The Truth About Doing It For The Money (2458)

In this episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros explore why money is a weak long-term motivator when it is not backed by mastery, impact, and meaningful work. Success is not built by chasing profitability first. It is built by getting deeply skilled at something valuable, understanding where the future is headed, and staying consistent long enough to become undeniable.

They challenge the common belief that money should be the main driver and explain why purpose, skill, self-awareness, and market value have to work together. This episode is for anyone who wants to build a career, business, or life with more substance, stronger standards, and real staying power. Listen in before you spend another year getting good at something the future already left behind.

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

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Show notes:
(2:04) When money becomes the wrong driver
(4:57) Why money cannot lead the mission
(6:48) Mastery comes before profitability
(11:01) Getting good at valuable work
(14:01) Scarcity, self-belief, and skill building
(17:24) Building skills the future will need
(22:50) Reattaching to the real why
(25:44) 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) As you know, I like money. (0:03) I do enjoy money. (0:05) I enjoy making money.(0:06) I think it goes back to the fact that I didn't have money when I was younger, and I assumed that money would fix all my problems. (0:10) And, with all that being said, if money is the only reason you're doing the things that you are doing, number one, you're going to be living a very empty existence. (0:20) Number two, you're not going to last long enough to actually make money.(0:23) If you don't enjoy the freaking thing that you're doing, you will never make money doing it. (0:26) It doesn't work that way.

Alan Lazaros

(0:28) If you have deeply meaningful work that you want to master, meaning and mastery every single day, that also makes money, watch out. (0:42) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:45) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:46) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazaros. (0:50) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:56) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:02) 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

(1:18) Self-improvement in your pocket every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:25) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:31) Next Level Nation today for episode number four, sorry, 2458. (1:35) I'm in a kitchen, okay? (1:37) I've recorded in many strange places over the 2458 episodes we've done.(1:42) This is probably the strangest. (1:44) This is the first time the gallon has made an appearance. (1:47) That's nice.(1:48) I thought that was maple syrup. (1:49) I got some family stuff going on, so I'm down at my mom and grandmother's house. (1:54) But again, we'll never miss no matter what.(1:56) Okay. (1:57) We are reading, based on Alan's suggestion, the new Jim Collins book. (2:01) And essentially, the premise of this book is he is taking the lives of an individual, and this person is very extraordinary.(2:10) And he is paralleling that with somebody who was in a similar place, but went in a very different direction. (2:16) I think that's a good summary. (2:17) It's not all he.(2:19) Some she's, right? (2:21) Yes. (2:21) Yes.(2:22) They. (2:22) Yes. (2:23) The people in the book.(2:26) Again, I'm trying to hit flow here.

Alan Lazaros

(2:28) His other books were comparing two companies in the same industry, and one that went on to be great versus just good. (2:33) He's doing the same thing with people. (2:35) Well, they all went on to be great though.(2:39) Just in different ways. (2:41) Indies. (2:42) Yeah.(2:42) In the new book. (2:43) Yeah. (2:43) You're farther along than I am.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:45) I bought this book like four days ago. (2:46) I bought it the day you did. (2:48) But audio.(2:49) So for me, I've been driving a lot more because I've been going back and forth. (2:54) The thing that jumped off the page today for me was he was talking about one of the most successful bands ever of all time, Led Zeppelin, before my day, unfortunately, but, and how they made a boatload of money got to the point where one of the band members died and they were willing to pay the remaining members like a hundred million dollars to do a tour. (3:17) And none of them were interested.(3:19) And the lead singer was just like going out to the desert to like perform for people. (3:25) He was going out to like random countries and performing to people on the street. (3:30) And it was interesting for me because I think the more I do this, the more I resonate with that.(3:37) Cool. (3:37) I never resonated with that in the beginning. (3:40) But like, cause you were in scarcity, man.(3:42) Well, yeah, but they were too. (3:44) He was talking about how one of the members of Led Zeppelin was talking about how they used to have to funnel gas out of people's cars so they could like get to the next place.

