Why A Checklist Isn’t Enough (2503)

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In today’s episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros discuss why a checklist can help you complete a task but cannot create lasting personal growth, career success, or high performance on its own. They explain the difference between one-time action and a process you improve for years, and why most people lose momentum when they mistake motivation for a system.

Drawing on their experience coaching clients, building businesses, and creating more than 2,500 episodes, Kevin and Alan share how to filter distractions, prioritize meaningful work, and identify the skills your goals actually require. This conversation will challenge you to stop looking for quick formulas and start building the discipline, self-awareness, and consistency needed to master what matters.

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Show notes:
(2:03) How to prioritize work that creates long-term results
(4:31) Why most ideas should not become commitments
(10:43) Why ideas do not replace disciplined action
(13:53) The process mindset behind real mastery
(16:03) Choose the work your goals require
(19:55) Turn one-time actions into lasting habits
(21:24) Decide in advance what you will master
(26:39) Outro

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

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

Transcript

(0:00) I believe a checklist is one of the best things in the world. (0:04) But if when you are done with your checklist, it goes away and builds dust, (0:07) it is essentially going to get you success for one day and then failure for the rest of your life. (0:13) The mindset of a checklist is that you do X, Y, and Z, and you get as a result A, B, and C. (0:21) An SOP, a standard operating procedure, is a cycle that you run and improve and iterate (0:27) upon that I think is way more powerful long term.(0:29) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:32) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:34) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazaros.(0:37) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no BS approach to holistic (0:42) self-improvement for dream chasers. (0:43) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth. (0:50) We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, (0:56) self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, (1:01) consistency, habits, and defining your own unique version of success.(1:06) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:12) Welcome to Next Level University. (1:18) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,503, Why a Checklist Isn't Enough.(1:23) I had a call, a shout out to Barrett, new to the team. (1:29) Barrett. (1:30) I said, hey, can you do me a favor? (1:32) When you're editing the next video you do for this client, just make me an SOP.(1:36) He said, real quick, what's an SOP? (1:38) Great question, man. (1:39) Great question. (1:40) I said, it's essentially just a checklist that evolves over time as the process evolves over (1:45) time.(1:45) He said, so just like a checklist? (1:47) I said, just a checklist is great. (1:48) Every time we adjust it, we change something, we just adjust the checklist. (1:51) Bada bing, bada boom.(1:52) It's a never ending checklist. (1:54) Well, that's the thing. (1:54) That is the difference, right? (1:56) We have what we call rolling MITs, the rolling most important tasks.(2:01) Rolling for a reason. (2:03) Because it's always growing, it's always expanding, you're always checking things off. (2:07) But in theory, you should really never, ever, ever get to a place where there's nothing on (2:12) there.(2:13) Nice. (2:13) Will you get to a place where you don't have enough time to do it in that day to fully check (2:17) it off? (2:17) Sure, maybe. (2:18) How many do you got? (2:20) How many do I have on there right now? (2:21) Oh boy, less than you for sure, because I'm a G. (2:26) Um, how do I even, 32.(2:30) How did you find that so fast? (2:31) It says over all tasks starred and then lists my tasks. (2:37) It has the number next to it. (2:40) How dare you? (2:40) Yeah, I'm a G like that, so it's not a big deal.(2:44) Hold on. (2:45) I'm going to guess you have probably 150. (2:48) No.(2:49) No, way better? (2:50) Yeah, I've been doing better. (2:52) 140. (2:53) 20.(2:54) 20. (2:55) I've been extremely discerning with what I put on here. (2:59) I have not been lately.