(7:30) I understand. (7:30) I don't. (7:31) It's not.(7:32) I think- Where's the gratitude at? (7:35) You're running water and food in your fridge. (7:37) Where's your fucking gratitude?(7:38) But you can have gratitude and struggle. (7:41) That's not- I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:41) I'm not saying that you don't struggle, but at least put your struggles in perspective. (7:45) That's fair. (7:45) That's fair.(7:46) But I'm just saying, I don't think looking at somebody else's struggles helps you get over. (7:53) I think the mindset shift of like, okay, I really have a lot to be grateful for. (7:57) A hundred percent.

Alan Lazaros

(7:58) Well, that's all I'm talking about.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:59) But that goes quick. (8:01) Why? (8:02) When you can't pay your bills, it goes quick.(8:04) You don't think about that. (8:05) But you should. (8:06) Necessarily.(8:07) You should. (8:08) Maybe, yeah. (8:09) But it doesn't solve it.(8:11) That's what I'm saying.

Alan Lazaros

(8:12) It doesn't solve the problem. (8:14) I mean, I think it's one ingredient to solving the problem. (8:17) Gratitude, for sure.(8:18) It's a good shift. (8:20) Yeah. (8:20) Yeah, I think it's a good shift.(8:22) I'm not trying to take away from anyone's pain and suffering. (8:25) What I am saying is make sure you're aware of an objective reality. (8:34) And the same is true on the other end, too.(8:38) You don't like that? (8:40) There's someone who has it worse? (8:42) I don't.(8:42) There's always someone who has it worse. (8:44) Yeah, but it doesn't help me. (8:47) Really?

Kevin Palmieri

(8:47) No.

Alan Lazaros

(8:49) Why not? (8:50) Let's talk about that. (8:51) I know you're being vulnerable right now.(8:52) I appreciate it. (8:53) I mean, that helps me for sure. (8:54) Yeah, because you believe you can change.(8:58) Okay, well then let's work on the mindset, then.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:00) Because everyone can change. (9:01) Well, I think that's what I'm saying. (9:03) I understand that for a lot of people, that's just not where they're going to start.(9:07) Yeah. (9:07) Well, where would they start? (9:09) Because to me, that is a big part of climbing out of darkness, is putting your darkness in perspective.(9:16) Compare your life now to your past. (9:18) Look at your context. (9:19) Look at your perspective.(9:20) Look at your circumstances before you compare. (9:23) Compare yourself to you. (9:25) I think that's probably a better way to start.(9:27) Depending on where you are, right? (9:28) Like, for you, fuck yeah. (9:30) I love that.(9:31) And now that helps me way more than it ever has. (9:34) But in the past, that never…

Alan Lazaros

(9:35) Well, I didn't help you before. (9:36) Let's talk about that. (9:37) That's great.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:37) Because I didn't have belief. (9:39) Because you didn't what? (9:40) I didn't have belief.

Alan Lazaros

(9:42) So that only works if you have belief. (9:44) I don't know. (9:45) I mean, for me, you're not the only one to say this to me.(9:48) Because I do that all the time. (9:50) I love watch… (9:50) I call them perspective resets.(9:53) I love watching movies like Slumdog Millionaire. (9:56) For me, that's like…

Kevin Palmieri

(9:56) I think it just fades. (9:58) The Pursuit of Happiness is one of my favorite movies of all time. (10:01) Yeah.(10:01) Good perspective. (10:03) But I don't know how… (10:04) If I watch that movie tonight, I don't know how long that stays.(10:08) Well, there's no one fix. (10:10) It's not like… (10:10) No, I know.

Alan Lazaros

(10:11) Oh, now I'm grateful for life. (10:12) I know. (10:12) I know.(10:12) It's supposed to be a fucking…

Kevin Palmieri

(10:14) I'm willing to bet it burns longer for you than it does for me. (10:18) Oh. (10:18) That's my guess.(10:19) I don't know.

Alan Lazaros

(10:20) Oh, I think it… (10:22) And again, this is something that… (10:24) I don't want to minimize COVID.(10:26) I know COVID was bad. (10:28) I just… (10:28) If you put it in perspective of like…(10:30) World War II killed 84 million people. (10:33) 84 million people. (10:35) I was talking to her nana.(10:36) She's 90. (10:37) I asked her about it. (10:38) She was born in 1936.(10:40) And I said, so you were like 10, 12, 13, 14 during World War II. (10:46) And she's like… (10:46) You could see it in her.(10:49) She remembers how dark those days were. (10:52) And we talked about it. (10:54) And it's COVID killed 6 million people globally.(10:56) I'm not making that wrong. (10:58) I'm not… (10:59) That's horrible.(11:00) I understand. (11:01) I just don't… (11:02) I don't understand why…(11:05) We kind of make… (11:07) How do I make this land? (11:09) It's like if you don't put it in global perspective, you can't really understand it accurately.(11:17) And I think the COVID thing's hard because people have such a personal experience with COVID. (11:21) I understand. (11:22) Like, Emilia lost an aunt.(11:24) I understand. (11:24) COVID affected everybody. (11:26) I don't think there's anyone on Earth COVID didn't affect.(11:28) Well, think of it like this though. (11:30) And World War II affected people 20 times more. (11:34) For sure.(11:34) For sure. (11:35) But… (11:35) It's like, well, I wasn't alive then.(11:37) Don't you realize that life is so much better than it used to be? (11:41) And doesn't that help?

