Stop Living In A World Of “If/Then” (2337)

Hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros expose why waiting for “the right time” quietly kills discipline and momentum. After years of building Next Level University, coaching high performers, and pursuing demanding goals themselves, they have seen how the “if-then” mindset weakens focus, standards, and execution when pressure is high and consistency matters most.

They break down how priorities shape performance, why sustainable standards beat short-term motivation, and how daily execution drives long-term success. If you care about personal development, leadership, and operating at a higher level, this episode will sharpen how you manage your time, energy, and attention.

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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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Track the Work. Earn the Results. To know more about the "Next Level Fitness Accountability Group," reach out via Instagram.

• Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
• Alan: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/

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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

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:
(2:36) Why “when we get there” never works
(4:43) No movie montage for self-discipline
(9:24) Why goals make life harder
(11:07) The power of a stop-doing list
(15:21) Why too many priorities create mediocrity
(18:18) The three-priority rule for success
(21:59) Crunch time versus crunch life
(24:13) Building a sustainable pace for growth
(25:15) Outro

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) I'm all for living in the future, I'm all for preparing to live in the future, but one of the worst habits that I've definitely had in the past for sure is saying I will do this when, and unfortunately when just keeps moving further and further away.

Alan Lazaros

(0:15) A commitment to constant and never-ending improvement, it's not one giant movie montage, it's a little bit each day.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:26) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:28) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:30) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.(0:33) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:40) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:46) 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

(1:02) Self-improvement, in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:09) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:14) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,337. (1:19) Stop living in a world of if, then. (1:23) Something we're going through right now.(1:25) I said, I told Alan, I said, let's do this episode. (1:28) I want to use us as an example because I think, I don't know, I like talking about us. (1:32) I know, look, it might not paint us in the best light.(1:35) We're successful and we're consistent and we're on the higher end of personal development. (1:41) And we're also human beings who are confident enough to share their L's publicly.