Alan Lazaros

(3:54) That was before they were in abundance though. (3:57) Yeah. (3:57) But now that they're in abundance, the motivation is different.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:02) But the motivation they said for us, and this was the line that jumped off the page, the reason I wanted to do this, the money was a means for us to do the things we loved. (4:11) Not we did the thing in order to make the money so we can make more money. (4:16) And again, easy to say when you're not in scarcity, like I understand that's where this hangup is.(4:22) That's where this hangup is.

Alan Lazaros

(4:23) So talk to us about when you were, when you were in a position where you didn't have enough personal money to have everything you want, you didn't understand why people would say, you didn't understand why people would do something like that. (4:43) It didn't make sense to me. (4:46) And now that you have not enough money to have everything you want, but like you're not struggling paycheck to paycheck by any means, you do get it.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:57) Hashtag grateful. (4:58) I get it. (4:58) Yeah.(4:59) I get it more. (4:59) But I think the reason is because in the beginning, if I only did this for the money, I never would have made it long enough to actually make any money doing it. (5:06) That's what I was trying to explain way back.(5:08) That's what you did. (5:10) You were like, yeah, but, but some money. (5:11) Well, I just, yeah, there needs to be a baseline for it.(5:14) Does it make more sense though?

Alan Lazaros

(5:16) It makes sense to me that money can't be the number one thing. (5:19) Yeah, but it can't be number six. (5:21) That was one of the best things.(5:22) Like Evan Carmichael, love him. (5:25) He's, he's taught you a lot. (5:26) I don't think he's taught me almost anything.(5:28) Evan, if you heard this, it is what it is. (5:30) One thing I loved that Evan said that he, I was like, dad is the best fucking way to put it. (5:37) Money cannot be number one, but it can't be 10.(5:40) It has to be number three. (5:42) Like it can't be number one or two though. (5:44) Growth and impact have to be first.(5:46) You don't think it could be two? (5:47) I don't. (5:49) It tracks.(5:49) It makes sense. (5:50) I, I, I can be, it can be number one. (5:53) It's just shouldn't, it's not optimal.(5:55) Like, obviously it can be number one. (5:56) Well, I meant like for success.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:59) You'd always bet on somebody that was mastery, impact, profitability in that order.

Alan Lazaros

(6:04) Yes. (6:05) Assuming that they are intelligent enough to know where the future is headed. (6:10) Like if they're selling horses when the car is invented metaphorically, right?(6:15) Then no, but if they know where the future is headed, yeah, of course, mastery and impact. (6:20) Like money is a by-product of mastery and impact. (6:22) Imagine I'm selling Alan's phone.(6:24) Well, I'm going to buy an iPhone because this thing's way fucking better. (6:29) Mastery and impact is underneath all money anyway. (6:32) Okay.(6:33) I saw a video earlier of Mike Tyson in his prime. (6:38) Whoa.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:39) Oh yeah, man. (6:40) Oh my goodness. (6:42) One of the scariest.(6:43) I'm surprised nobody died. (6:45) One of the scariest humans.

Alan Lazaros

(6:47) Of all time. (6:47) Of all time.

Alan Lazaros

(6:48) In some of the workouts he was doing was stupid, man, like on his head and shit. (6:53) But here's my point. (6:54) Mastery and impact came before the $450 million night.(6:57) You know what I mean? (6:58) Like he was the best fighter on the planet before that happened.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:00) Yeah. (7:01) And most people.

Alan Lazaros

(7:01) There is no money without mastery and impact. (7:03) It just seems like there is.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:04) Well, most people also don't know that like he studied all of the great fighters for you. (7:10) Of course. (7:10) Since he was.(7:12) Well, he got into boxing very young, but like he's every night. (7:15) How could anyone not know that?

Alan Lazaros

(7:17) Because.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:17) You don't just get that good. (7:18) Because nobody cares.

Alan Lazaros

(7:20) That's not nobody. (7:22) A small percentage of the population care.