Kevin Palmieri

(11:42) There's got to be some perspective. (11:44) Yeah, it does. (11:44) But think about somebody who was born in 2002.(11:47) COVID was the first big thing they experienced.

Alan Lazaros

(11:50) But I don't care. (11:51) Take yourself out of yourself. (11:52) This is such a selfish conversation.(11:54) That's a mess, man. (11:54) You have to stop personalizing everything. (12:00) It's not end of days.(12:02) This is why history is so important. (12:04) And again, I'm not saying for a 5-year-old. (12:06) Like a 5-year-old…(12:08) There is an expiration date on being a victim. (12:11) You have to… (12:12) And here's the other thing.(12:13) And I know that I'm in the small percentage of the population in this, but it's not helping you.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:20) It's not helping you. (12:20) I agree with that.

Alan Lazaros

(12:21) Feeling sorry for yourself isn't helping. (12:23) It's not helping. (12:24) It's making it worse.(12:25) And it's like, well, easy for you to say, Alan. (12:27) Your life is so great. (12:29) It wasn't.(12:30) It was horrible. (12:33) And I had to take myself out of myself and think longer term. (12:37) I had to broaden my perspective and have a mindset and an attitude that's positive.(12:44) I'm not saying suffering is not a thing. (12:46) I'm not saying that. (12:47) I'm saying it can help you.(12:51) Like, dude, you and I need to not lose sight of how good we have it. (12:58) You know how easy it would be to lose… (13:00) Oh, you know, it's so upsetting that payroll is so much this month.(13:03) Like, yeah, of course. (13:04) And you're right. (13:05) It is.(13:05) It's too much. (13:06) And I message you about it. (13:07) It's like, dude, we got to lower some costs here.(13:09) This is crazy. (13:11) But dude, at least it's a privileged problem. (13:12) And I think that I do.(13:14) I get frustrated with people who are so ungrateful and they're very poor me. (13:22) And I just want to shake them and say, I had a client named Pauline who had no arms and no legs. (13:28) She was born with no arms and no legs.(13:31) I know that's an extreme example, but she swims. (13:33) She drives. (13:34) She has her own company.(13:35) She's a podcaster. (13:36) She has something called One Leg Up Productions. (13:38) Her name's Pauline.(13:38) She's great. (13:39) And her every day is harder than most of our entire year. (13:45) And we're going to complain?(13:47) I'm not saying not to get help. (13:49) Get help. (13:50) Get a therapist.(13:50) Get a coach. (13:51) Do what you got to do. (13:52) Read some books.(13:53) But dude, it is hard for me. (13:55) It is. (13:55) If the average Netflix watching is two hours and 38 minutes a day, and then people are complaining about money, I'm sorry, but it is your fault.(14:05) It's your responsibility to make more money. (14:07) There are a lot of ways to make more money. (14:09) And I'm not talking about in Mumbai.(14:11) I'm not. (14:12) I'm talking about our country. (14:13) The largest, most successful economy on earth.(14:16) I am around people who don't want to work and they expect money anyway. (14:23) It's back in the day, you couldn't just be like, oh, well, I don't really want to hunt. (14:28) I don't want to gather.(14:29) I don't want to farm. (14:30) It's like, okay, well, then you don't get to eat then. (14:33) And we've lost our roots.(14:35) We do. (14:35) And I'm so passionate about this. (14:37) We've lost our roots.(14:38) Like, dude, we could never have built this if we were ungrateful and entitled. (14:47) For sure. (14:48) And I just have to be on that end.(14:53) We've lost it, man. (14:54) We're losing our minds. (14:55) We're losing our minds.(14:56) And all this automation and all this privilege and all this stuff, like I'm not saying we, as in everyone, there's 1.4 billion people in India. (15:03) 1.4 billion. (15:04) Okay.(15:05) There's 1 point something, 1.1 in China, billion people, the U S in particular. (15:11) We, we have it really good. (15:14) And we complain the most and it pisses me off.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:17) I had, we had movers yesterday and I had a moment where I was like, their days must be so much that they're definitely so much physically harder than mine for sure. (15:29) My goodness, my goodness. (15:31) And I also helped them fucking move.