Alan Lazaros

(1:47) Most, most of the things we share are probably L's. (1:51) However. (1:52) Yeah.(1:53) I like to lead by example. (1:54) I think that's really ultimately what it is. (1:56) I don't like to talk only about anecdotal stuff that I haven't personally experienced.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:01) Same. (2:02) I concur with that. (2:03) We had a, we have these conversations every so often where like we'll record an episode and then we just go, it's like, dude, what, what is happening?(2:15) Who are we? (2:16) Where are, how did we get here? (2:17) What's going on?(2:18) What are we, what's old? (2:20) What's new? (2:20) What are we missing?(2:22) What did we take on? (2:23) And yesterday's conversation, I think I brought up the point. (2:28) I'm sure you were thinking it, but I said, dude, I think the issue we're having right now is we keep saying when we get to blank, we'll do this.(2:36) And I said, but right after we get to that, then group coaching starts and then next level live starts and then group coaching starts. (2:43) We're never going to do it. (2:45) It's never going to get done.(2:46) It's always a father's day event. (2:48) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(2:49) Next level hope foundation and the dream liner and then new studios. (2:53) And then, and then yeah, I dude, I was humbled by this because I actually feel like I was surprised that this snuck up and bit me. (3:04) You just think of Forrest Gump.(3:05) I did something bit me. (3:08) Was it a bullet? (3:09) It was, it was in fact, right in the buttocks.(3:12) Right in the, shot in the buttocks. (3:14) For anyone who hasn't seen Forrest Gump, this is going to make no sense to you. (3:17) But anyway, so after we had that conversation, I had a very humbling moment by myself of, I'm pretty sure I, I think about, talk about, implement 1% daily improvement more than almost anyone I've ever learned from or met.(3:38) And the reason I'm saying that is we still kind of mess this up. (3:46) And I've told the story in the past, I'll be brief about it. (3:48) But when I was at Cognex, we sold industrial automation equipment to big manufacturing facilities all across the world.(3:54) My territory was new England, Western new England, Vermont, Connecticut, Western Massachusetts. (3:58) Okay. (3:59) There's a lot more manufacturing Connecticut than you would think.(4:03) Just FYI. (4:04) Okay. (4:05) A continuous improvement manager came in and I had this long meeting with him because I was selling him equipment.(4:12) I was like, so let me get this straight. (4:13) You just travel around the company and just make everything better? (4:17) And he was like, yup.(4:19) And two things came up for me. (4:20) Number one, I was like, that sounds like the coolest fucking job ever. (4:23) Because I just love making things better.(4:25) I love it. (4:26) I can't stand when things are not optimized. (4:30) And number two, why don't you do it with yourself, man?(4:35) Because this man was very much not put together. (4:38) I mean, just alarmingly not. (4:40) And some people don't care.(4:41) It is what it is. (4:42) Okay. (4:42) Here's my point.(4:43) There is no movie montage where you're suddenly going to get your life together. (4:49) I remember in college, there was a roommate of mine. (4:52) His name was Sean.(4:53) And he said, I need to go on a self-improvement spree. (4:56) And I'll never forget it. (4:57) Cause I was like, yes, me too.(4:59) And he came to me later that night or a day later. (5:02) I don't know exactly when it was, but he came to me and he said, you already do everything that I was planning on doing. (5:07) You work out consistently, but, and he named all the stuff.(5:09) You, you dress nice. (5:11) You do your hair, all this stuff. (5:13) And I remember thinking, yeah, but I want to do that more.(5:19) There were signs before my car accident that I was obsessed with self-improvement. (5:22) There were signs. (5:23) Definitely.(5:24) I just love the idea of getting a little bit better every single day. (5:28) And dude, here we are with a self-improvement, personal growth, personal development success podcast, where we do an episode a day, 1% improvement every day from anywhere on the planet, completely free in your pocket. (5:39) That is next level university.(5:40) And here we are still, still forgetting the importance of that fundamental. (5:45) That is alarming. (5:47) I think it's normal.(5:48) I used to say, hashtag, can I commitment to constant and never ending improvement? (5:53) You used to have BFD better every fucking day. (5:57) Remember?(5:57) Of course. (5:58) What the hell, man? (6:00) I think we have done that in other arenas.(6:05) One very narrow arena. (6:07) We have done a very good job at growing the revenue of the company, but that was the financial goal. (6:13) That was the main focus.(6:14) Yeah. (6:15) We have a financial goal. (6:16) That's a big financial goal for Kevin and I, and I'm proud of us for that.(6:20) And what are we going to do?

Kevin Palmieri

(6:22) Just let everything else struggle. (6:27) Well, here's the, this is an important lesson. (6:29) You, let me tell you about you.(6:31) People love when they get told about themselves, you're an all or nothing person. (6:34) How dare you? (6:35) So when we set a goal, how dare you, you, everything else just falls to the wayside.(6:41) Kind of.

Alan Lazaros

(6:42) Yeah, I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:43) A hundred percent.