Alan Lazaros

(7:24) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:24) Like. (7:25) Well, that's the piece, right? (7:26) There's not a large enough amount of people.(7:31) If, if. (7:32) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (7:33) Somebody comes across him in the street.(7:34) They're not going to talk. (7:35) They don't want to talk about that. (7:36) Like, why'd you, what was it like when you bit through that man's ear?(7:39) Like, what did that feel like to you? (7:41) Like they want to know that stuff. (7:42) That's salacious.

Alan Lazaros

(7:44) Not. (7:44) I would never ask that. (7:45) That was a dumb fucking question.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:46) I know.

Alan Lazaros

(7:47) No, but like, what did I just think? (7:52) He's good. (7:52) Like, you know what I mean?(7:54) You can't be the best in the world. (7:56) Unless you're studying the best in the world. (7:58) Yeah.(7:59) But I dude, I was of the same.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:00) I don't, I didn't. (8:02) I really, really liked him because he scared me. (8:05) So I studied him a lot.(8:06) And then I learned about how he used to like watch tape on all the greats. (8:09) I didn't know that. (8:10) Of course.(8:11) I never would have known that if I didn't like him as a fighter. (8:14) Again, don't pair me with him as a person. (8:16) But as a fighter, as a boxer, he was my favorite boxer.

Alan Lazaros

(8:20) It's like that's. (8:21) So mastery, impact, and then profitability. (8:23) That is actually how it works in life.(8:25) It doesn't always work that way. (8:26) That's why the NFT thing, there's nothing behind it. (8:31) You know?(8:33) And I don't want to say nothing. (8:34) Don't take that out of context. (8:36) It wasn't nothing.(8:36) But like, if you're selling a bag of air, eventually everyone finds out there's no mastery and impact underneath this. (8:42) This is just a bag of air. (8:44) Like eventually that, people find that out eventually.(8:46) You can't, you can succeed for a few years like that. (8:49) Maybe even a decade. (8:50) But you can't have a long lasting successful career on a bag of air.

Kevin Palmieri

(8:54) How do you convince somebody to the importance of mastery? (8:59) Because you didn't, I don't think you did with me.

Alan Lazaros

(9:01) I think, I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:03) I wish, I wish I listened.

Alan Lazaros

(9:05) I wish I listened. (9:06) Nice. (9:07) I appreciate that.(9:08) And I think it's important for the listeners for you to hear you say that. (9:11) Because mastery is unbelievably important. (9:14) I definitely wish I listened.(9:14) You can't be successful without it. (9:16) Even if it's unconscious. (9:18) Like you can't be a successful football player or basketball player or fighter or musician without mastery.(9:24) Like, it's impossible. (9:26) There are no successful musicians who suck.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:29) What's the definition of, I disagree with that. (9:31) For sure.

Alan Lazaros

(9:31) No, no, no. (9:32) They suck based on your perspective. (9:34) But they don't suck compared to, like, give me an example of someone who you think sucks.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:40) William Hunk.

Alan Lazaros

(9:41) I don't know who that is. (9:42) He got laughed off.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:43) That's viral.

Alan Lazaros

(9:44) No, no, no.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:45) He did like a record deal and stuff.

Alan Lazaros

(9:47) Is this Ganem style?

Kevin Palmieri

(9:48) No, no, no. (9:48) That's Psy. (9:49) First of all, how even dare you?