(3:01) Yeah, I, we talked about this on an episode probably two weeks ago, where maybe three. (3:10) Remember how I said I used to have a hundred things to do and I would get the top 10 done. (3:14) Now I have 10 things to do.(3:15) I get the top two done type of thing. (3:17) Yeah. (3:17) So I'm getting much better in this case.(3:20) It's 20 things and I get the top four done, but it's the 80, 20 principle where 20% of (3:27) effort produces 80% of results. (3:31) You basically have to have this rolling MIT list that never ends, that you're constantly (3:38) putting things on and then eliminating things based on what's urgent, significant, and important. (3:43) It's called 3D thinking about productivity.(3:46) Urgent means it's due right now. (3:49) This podcast episode is urgent. (3:50) It's important, meaning it's high value task, meaning no one else can do it.(3:55) You and me, brother. (3:56) Just us, baby. (3:57) Just us.(3:58) And it's significant, meaning it pays dividends long-term. (4:01) It compounds over time. (4:05) One good example of something that's urgent that isn't that important is maybe the dishes (4:09) in the sink.(4:10) One good example of something that's significant would be investing in an investment (4:15) account a little bit each month and it compounds over time. (4:18) Something that's really important is writing the book. (4:21) The book is never urgent though.(4:22) Unless you have a publisher with a deadline, it's never urgent, so it never gets done. (4:27) And so I know that's not the point of this, but ultimately the rolling MIT list is an (4:31) SOP that I try to have all my peak performance coaching clients do where every time you (4:37) have an idea, I think ideas are so annoying. (4:41) I have so many ideas all the time.(4:44) I'll be listening to a book and I'm like, oh, that's a great idea. (4:47) I'll be listening to a podcast. (4:49) Great idea.(4:50) I'll be, I don't listen to podcasts that often. (4:52) I'll be reviewing our show. (4:53) Oh, you know what we should do? (4:54) And then I put it on a list and then I delete it from the list a week later.(4:58) I'm being playful with this, but the truth is for every hundred ideas you have, you should (5:03) can at least 90 of them. (5:06) You give yourself credit for ideas you deleted if you don't do them. (5:09) No, same, but I just wanted to know.(5:14) No, no, no. (5:16) Nope. (5:17) I don't usually put them on the list if I'm not going to do them.(5:21) That makes sense. (5:22) Yeah. (5:22) Like has to cross a certain threshold before it even goes on the list.(5:25) Well, let's, let's do this. (5:27) So, and also, I just want to make sure this was, that wasn't the point of the episode. (5:30) So I want to make sure you remember what we wanted to talk about.(5:33) Yeah, I do. (5:34) Okay. (5:34) But I think it's important.(5:35) The same, same. (5:36) So you used to talk about how you have low self-belief. (5:40) Mm-hmm.(5:41) I think the more self-belief you have, and I would love your take on this because maybe (5:46) this is wildly off. (5:48) I think you get more ideas. (5:50) The more self-belief you have, the more ideas you have.(5:54) I don't think that's been my journey. (5:56) I think I actually have less ideas. (5:58) Is that because, okay, why explain? (6:01) Because I think a lot of my ideas were based on delusional and being naive.(6:05) Okay. (6:06) So now it's more like. (6:09) I almost, I don't bully myself.(6:13) It's not the right word. (6:14) I stop myself. (6:15) It's like, okay, here's, this is an idea.(6:17) And then it's like, honestly, give you Jesus. (6:27) Oh my God. (6:28) Today, I saw an ad for a title boxing gym in my town.(6:32) I was like, I'm going to fucking go do boxing lessons. (6:34) And not three seconds later. (6:35) I was like, that's the dumbest shit I've heard in my time.(6:37) There's no way you're going to, there's no way you have time to do that. (6:41) I'm so glad you're having this conversation. (6:43) But I want to, but I can't.(6:45) Of course you want to. (6:46) Yeah, it would be awesome. (6:47) Ideas are a dime a dozen.(6:48) There is more to, I believe it was Lion King in 1994. (6:51) Circle of life. (6:53) There's more to do than can ever be done.(6:55) That is wisdom right there. (6:56) That is wisdom. (6:57) That is.(6:57) So you have to be discerning. (7:00) So Emilia and I, uh, obviously live together and she sent me a picture of a blender. (7:12) Beautiful slush crush, 60 ounce, four speed frozen drink maker.(7:18) Wow. (7:19) Little slushy action, right? (7:20) For the summer. (7:21) I screenshot it.