Alan Lazaros

(6:43) So I think that's not everything. (6:46) All right. (6:46) Can we look, here's the thing.(6:47) We gotta, we gotta unpack this a little. (6:49) Everything else gets a little less priority. (6:53) Every time I set a goal, everything else gets a little less priority.(6:57) That I think is the conundrum we are all in. (7:04) Emily and I, every now and then we'll have an adult version of a hissy fit with ourselves. (7:10) We call it tea kettling.(7:11) You just gotta, you just gotta get it out. (7:13) Cause you're just frustrated. (7:15) It's like, we don't have time and this and that.(7:17) And, and we call it bubbling up. (7:20) So she'll, if I'm having one, she'll just bubble up. (7:22) Like, don't let anything I say affect you.(7:24) This is just for me. (7:25) I'm just tea kettling out into the abyss. (7:28) Don't let any of this land on you.(7:29) Okay. (7:30) And vice versa. (7:31) So we bubble up.(7:32) It's all good. (7:33) And you don't know this, but in halo three, there was something called a bubble shield. (7:37) You drop it and you're protected.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:39) I don't think I ever played. (7:40) I remember the first halo. (7:42) I was like, this is the best thing.(7:44) It's the best to drive around in the warthogs. (7:46) Oh yeah. (7:47) What are we doing here?(7:48) It was the OG and you were in the gunner. (7:51) I did a little bit of everything. (7:53) I was a bit of a driver myself.(7:54) You know, I couldn't do that thing with the best of them, but you could. (7:57) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(7:58) So anyways, back to my point of this frustration is the indicator that something or someone is in the way of your goal. (8:15) When Amelia and I get frustrated, I got it. (8:18) I got it.(8:19) I know you think I lost it. (8:19) I got it. (8:20) When Amelia and I get frustrated, she always says, I don't understand.(8:23) How do other people have so much time? (8:25) It seems like they have so much time. (8:27) They don't have goals.(8:28) Not everybody, not everybody. (8:30) Okay. (8:31) But Amelia and I get in the gym and we got to get out and we got to be on our first session by 11, every day, Monday through Saturday, no joke, every single day.(8:42) And when we go on trips, her family's in a very different spot than we are in terms of they're older and they're in their retirement years and all that. (8:48) And we're the only ones who have to go to work. (8:51) It's really quite interesting for lack of better phrasing.(8:54) I remember thinking like, isn't it like noon on a Tuesday? (8:57) What's what's the, is it a holiday? (8:58) Like what?(9:00) I don't get it. (9:01) Like, what do you guys do? (9:03) Right.(9:03) And it's not their fault. (9:04) They just are in a very different phase of life and they work hard too, in their own right. (9:09) But Amelia and I definitely have to like put more on the court than most people.(9:14) And every now and then we get frustrated and we'll say, why don't, why doesn't anyone else struggle with this? (9:19) And then we go, our goals. (9:24) The moment you set a goal, everything gets harder.(9:29) If you want to achieve it. (9:31) If you set a goal and don't change anything, do the 10 pound in 10 week challenge. (9:35) Everything just got harder.(9:36) Everything.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:37) That's why I didn't want to do it. (9:38) I know. (9:39) No, I told Alan behind the scenes, I said, dude, I don't want to do it yet.(9:43) I'm not ready. (9:44) There's too much going on. (9:45) It's going to be too stressful.(9:46) And it is honestly, it hasn't been because I haven't really, I had a great workout today. (9:51) It was great and it's fine. (9:52) It's again, I'm going to be fine, but okay.(9:55) You're going to rise to the occasion.

Alan Lazaros

(9:57) That is the goal. (9:58) And I'm going to, that is the goal. (10:02) There's no such thing as losing 10 weeks without adding a little bit of extra necessity, a little bit of extra tracking your calories, a little bit of extra rice that I don't want to cook a little bit of extra.(10:13) We have the freaking food scale on the counter now. (10:16) And she's like, okay, I have 1100 left. (10:19) We're heading home from the gym last night.(10:21) It's like, okay, I got to calculate. (10:23) It's of course, of course. (10:25) So back to my point of this, you can't, I have one person who's preparing for two, two, actually people in finance that are preparing for financial certifications.(10:34) And I said, you can't just put your life on hold. (10:38) You have to find a way to do this and everything else. (10:42) And it's not everything else.(10:43) And I'm doing a training tonight. (10:45) The masterclass was last night. (10:47) If you're listening to this tomorrow.(10:50) And one of my things that I've never taught before, what? (10:53) This is Sunday's episode. (10:54) Is this Sunday's episode?(10:55) Yeah. (10:56) All right. (10:56) So it was several days ago.(10:58) It was on Thursday. (11:00) Thank you. (11:01) Yep.(11:01) So one of the things I asked myself at the end when I was prepping is what's something I've never actually taught. (11:07) I've never written it out and taught it. (11:09) And it's, it's a sacrifice list or a stop doing list.(11:15) And I have, I forced myself to write down 10 things that I stopped doing. (11:22) One of them is snowboarding. (11:23) Emilia and I love snowboarding.(11:25) I grew up snowboarding. (11:26) I have a client who snowboards, you know who you are. (11:29) And I'm just sitting there.(11:31) Our snowboards are in the basement. (11:32) Both of them. (11:33) I've been with her for six years.(11:35) We've never been snowboarding together. (11:36) Not a single time. (11:38) Now here's the truth.(11:41) We're achieving a lot of our goals and a lot of our dreams. (11:43) And we're building a financial future. (11:45) We're building three companies.(11:47) Could I build companies and snowboard? (11:50) Yes. (11:51) Could I build companies and snowboard and play basketball regularly?(11:55) Yes. (11:55) Could I build three companies and snowboard and play basketball and exercise every day? (11:59) And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and there's a, there's a line.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:03) Well, and the quality of it. (12:04) You could build three companies. (12:05) It doesn't mean they're gonna be good.(12:06) What does it mean? (12:07) Exactly. (12:07) Right.(12:07) It's like I have a company. (12:08) Okay. (12:09) What do you do?(12:10) We're in the ideation stage. (12:12) I'm really thinking about it. (12:13) Thinking about what we're going to do.(12:14) I want to make sure you think about it before you do it. (12:15) You know?