Alan Lazaros

(9:50) Dude, I don't know artists. (9:52) You know I don't care. (9:53) I don't know.(9:53) I don't know if I have a good example. (9:55) You're telling me they never practiced their craft even if it's a stupid craft? (9:59) No, no, they definitely did.(10:00) But like they are not on the high end. (10:02) I can sing better than William Hunk can. (10:04) Yeah, but they can do something better than you.(10:06) For sure. (10:07) Market, brand, persona. (10:09) Maybe they just have a better personality.(10:10) There's mastery underneath it. (10:12) No matter what. (10:12) There's something they're way better than you at.(10:14) Find it. (10:15) I don't, brother. (10:16) You gotta go look up William Hunk.(10:17) I don't think so. (10:19) There's nothing you can think of that this person is better than you at? (10:22) Well, then there's someone in his corner that's really good.(10:24) Well, to your point, he went viral and then he just rode the train. (10:27) But like he got a record deal. (10:28) Some people are successful just by being ridiculous.(10:32) Yeah. (10:32) You know what I mean? (10:33) Reality TV.(10:34) Some people were successful just by being a mess. (10:36) That's fair. (10:37) And then we wonder why they're still a mess, right?(10:38) They're being rewarded for it. (10:40) Anyways, to be continued. (10:41) Some people are famous just for being famous.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:42) William, if you're listening, I don't mean anything negative by this, okay?

Alan Lazaros

(10:45) I mean, you should probably.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:46) No, I don't. (10:46) Because he's probably... (10:47) No, no, no, he seems like a very positive human.(10:49) Yeah, he is. (10:49) Oh, okay.

Alan Lazaros

(10:49) No, never mind. (10:50) I don't know who he is. (10:51) But you gotta be good at something.(10:53) Maybe he's just a good dude. (10:54) Maybe that's what it is. (10:54) William, I hope you're a good dude.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:55) Don't let me down, brother.

Alan Lazaros

(10:56) All right, that sounds good. (10:57) Anyways, back to the point. (10:59) Explain mastery, simplest terms.(11:01) Getting ridiculously good at something that adds value to others. (11:06) Okay. (11:06) Even if it's perceived value.(11:08) Okay, so let's unpack this a little bit. (11:15) I know you're gonna hate this. (11:16) Just bear with me.(11:18) How much, huh? (11:19) How much? (11:21) How much would Michael Jordan get paid to play basketball 200 years ago?(11:24) How much? (11:25) It's zero because the basketball didn't exist. (11:27) Right?(11:28) There's no market. (11:30) Right? (11:30) But if there's a huge percentage of people that love basketball, then now Michael Jordan being the best makes him more valuable.(11:38) One of the hardest things on earth is the fact that you can be really valuable and no one cares. (11:42) I know. (11:43) Like my value to Emilia is different than my value to you.(11:48) You know what I mean? (11:49) Like you don't care about certain things. (11:51) Like you don't care if I'm attractive.(11:52) It doesn't matter to you, but it helps. (11:55) Maybe in business, but you don't care. (11:57) No, but like it helps in business.(12:00) Okay, fair. (12:01) That doesn't make my point very well, but I'm glad you think that's good. (12:05) It's definitely, of course it's good.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:06) When you and I paired up in the beginning.

Alan Lazaros

(12:08) But even that is vanity. (12:09) It doesn't actually matter. (12:10) It only matters in like our business will be more successful because we're good looking.(12:16) Great. (12:16) Awesome. (12:17) There's no real utility in being good looking except for that.(12:20) Fair, fair. (12:22) Right. (12:22) It's just marketing.(12:23) Yeah. (12:23) Right? (12:23) Yeah.(12:24) Okay, but my point back to mastery is. (12:26) Sorry. (12:31) To start this off properly, all success is mastery when you get underneath it.(12:39) Almost, let me rephrase, 99.9% of success is mastery when you get underneath it. (12:44) You and I had a mentor where there was no mastery underneath it other than partying and hoodwinking people.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:49) Yeah, but that's what he was really good at.

Alan Lazaros

(12:51) Ah, exactly. (12:52) And he's unbelievable at perception, except for when you're intelligent and realize that he's a snake. (12:56) Okay.(12:57) So perception is, perception and status is unfortunately what a lot of people master. (13:04) And I think that sucks because there's no, there's nothing real underneath it. (13:08) And I think that that's the definition of a snake.(13:10) Selling something that doesn't have real value.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:13) How do you, I'm asking this to myself too, because if I could have solved this problem for myself earlier, who knows what would have happened? (13:22) How do you convince somebody that it's not about the money?