(7:22) Don't we already have one of these? (7:24) I took a picture. (7:25) Is this not the same? (7:27) It's a different blender we have. (7:30) Negative.(7:30) This is a blender without slushy spout. (7:33) I said, okay. (7:35) All right.(7:36) She said, uh, duh, duh, duh, duh. (7:38) Make sure I keep all that. (7:39) Good, good, good.(7:41) Our life has minimal margin for pleasure slash enjoyment. (7:45) And I wouldn't want you to pull capital to that. (7:48) If you're not all in right now, either, this is how we talk.(7:51) Okay. (7:52) Yep. (7:52) I'm not all in on it.(7:54) I don't really need slushies. (7:55) I don't give a shit. (7:55) I said, I'm not, I think it's a knickknack Patty whack.(7:58) No one will use, but if you will, my baby wants, my baby gets your call. (8:03) Uh, she said, I'm thinking I'm in a meeting right now. (8:05) So here's the deal.(8:07) Ideas are stupid. (8:08) Most of the time. (8:09) And I think it takes humility to admit that this slushie maker might be the worst idea ever.(8:14) And honestly, everyone out there just, just hear, hear me for a sec. (8:19) How much dumb shit do you buy? (8:23) Everybody buys so much useless shit. (8:26) They don't use less than ever though.(8:27) I have a jacket that I bought. (8:29) That is enough. (8:30) It is so small on me and, and, and I'm literally going to give it to you.(8:35) You might not ever wear it. (8:36) No, I love it. (8:36) Dude.(8:37) Okay. (8:37) There's a running joke in my household. (8:39) I will not buy a jacket.(8:40) I don't own a jacket. (8:41) I don't care. (8:42) It's stupid.(8:43) I walked to the car and then I walked to wherever I'm going. (8:45) I have, it's nice. (8:47) It's nice.(8:47) I don't know if you'll like it. (8:48) We'll see. (8:48) I'm going to give it to you.(8:50) It's smaller. (8:51) I'm six, two. (8:52) You're whatever.(8:54) Shorter. (8:54) I think it will fit you. (8:55) I do.(8:55) I think it'll fit you. (8:56) Plus you're leaner than I am right now. (8:58) Temporarily.(8:59) But here's my point for a long time, Instagram, Facebook, all these social media platforms, (9:05) TikTok, they are literally bombarding you with useless shit you do not need. (9:11) Now, every now and then there's a gem. (9:14) Every now and then there's a gem.(9:16) I'm with it. (9:17) I'm with this shirt was an Instagram ad. (9:19) I kid you not.(9:21) It's a gem. (9:22) Respect it. (9:22) It's a gem.(9:24) Now, you have to be very careful. (9:27) I coach people in finance. (9:28) I know this wasn't the point.(9:29) I have seen so many people have so many ideas for so long that what percentage of ideas (9:38) do you think people actually make happen? (9:42) Oh, man. (9:43) I think it depends on how quickly they take action. (9:46) I would say if you're a very quick action taker, I just bought, remember how you were (9:52) buying the slate drinks, the energy protein drinks? (9:55) I'm not paying for that.(9:56) Not a chance. (9:57) Couldn't be me. (9:57) I'm not paying $4 for a fucking can of caffeine.(10:01) I can't. (10:02) I won't do it. (10:03) Yeah, I refuse to do it.(10:04) Found a better brand. (10:05) $2.22 or something per can. (10:07) I'm in.(10:08) Except, you know how long it took me to find it, though? (10:11) Six months. (10:12) That was an idea I had six months ago. (10:14) I probably shouldn't be hammering monsters, even though I love them.(10:17) We have a really nice espresso machine, but it's hot. (10:21) I don't really want to be having espresso when it's 100 degrees out. (10:24) That's not the jam for me.(10:26) And I am terrible about consuming protein after my workouts. (10:30) Terrible. (10:31) Boom.(10:32) Bada bing, bada boom. (10:33) Win-win. (10:33) But that took me six months.(10:35) You've got to look for those little tweaks. (10:37) Love it. (10:38) 0.1% improvement.(10:39) Let's get to the point of the episode, which is a good segue. (10:43) The point of this episode was not, hey, your ideas suck. (10:47) Although I do think most ideas do suck.(10:50) Mine included. (10:52) Everybody has ideas. (10:54) That's not the separating factor.(10:56) It's not. (10:57) The personal development industry is so annoying with that. (10:59) It's like, you don't need more money.(11:00) You need ideas. (11:01) That's the dumbest shit ever. (11:04) You know what you need? (11:05) Work ethic.(11:06) You know what you need? (11:07) To do things no one else wants to do. (11:09) You know what you need? (11:10) To spend less and learn how to earn more. (11:12) You know what you need? (11:12) A freaking job.