Alan Lazaros

(12:20) So what is the solution to this? (12:22) You either lower your goals or you decide to take responsibility in advance and improve. (12:31) Because here's the thing.(12:32) I'm not improving my jump shot, but who cares? (12:35) That's not in alignment with my goals. (12:36) I'm not trying to be in the NBA.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:38) Well, this is why new year's resolutions are dumb. (12:40) Because you are essentially waiting on a date to do something. (12:44) It's like, well, I'll do it.(12:45) I remember I did a post that this was pre, I think this was pre-hyperconscious days. (12:50) If you really want to change, why are you waiting on a specific date to do it? (12:55) 100%.(12:55) Why? (12:56) Why are we waiting? (12:57) Well, I can understand if you like, if you think you'll have more capacity.(13:02) I can understand. (13:03) I can understand that. (13:04) Oh, you know, right now, again, I use myself an example.(13:07) I didn't want to do the 10 pound and 10 week challenge because I know how much this move and everything else is going to take. (13:12) Whatever it is, what it is, I'll figure it out. (13:13) I'll figure it out.(13:15) But I don't know. (13:18) I think you've got to strike while the iron's hot. (13:20) If you're motivated to do something, do it now.(13:23) Not all of it. (13:25) Yeah. (13:25) But a little bit of it.(13:27) You got to do, you got to do a little bit of it and got to get it started. (13:29) What I think, what I often find is when I don't want to do something and then I start the process of doing it. (13:35) It's like, ah, this isn't as bad as I, that prep is usually the worst part.(13:38) You got to, you got to take the thing out. (13:40) And again, this is, this is, uh, just as an example, you got to take the thing out and you got to prep it and then you got to prep the other thing. (13:46) And then by the time you do that, you're already 25 minutes in.(13:49) So you might as well get the first thing done. (13:50) And when you get the first thing done, you're like, ah, that's not as bad as I thought. (13:52) Let me get three more of those done.(13:54) And then cool. (13:54) You just put two hours in and you got a bunch done and now you feel good about it. (13:58) Awesome.(13:59) You never would have done that if you didn't start.