Alan Lazaros

(13:26) That's like, you help them understand at a deeper level that mastery and impact come first, even if they don't know that. (13:35) And if the mastery is a 10, the impact can be a 10. (13:38) But you can't have level two mastery with only, with level 10 impact.(13:43) Except for very extreme situations like whatever hung. (13:46) I don't, William, no, nor do I care to be honest. (13:49) I just don't, I can't even, man.(13:52) If he's a good dude, that's great. (13:53) Don't care. (13:53) So mastery, impact, profitability.(13:55) It's in that order. (13:58) The best companies on earth sell the best products.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:01) How do you master something when you're so scarce? (14:05) Like that, that's the piece, you know, when you don't have your basic human needs met. (14:10) And again, like, you know, I had a place to live and I wasn't starving.(14:13) That's a fine line, right? (14:15) There are definitely, there is a large group of humans on this planet that don't have their basic human needs met.

Alan Lazaros

(14:19) So I'm not saying. (14:20) I think no one sat you down and communicated this well enough. (14:22) And honestly, that's on me too.(14:25) Like the fact that you're getting this now is fucking alarming for both of us. (14:28) I got it sooner.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:29) It's not, I'm not getting it now, but dude, honestly, I didn't really hear that many examples of it.

Alan Lazaros

(14:35) Brother, when I got straight A's in school, it was because I knew I'd make more money. (14:39) Yeah. (14:39) Like I knew I'd make more money than you.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:41) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(14:41) And you knew that too, right?

Kevin Palmieri

(14:43) Yeah. (14:44) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(14:45) Okay. (14:45) And so why didn't you care about school? (14:48) Like school?(14:49) Because I knew. (14:49) Statistically speaking, the people who do better in school, if you could, if I could show you the graph of how much more money they make, it's alarming. (14:56) I mean, it's not even close.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:56) Cause I knew.

Alan Lazaros

(14:57) Now there's exceptions. (14:58) I didn't want to do that route. (14:59) I didn't want to do that route.(15:00) I didn't want to do like a corporate in that. (15:02) So that's why you followed like a Mike Tyson because he didn't go to school. (15:05) Right.(15:05) That's why I wanted to. (15:06) Yeah, exactly. (15:07) But you found out that mastery was underneath it all.(15:11) Why didn't you lock onto that? (15:13) I'm not actually attacking you. (15:14) I genuinely don't know.(15:15) Like you studied one of the best fighters on earth and you didn't say like mastery was the way. (15:21) I resonated with his pain more than anything. (15:25) Well, so take away his pain.(15:26) You take away his mastery, take away his mastery. (15:28) You take away his success. (15:29) It's, it's a lot of dots to connect.(15:31) And I think that I'm finally accepting that my ability to connect dots was, was great. (15:37) Uh, and that's nice. (15:39) I said that.(15:40) Nice. (15:40) Cool. (15:41) All right.(15:41) So I would always study. (15:45) Oh, that's why. (15:46) Cause I remember, okay.(15:47) Like the popular girls in high school would like this loser. (15:51) And it's like, what the, I'm more valuable than this guy, but it didn't make sense to me. (15:57) So I had to go figure out why it turns out attraction matters.(16:00) It turns out height matters. (16:02) It turns out not looking like a child matters. (16:05) Like, and so I just decided, okay, I'm going to reverse engineer and look like Captain America done.(16:10) And then I, you know, made my dreams come true, but you can reverse engineer everything. (16:16) Anything can be reverse engineered. (16:17) It's called decoding greatness.(16:18) And you just didn't study Mike Tyson and connect enough dots to go. (16:24) Oh, yes. (16:25) He's a pain.(16:26) Yes. (16:26) He's a genetic freak and he mastered. (16:29) And if you had connected that mastery dot dude, everything could be different.(16:33) That's what I'm trying to do. (16:34) I don't think I believe that could man.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:36) Ah, damn. (16:37) I do because self-belief again, I knew more about his journey than anybody. (16:41) I knew my mom got me into boxing and my mom loved Mike Tyson.