Alan Lazaros

(15:34) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:34) I'm not the guy who watches you do it. (15:38) Like, I don't want to be that guy. (15:39) And they're like, well, that's what you paid us for.(15:41) No, I didn't. (15:41) That's, I didn't pay you. (15:42) I paid you to come and move stuff, but it doesn't mean you're going to, you have to do it on your own, you know?(15:48) So I don't know.

Alan Lazaros

(15:49) I, the only reason I'm with me on that, that's, that's not normal, brother. (15:53) What there are people who are, who are like, well, I'm better than moving things. (16:00) Like I can't even with that stuff.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:02) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(16:02) Especially people who were born into it.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:04) Someone needs to punch you. (16:06) That, that's not my, no, that's not my jam. (16:08) That's not my gym.(16:09) But the reason I'm on this body, but pure self, it's like, I carry this, I can carry this cup. (16:17) The only reason I'm on the other end when it comes to some of that stuff is because it just wouldn't resonate with me in the beginning. (16:24) And it's important for me.

Alan Lazaros

(16:25) I, in the beginning, what would you have thought? (16:27) I know we've got to go here, but I think this is the, why wouldn't it resonate?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:31) It doesn't make sense now. (16:33) Yeah. (16:33) But what makes sense to you now might not have made sense in the beginning either.

Alan Lazaros

(16:37) You know, I don't want to, I think, no, that's exactly it. (16:42) What changed? (16:43) Why wouldn't it?(16:44) Of course it would have landed. (16:45) It wouldn't not have landed. (16:46) If I had talked to Kevin nine years ago, I'd have been like, dude, you have it really good.(16:49) Quit your bitching.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:50) I would have been like, brother, I showed it. (16:53) I very much appreciate the fact that somebody is struggling. (16:55) I want to kill myself.(16:57) So I don't care about that.

Alan Lazaros

(16:58) But that, that you don't want to kill yourself because you don't have food. (17:01) You want to kill yourself because you have a meaningless life.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:04) But, but to your point, everything is relative. (17:07) I, yeah, I, to, to what I know it is terrible.

Alan Lazaros

(17:11) I'm not taking away from that stuff. (17:13) I know what I'm saying is like the, why don't I have more money?

Kevin Palmieri

(17:16) And I'm not talking about that. (17:17) I'm talking more about like the comparing your struggles to the struggles of others with the hope that it will make you think your struggles are less. (17:27) I just, that would not have resonated with me in the beginning.(17:29) I'm just being honest about that. (17:30) It just wouldn't have. (17:31) I appreciate it.(17:32) I, and do you think that's because of belief that always has helped me?

Alan Lazaros

(17:36) My, my darkest times, that always helped.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:37) I think it's a really big piece of it. (17:39) Yeah. (17:39) I think it's a really big piece of it.(17:40) Cause it's like, okay, well now I feel, now I fucking feel bad about myself worse than I did because I'm comparing to somebody else and I still feel bad about myself. (17:48) Now it's different. (17:49) Yeah.(17:50) Okay. (17:51) Why?

Alan Lazaros

(17:51) I know we got to go, but why is it different now? (17:54) Because now, okay. (17:55) You compare to the movers and it was beneficial because I was like, wow, I so much feel like I'm in control.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:02) I think that's it. (18:03) And I never did. (18:04) I never did before.(18:06) I never did.

Alan Lazaros

(18:08) I never felt like I was in control in the beginning. (18:11) I mean, that's ultimately my goal. (18:12) I know that sometimes I rub people the wrong way on the show and just in general, but that is my goal.(18:17) Like you have your locus of control is what you say, think, do, feel, and believe. (18:22) It's you are in control of your own future more than you think. (18:25) You're not the first person to suffer.(18:27) You're not the first person to, it's so bad. (18:30) It's almost like we need to put up a photo of me at my worst or something because of course it must be, it doesn't work with you.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:39) I, because of this, it doesn't work with you. (18:42) That's why I can't be on your end. (18:44) So invalidating, just like it's invalidating on the other end.(18:49) Same thing, just different, obviously. (18:51) And I think this is a really good example of being able to have this type of conversation. (18:55) Like, yeah, I don't know what the fucking answer.(18:57) I'm just telling you the way I felt. (18:58) And I know a lot of people born with some silver spoon, like trust me, but I do, I do feel grateful for my brain.