Alan Lazaros

(14:02) When you and I have that financial goal and we kept, we, we fell into that for a couple of weeks. (14:07) It wasn't even that long, a couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months. (14:10) Yeah.(14:10) A couple of months. (14:11) Yeah. (14:11) A couple of months.(14:12) A couple of months. (14:13) It started small though. (14:14) Yeah.(14:15) It was like, ah, we will worry about that. (14:17) Uh, then we'll, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. (14:20) We started saying that a little bit.(14:22) And today when I woke up, I was like, Nope. (14:24) Now no bridges. (14:26) I'm talking something as simple as what did I do today?(14:31) The blackout curtains in the studio. (14:33) Uh, I'm moving the balls again. (14:36) I'm talking about the new avatar.(14:38) We're going to do the new podcast logo. (14:40) I'm talking about the website. (14:41) I'm moving everything.(14:42) I don't need to knock down every domino today. (14:45) I just need to knock down that next one. (14:50) So I want to say this too.(14:52) I was on with a client earlier. (14:53) Shout out to you, brother. (14:54) I know, you know, and you listen every day.(14:57) He said, I feel like I'm doing everything mediocre. (15:02) I don't feel like I'm doing anything really well. (15:05) And I said, okay, well, what are your priorities?(15:06) And he wrote, we listed out five. (15:08) I wrote them all out in priority order. (15:12) And he and I had a moment together.(15:14) I've been coaching him for years. (15:16) And I said, I think you can do one thing really well. (15:21) Three things.(15:22) Pretty great. (15:24) Five things. (15:25) Decently.(15:26) Seven things. (15:27) Mediocre. (15:29) Nine things.(15:29) Forget it. (15:30) You're out of your mind. (15:31) I think that that's fair.(15:33) I do. (15:34) I think of it like a pyramid. (15:35) Now the one thing might have, I'll just use fitness as an example.(15:41) Let's say your one thing is fitness. (15:43) Back in my fitness days, that was my company. (15:46) That was fitness coach.(15:47) That was my career and my passion and my purpose. (15:49) Okay. (15:50) For that short time in life, sleep, hydration, nutrition, training, mobility, breathwork, supplementation.(15:57) Fitness is one priority, but it has seven subcategories. (16:02) And each of those subcategories have subcategories. (16:05) You see how, when it comes to success, if we're here to teach success principles, that's why we're here.(16:12) You really can't be world-class at a ton of things. (16:18) And this is why companies have someone who's a specialist in each thing. (16:23) Like you can boil down pretty much everyone's job to three main things.(16:28) 80% of why they, 80% of what they produce is usually three main categories or less. (16:37) And yeah, there's a bunch of sub stuff underneath that and subcategories and subcategories and subcategories. (16:43) Cause you can do like, okay, so fitness is the top.(16:46) Then it's hydration. (16:46) Okay. (16:47) Let's go into hydration.(16:47) Okay. (16:48) Zoom into hydration. (16:48) Now it's how many ounces should you drink a day?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:54) You're asking me?

Alan Lazaros

(16:54) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:55) Like a gallon.

Alan Lazaros

(16:57) You're good with a gallon. (16:58) You're way more than good with a gallon. (17:00) I do 0.6 times your body weight.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:02) I just think a gallon, you just throw it out there. (17:04) You just try to work on a gallon. (17:05) You'll be fine.(17:06) You can get there. (17:07) I think that's too much personally. (17:08) I think you're peeing every two seconds.(17:10) I don't pee. (17:11) Like, I feel like I pee more from coffee than water. (17:15) I'm up early though.(17:16) So I start hammering pretty early.

Alan Lazaros

(17:18) Well, let's, let's do this. (17:19) I know we got to move to the next episode here in a second. (17:22) Even that one thing.(17:24) Let's just real quick. (17:26) Well, imagine everyone out there wants to drink a gallon of water a day.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:31) Do you know how much that's going to affect your day-to-day life? (17:36) Even just with the conscious, like you have to have a water bottle on you. (17:38) Where are you getting the water?(17:40) Like all of that stuff. (17:41) Always. (17:42) There's a reason we have a, we have a, what's the water dispenser.(17:46) It's easy. (17:47) It makes it so much easier. (17:48) I know I'm getting good clean water.(17:50) It's always cold or it's hot for when Taryn wants tea. (17:53) It's perfect. (17:53) It's the greatest, the best.