Alan Lazaros

(16:46) You could have been a professional fighter if you had actually dialed the same. (16:49) I just didn't get it. (16:52) Damn.(16:52) It seems so freaking obvious now. (16:56) I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(16:56) It does. (16:57) But so does certain things for me, right?

Alan Lazaros

(16:59) Yeah. (16:59) But I catch myself.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:00) It's like, I'm talking to someone and they're like, yeah, I know. (17:02) I really hope I can be successful. (17:03) It's like, yeah, just do this for another, like five to 10 years.(17:07) Like it's going to, you know, things will happen. (17:09) And then it's like, oh my God, you've turned into Helen. (17:12) No, you can't say that.(17:13) Like, that's not going to work. (17:14) You have to get to the root of like, do you enjoy what you're doing? (17:18) Yes.(17:19) Okay. (17:20) The only thing you need to worry about right now is to make enough money to survive doing this for the next amount of years.

Alan Lazaros

(17:24) That's it. (17:25) Assuming the future is headed that way. (17:27) Well, yes.(17:27) That's the key. (17:28) Like you cannot, do not get good at truck driving right now. (17:32) I know you're going to villainize me for this, but self, I have a client who Ubers.(17:37) She makes a ton of extra money Ubering. (17:39) I said, do this now because that's gone within five years. (17:42) I'm talking probably three, maybe two.(17:43) A lot of these companies have just cars that pick you up. (17:46) Now that's never going away. (17:49) Now, is it possible that it goes away?(17:51) And here's my point. (17:53) It's an eventuality. (17:56) Wayne Gretzky quote skate to where the puck is going to go.(17:58) I know it's corny. (17:59) I don't care. (18:00) I actually mean it.(18:01) Like this is where the future's headed. (18:03) Make sure you fit in it, right? (18:05) The podcasting podcasts will still be around.(18:08) I'm certain of it. (18:09) That's why I'm still here. (18:10) If I was a hundred percent sure podcasts would not be around in five years, not a fucking chance.(18:15) I'd even be on this episode. (18:17) You have to go to where the future is. (18:19) We, Bob Proctor, RIP.(18:21) He had a great line. (18:22) I was listening to him during one of my miles recently. (18:24) He said, we don't have a choice on whether or not technology is going to change our lives.(18:29) Nobody gets to vote on this. (18:31) AI is here, whether you like it or fucking not. (18:34) You better get with the program and get with it quick.(18:36) You don't have a choice. (18:38) Self-driving cars. (18:39) Oh, well, that's not fair.(18:40) I don't care. (18:41) The world doesn't care. (18:43) Okay.(18:43) If they can do it faster, better, cheaper, without a driver and no liability, they're going to do that. (18:49) And that's how the world improves. (18:51) That's why less people are starving now than ever, because we have technology that can produce more food for less time and effort and money.(18:58) This is not my opinion. (18:59) This is a principle. (19:00) Don't hate me.(19:01) Understand that this is how the world operates. (19:04) And at the end of the day, if you find something that's deeply meaningful, that you can master, that the future also needs, that last one is critical, brother. (19:13) If everyone stopped liking boxing, Mike Tyson wouldn't be successful.

Kevin Palmieri

(19:18) We at one, at some point, and again, I know this would be like extremely uncomfortable for you. (19:22) I think we should probably do an episode on AI and like lay out from your perspective. (19:29) I don't know.(19:30) I feel like if we could do it in a really constructive way, that was teetering on like very intense, which I understand you're very intense about it. (19:39) But like, I don't know. (19:41) There's a lot of people out there that don't know.(19:44) They don't know. (19:45) They don't know that Waymo is a company where you just click an app and the car just comes and gets you. (19:50) And there's nobody in the car.(19:51) You just sit in the backseat. (19:51) I don't know that. (19:53) I mean, it's on, Jesus, it's on social media.