Alan Lazaros

(19:05) Yes. (19:05) Which is what you're saying. (19:06) But at the end of the day, I just want to be, I want it to help people.(19:11) Last story. (19:12) We'll get out of here. (19:12) There was, and this is, I hope.(19:14) Yeah. (19:15) I know my intentions are pure. (19:16) It doesn't matter if you don't like me, don't like me.(19:17) I don't care. (19:18) I do care, but I have to not care. (19:20) All right.(19:21) There was a guy at Subway and we would go to Subway and Subway is a business. (19:26) They provide a service for money. (19:29) Just like us.(19:31) I am usually very happy to pay for said subs. (19:35) Very happy to. (19:36) Awesome.(19:37) This entitled prick. (19:39) He's like, I don't answer the phone. (19:42) He was a dick.(19:43) He, he didn't listen to what we wanted on our subs. (19:45) He was complaining about the owner. (19:47) I said, if you're so upset, I didn't say this.(19:50) This is my head. (19:51) Okay. (19:51) If you're so upset with your job, Mr. High school entitled prick, then why don't you quit?(19:58) Because if you're so upset with it, obviously your life would be better without this job. (20:03) Right? (20:03) Cause I guarantee you, there's someone else waiting for this job.(20:07) That is entitlement. (20:08) And that is an attitude of I deserve regardless of my performance. (20:13) Whoever owns that Subway has to pay the utilities bills, has to pay for the food.(20:17) Whoever provides the food has to grow it. (20:20) It's it's, you don't get to have that attitude and have a job. (20:25) And that company, that business owner, I wish I could talk them and say, Hey, like your person isn't even picking up the phone.(20:33) People are trying to order food. (20:34) They're not even picking up the phone. (20:36) They should be fired because there's someone who would take advantage of that opportunity and do a great job with it.(20:43) And those people who really want to do better, who are willing to put in the effort are sitting there in line while this prick complains. (20:51) And that's the reality that a lot of people aren't seeing like, yes, you're right. (20:56) Some people are born lucky.(20:58) Yes. (20:58) Some people have generational wealth. (21:00) Yes.(21:00) Some people are born into a richer country. (21:02) And there is always opportunities to make your life better through sincere effort. (21:08) And if you have a negative attitude about your own existence, it's going to be very, very hard for you to turn around your life.(21:15) And I think it's important for people like you and I, who at one point were in very dark places to make sure that we help people with that. (21:23) And yes, I tend to be a bad cop in this. (21:25) And you tend to be a good cop.(21:27) And I think you need both metaphorically. (21:29) But at the end of the day, stop feeling sorry for yourself. (21:32) Get off your ass and do something with your life.(21:35) And I understand. (21:37) I understand. (21:39) But there's a lot of people ready and eager to give you an opportunity to make your life just 1% better.(21:44) I'm not saying to go change the world. (21:45) I'm not saying to go transform existence. (21:47) I'm not saying to do a movie montage and suddenly be Rocky.(21:51) What I am saying is you can make your future better starting right now. (21:55) And there are people that had it worse. (21:57) And they did.(21:58) They built their dreams and goals. (22:00) And that's why I believe in dreams and goals so much is because it gives you something to live for when you're in the dark.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:05) Rocky 3, not Rocky 1. (22:07) Rocky 1, Sly wasn't on the sauce yet. (22:09) So you got to get like Rocky 2, Rocky 3.(22:11) That's when shit really started to hit the fan. (22:14) Ivan Drago. (22:15) Well, who would they were injecting him with everything they had over in Russia?(22:18) They'll say, put it in, see what happens. (22:21) All right. (22:21) We got to go real quick, real quick story.(22:22) One minute story. (22:23) There's a, there's a guy I follow super funny. (22:27) And he, there is this video meme he did of it's like when you go to subway and he goes in and say, Hey, get three subs, Italian herbs and cheese.(22:37) And he says, and then he says, I got a coupon. (22:40) And then he also plays the character behind the counter and he gives them the dirtiest look. (22:45) And he starts throwing lettuce on the fucking summit.(22:48) It's, it's, I don't remember the guy. (22:51) I think Darnell something. (22:52) He's super funny.(22:53) He's super funny. (22:53) So that's that. (22:55) All right.(22:55) Alan's coaching next level nation. (22:57) Go to the website. (22:57) Next level universe.com.(22:58) We have all this stuff there. (23:00) Next level fitness, accountability group, all this stuff. (23:02) If there is like anything, we probably put next level in front of it.(23:06) And we have a, an opportunity for you there. (23:08) So check it out. (23:08) All right.(23:09) As always, we love you. (23:09) We appreciate you grateful for each and every one of you. (23:11) 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 would be here to help you get there.

Alan Lazaros

(23:17) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential and have an attitude of gratitude. (23:21) Next level nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:23) Thanks for joining us for another episode of next level university. (23:27) We love connecting with the next level family.

Alan Lazaros

(23:30) We mean it when we say family, if you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (23:35) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes. (23:39) Thank you again.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:39) And we will talk to you tomorrow.