Alan Lazaros

(17:56) So is as a success principle, everything, every time you set a goal, have you ever heard? (18:02) I think you've heard it from me, but Jim Collins says, if you have more than three goals, you don't have any. (18:08) If you have more than three priorities, you don't have any.(18:12) I don't know why, but three seems to be it. (18:16) I think one is too few and five is too many. (18:18) This is my point.(18:19) One means you're only going to be healthy, but not wealthy. (18:22) You and I both did that. (18:25) I, at one point was healthy as an ox.(18:27) I could run, jump, run a six minute mile, lift heavy. (18:32) I was just, all I did though, was sleep, hydration, nutrition, training, mobility, breathwork, supplementation. (18:38) That's all I did.(18:40) Now we have to be healthy and wealthy and in love. (18:46) Well, those are three full-time jobs and you basically can't wait for if then you can't say, oh, well, when we hit our financial goal, then I'll spend quality time with Emilia. (18:57) It's never going to happen.(18:59) You have to prioritize it now. (19:00) You think that's a shift?

Kevin Palmieri

(19:02) Like, I don't know. (19:03) I feel like that's a shift for you. (19:07) Kind of.

Alan Lazaros

(19:10) Maybe I don't talk about it, but I think I've been. (19:14) What specifically?

Kevin Palmieri

(19:15) Even the, I don't know. (19:18) Cause that was kind of the conversation is like, we had, we had a conversation. (19:24) We said that we got to talk to our partners and let them know the next three months are going to like really blow, really blow.(19:30) I feel like this is not that. (19:33) It's, it's not going to be ideal, but it's, I don't know. (19:38) I feel like it's an evolution for sure.

Alan Lazaros

(19:42) Well, I'm always trying to find what's optimal. (19:44) We're past it. (19:45) Yeah.(19:46) I I'm past it for sure, dude.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:48) I've been bitching for a minute. (19:50) I've been saying, Hey man, I'm really, I'm really burning different places now. (19:55) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(19:56) Like what has changed?

Kevin Palmieri

(20:00) Even that, even the, you can't put your life on hold. (20:06) I feel like that's not something Alan Lazarus would have said, but not for too long. (20:10) Yeah.(20:11) Yeah. (20:13) I don't think that's something you would have said a couple of years ago. (20:21) I don't, maybe I'm wrong.

Alan Lazaros

(20:22) I don't know. (20:22) Maybe I didn't explain it thoroughly, but I don't, I don't feel like that's hugely new. (20:28) Like I was never big on new year's resolutions or anything like that either.(20:33) But I do think there is an optimal stopping problem at all times. (20:36) Like you should wait to buy the new car to when it's optimal and everything is, but here's the thing. (20:44) You and I have gone way past optimal.(20:50) Like seriously, how far past optimal have we gone?

Kevin Palmieri

(20:52) I don't know. (20:53) I think I'm just, I think at this point, I'm just used to it. (20:56) Maybe the whole normal thing.(20:59) It's like, it's just kind of become normal.

Alan Lazaros

(21:01) Well, again, I don't know. (21:03) I'm not in your day-to-day life, so I don't know. (21:04) Like how you and Terrence seem good.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:08) You and I are good. (21:09) Like where? (21:09) Yeah, no, we're not.(21:10) It's not like we're bad. (21:11) It's just, I told Alan, I was like, dude, I couldn't tell you the last time we did a date night or date day. (21:15) I used to have Thursday nights blocked off of my calendar.(21:17) So we could like have a date night. (21:19) We could cook. (21:19) I haven't, we haven't done that in months.(21:21) I couldn't tell you. (21:23) I couldn't tell you last time.

Alan Lazaros

(21:24) Yeah. (21:25) Well, you and I set a very, very hefty goal.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:29) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(21:29) Yeah. (21:29) And I want to share both sides of this coin. (21:32) We'll move to the next episode.(21:36) On one hand, if you have, okay, the Superbowl is this Sunday. (21:40) Do you really think any of those players are chilling right now? (21:44) They're, they're preparing.(21:45) They're watching film. (21:46) They're prepping. (21:49) They're practicing.(21:50) They're talking to their coaches, offense, defense strategy, like there is such thing as crunch time, but it can't be crunch life. (21:59) However, it also does have to be though. (22:01) And I think that this is the other side of the coin, which is the pressure cooker.(22:04) I'm always trying to keep myself and you and the team and everyone I coach in the challenge skills, sweet spot. (22:13) And I think that for a while it probably made sense for us to, but I do think the mentality of like, well, let's wait, let's wait, let's wait, let's wait. (22:21) I think that that probably wasn't optimal.(22:24) Although I do think the amount of pressure we're under is probably necessary. (22:31) Yeah. (22:31) I would say so.(22:32) Well, if you just, I think the pressure is building because we're not doing anything to, to relieve it.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:37) You know, if you just think of it from a little air out of the balloon every now and then, otherwise it pops. (22:41) Think about it from a numbers perspective. (22:42) If you have a hundred points, you can either put all of them into one thing or you can split them in three things, but it doesn't add up as fast.