Alan Lazaros

(19:55) Everyone, if you're listening to this show, you need to know tech. (19:59) But you don't need to know what so-and-so tweeted. (20:02) You certainly don't need to know what the Kardashians are doing.(20:04) You need to know tech. (20:05) But we have to start the conversation. (20:07) Okay.(20:08) I think it's up to us.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:08) I'm sorry for yelling. (20:09) No, no, you're good.

Alan Lazaros

(20:10) I apologize for cursing.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:11) But that would be an episode where like I pick your brain. (20:14) Because again, I don't know. (20:16) I can't claim to know.(20:17) I do know in the podcast world, AI podcasts are a thing. (20:20) That's going to get overdone. (20:21) People are going to fucking hate that.

Alan Lazaros

(20:22) We can do 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. (20:24) And I have a pretty good idea. (20:26) Okay.(20:27) We'll do that. (20:27) And when I say this, the disclaimers at the beginning need to be hefty, which is like, this is all an educated guess based on my understanding of the past and the present. (20:37) You can predict the future within probabilities based on understanding of the past and the present.(20:43) It's not like, here's a good example. (20:45) Well, there's a car and a plane. (20:46) I'm pretty sure a rocket ship might be next.(20:49) It's not that hard to connect when you actually understand it. (20:52) And I think it's important that people are, we did an episode on imagination, fantasy versus imagination versus visualization versus action. (21:05) And that was a breakthrough for me because I didn't realize how much of mine is visualization versus fantasy.(21:13) I don't even entertain my fantasies. (21:15) Fantasy means it's not tied to reality. (21:17) I don't even entertain them.(21:18) I think they're a waste of my time. (21:20) Seriously. (21:20) Uh, imagination is, is a little closer to reality.(21:25) Visualization is a little closer to reality. (21:26) Taking action. (21:27) That's where the rubber meets the road.(21:29) That's why I like fundamentals. (21:31) And that's actually why I don't like AI a ton, which we can talk about. (21:34) And I'm not saying I dislike AI.(21:36) I just, I think it's wildly misused. (21:39) Yeah. (21:40) I think it would be valuable.(21:41) I think it would be a valuable episode to do. (21:43) Okay. (21:43) Yeah.(21:43) I think it'd be valuable. (21:44) And it's just like, it's important. (21:46) I'm in.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:46) Yeah. (21:46) I've gotten that pain and it was just a matter of like getting to it. (21:50) Where in the order?

Alan Lazaros

(21:51) As long as it's not for views or listens, but it's because it's important, then I'm gay.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:55) Look, I've given up on that. (21:57) I gave up on that a long time ago. (21:59) I care less.(22:00) I'm recording this in my mother and grandmother's kitchen. (22:03) You think I care about views? (22:05) No.(22:05) That's the title. (22:06) Well, I'm recording this in the kitchen. (22:08) A man in his kitchen, where he grew up.(22:09) Mom and me in his kitchen. (22:10) No, I want it to be. (22:12) Technically not where you grew up, right?(22:13) No, but I'm like eight minutes from you right now. (22:16) I could be to your house in a jiff. (22:17) I want to do episodes that are, like, I want it to be valuable.(22:20) And I think as uncomfortable and shitty as of an episode is something like that might be to do. (22:27) It's valuable.

Alan Lazaros

(22:29) Yeah, I agree. (22:29) It's valuable. (22:30) Valuable and important, I think, are what we're using.(22:33) And if it's valuable and important, then I'm in. (22:35) All right. (22:35) 100%.(22:36) Cool. (22:36) All right. (22:36) Because ultimately that's the mission.(22:38) That is the mission. (22:39) It's not about money. (22:40) The mission is still what you'll never learn in school, but desperately need to know for me.(22:45) And how to help people reach their full potential. (22:46) And quite frankly, they can't if they don't understand the future.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:50) Last thing before we go. (22:51) I have a client who, how do I keep… (22:53) They lost somebody very close to them recently.(22:56) And the next call after that happened, they were like, we want to reattach and attach deeper to the why behind what we're doing. (23:07) And I think that's like a really… (23:09) If you've ever had something really hard or really terrible or a tragedy happen to you and it reattaches you to your why, that's what I'm talking about with this.(23:18) But you just have to find a way to do it yourself. (23:20) When it comes to like, get really good at something. (23:23) Do the thing because you love it.(23:25) Make sure it's going to be around in the future. (23:26) Go practice it. (23:27) Get good at it.(23:28) Earn enough to survive. (23:29) And then eventually, you'll… (23:31) I'm not going to say you'll have more money than you know what to do with, because that doesn't work for everybody.