Alan Lazaros

(22:54) And in this metaphor, you eventually get 101 points and then 102 and then 104 and then a hundred. (23:01) But the problem is your capacity to what we talked about.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:03) The problem with the principle that we were running is the capacity went back into the, just the one thing. (23:08) It was, yeah, it would go from a hundred to 101, but all that 101 back into went back into the one thing seemingly. (23:14) But you're, you and I are still exercising, right?

Alan Lazaros

(23:17) We're still, we're still. (23:19) Yeah. (23:20) I would say the minimums have.(23:21) We're still getting hard. (23:23) Yeah. (23:23) The minimums have gotten suboptimal, but it's not like we're not, I mean, I still traveled.(23:27) Like when was the last time I traveled? (23:29) You traveled recently, didn't you? (23:32) Weren't you in Florida and then you were in Canada?(23:34) Like, dude, you were up in Canada not long ago.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:37) Yeah. (23:37) That was for work though.

Alan Lazaros

(23:39) Yeah. (23:39) Yeah. (23:39) But still I grinded harder there than I do at home.(23:43) It's fucking brutal. (23:44) It's a fair assessment. (23:45) I'm not just talking about grinding.(23:46) I'm talking about like living while you build.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:49) Yeah, but I didn't, that's what I'm saying. (23:51) I didn't, I worked more there. (23:53) There was no R and O's.(23:54) I wasn't hanging out. (23:56) It was brutal.

Alan Lazaros

(24:00) Okay. (24:01) Make sure that you're, I think building needs to be a large percentage if you have goals. (24:09) I would concur.(24:10) But you have to find a way to live. (24:12) Yeah. (24:13) During.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:13) It's going to be sustainable at the end of the day.

Alan Lazaros

(24:15) Sustainable. (24:15) That's, that's exactly. (24:16) Yeah.(24:17) It's going to become unsustainable and we weren't exactly doing ourselves any favors by we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. (24:22) We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. (24:23) Eventually it's like, okay, we're going to start doing this now because it really has gotten too much.(24:32) And the goal that we're aiming to hit is by the end of the month. (24:36) But I don't think we can wait that long. (24:38) I think we gotta, we gotta turn this around now.(24:40) And again, I'm making it sound like we're in some horrible spot. (24:42) This is a privileged, this is a great goal. (24:44) It's all good.(24:45) Yeah. (24:45) It's all good. (24:46) And I hope that the listeners can relate to this too, because don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today and be discerning with what you do and don't do.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:57) All right. (24:57) We got to go. (24:58) Cause we have to record another episode so we can get you another rep, but we can't miss.(25:02) We're not going to miss me. (25:03) I'm losing my voice. (25:04) Alan's losing his voice.(25:05) Alan, reach out for Alan, reach out to Alan for coaching. (25:07) My goodness. (25:08) Every Saturday, 1230 Eastern time book club, always free next little fitness accountability group.(25:14) What's up also free as always. (25:15) We love you. (25:16) We appreciate you grateful for each and every one of you.(25:18) 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. (25:25) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential.

Alan Lazaros

(25:27) Next level nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:29) Thanks for joining us for another episode of next level university. (25:33) We love connecting with the next level family.

Alan Lazaros

(25:36) We mean it when we say family. (25:38) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (25:41) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(25:44) Thank you again.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:45) And we will talk to you tomorrow.