Alan Lazaros

(23:34) But like, those are the precursors. (23:36) If all those line up though, you'll be profitable. (23:39) If all those…(23:40) I mean, you said all the marks. (23:42) And you have to do it even when you don't love it. (23:45) I think that's the one caveat is like, just because we love this doesn't mean we always want to do it.(23:50) I don't want to do that episode at all. (23:52) I think it's important, so I will. (23:54) Do you want to coach now more than ever?(23:56) Always.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:57) 24-7. (23:57) I want to podcast more than ever. (23:59) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(23:59) I mean, dude, I've been one, two, three, four, five, six. (24:02) Six today, about to be seven. (24:04) I want to do that for the rest of my life.(24:07) That's my favorite work in the world. (24:09) As long as the person's humble and willing to work, it's great.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:14) Well, that's the other thing too, is when you do something long enough, other things become obvious. (24:19) It's like, I don't want to coach as much as Alan does. (24:22) But I want to do this.(24:23) I want to do this part. (24:24) I want to podcast. (24:25) Let's do it.(24:26) I want to podcast. (24:27) That's my jam. (24:27) It's my favorite thing in the world.(24:28) Again, I'm sweating profusely in the kitchen. (24:31) Whatever. (24:32) I could care less.(24:33) This is awesome. (24:33) It's the best. (24:34) All right.(24:34) Totally random. (24:35) What is that brand? (24:37) What brand?(24:37) This? (24:38) Yeah. (24:38) Hurley.(24:40) Okay.

Alan Lazaros

(24:40) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(24:41) It's like my favorite stuff. (24:43) Yeah. (24:43) You always wear it.(24:44) I never knew what it was. (24:45) Yeah. (24:45) It's Hurley and it's for like surfers and skaters.(24:48) But I don't do either of those, but whatever. (24:51) I like the stuff and it's comfortable. (24:53) Nice.(24:53) Anything you want to say before we go?

Alan Lazaros

(24:56) No. (24:57) I love the new branding and we're launching a new site. (25:02) I was on with our website person earlier.(25:04) Yeah. (25:04) NLU will have a new feel, new look. (25:06) Uh, and we're still at the core of the same, which is character-driven male role models who, who want to do important work that helps people flourish.(25:16) Yeah. (25:17) Cool. (25:17) It's good stuff, man.(25:17) Good stuff.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:18) All right. (25:18) If you want to flourish, one of the best ways to do it, get a coach. (25:21) Alan, as you have heard, has dedicated his entire day to helping his clients.(25:24) He does that every day. (25:25) So yeah, reach out to Alan. (25:26) And if you're looking to get more fit, I'm sweating profusely.(25:30) Next level fitness accountability group. (25:32) I am Jones in because I haven't exercised in two days, which is like the longest I've gone without exercise in a minute. (25:36) But I'm excited to get back.(25:38) If you are excited to get back to fitness, join the Next Level Fitness Accountability Group on WhatsApp. (25:42) Reach out to Alan and or myself. (25:43) We'll let you in.(25:44) As always, we love you. (25:45) Appreciate you. (25:45) Grateful for each and every one of you.(25:47) 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. (25:52) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential. (25:55) Next elimination.(25:57) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (26:00) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(26:03) We mean it when we say family. (26:05) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (26:09) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(26:12) Thank you again and we will talk to you tomorrow.