(11:13) You don't need ideas, okay? (11:15) You need to do your resume and apply to jobs and feel terrible about yourself. (11:19) There's nothing worse for your self-worth than applying to jobs. (11:22) Okay, I'm helping a lot of people get an online job right now.(11:25) A lot of people. (11:25) Like three people. (11:27) It's a lot of people.(11:29) Career dev. (11:30) It is so bad for their self-worth. (11:34) So bad.(11:34) But once they get a job, it's going to be no problem. (11:36) I can only imagine. (11:37) This is like your, this is your life's work on a, on two sheets, one sheet of paper.(11:40) I'm sure you would know what I'm saying, right? (11:42) And it's like, it takes a hundred applications to get 30 interviews and 10 second interviews (11:49) and three jobs and two of the offers you don't want. (11:52) I mean, when I get, when I get really successful, (11:54) I'm going to go apply to a couple of places that I couldn't get back in the day. (11:57) And I'm going to fucking get it.(11:58) And I'm going to say, fuck yeah. (11:59) I'm not interested. (12:00) Not interested.(12:01) Thank you so much. (12:02) Waste everyone's time. (12:03) That really feels good because when I was 17 years old, you said I was not capable of (12:07) working here.(12:08) I proved you wrong, didn't I? (12:09) Yeah. (12:09) You're going to go in and buy the place, right? (12:10) 20 years. (12:12) So the reason this episode is happening is because I told Kev that I was on with a client (12:17) earlier, and I think personal brand is the future.(12:22) He's an actor. (12:23) And I said, you got to build a personal brand. (12:25) You're an actor, you're a model, do theater, you're into fitness, all this stuff.(12:31) The one thing in the center is you. (12:34) And I believe that human connection, belonging and community is the future in the world of AI. (12:39) And I think people are automating the wrong things.(12:43) Your personal brand needs a heartbeat. (12:46) It's a good way to put it. (12:47) You can tell when it's empty, right? (12:51) And my social media, albeit still a work in progress, which is the point of this episode, (12:59) has a heartbeat.(13:00) It's me. (13:01) You don't have to like it. (13:02) You don't have to like me, but it's definitely me.(13:04) And I make sure it's aligned with me. (13:06) And I think that personal brand has more meaning than someone who automates it and just lets (13:13) AI do all of it. (13:15) So my point was, you know, you got to master social media.(13:19) That's a part of this. (13:20) You're a podcaster. (13:21) You're an actor.(13:21) Awesome. (13:22) He said, well, how do I do Instagram? (13:24) And I said, honestly, here's how you decide in advance to master Instagram. (13:30) And then you post one story and one feed minimum per day for the next six months.(13:37) And you fail forward and you screw it all up. (13:40) And you learn every time you don't know how to do something. (13:42) Like, how do I change? (13:43) He's like, well, you can't change the thumbnails of Reels.(13:45) I said, of course you can. (13:47) He's like, well, how do you do that? (13:48) I showed him. (13:49) Brother, Google it.(13:50) Right? (13:51) I'm all for it. (13:53) The point of this episode is a checklist mentality is I'm going to do XYZ and I'm going to get (13:59) ABC. (14:00) That is unintelligent.(14:02) That's not how it works. (14:05) An SOP is I'm going to do XYZ over and over and over and over and over again for the rest (14:11) of my goddamn life. (14:12) And I'm going to have an ABC life because of it.(14:16) SOPs are never ending. (14:18) I'm all for a checklist. (14:19) You got to, you know, you're traveling this weekend, write it on the whiteboard or wherever, (14:23) check it off.(14:23) Like, make sure you pack your knickknacks and paddywhacks. (14:26) I'm all with it. (14:27) What I'm not with is when it comes to your career, there is no checklist one and done (14:32) there.(14:32) You're never arriving. (14:33) There is no arrival. (14:35) Kevin and I are super successful.(14:37) Awesome. (14:37) Go us. (14:38) Congratulations.(14:38) Now what? (14:39) Let's do better and let's keep doing what we're doing, but do it harder. (14:42) It's harder, brother. (14:43) I don't understand where people get that.(14:46) Like, this is the thought that I got you. (14:49) Because I've used this. (14:50) I've talked about how success has a recipe.(14:52) It does not have it. (14:54) It does. (14:55) But the store is open every day.(14:57) Always. (14:57) So it's not just you crack the code. (15:00) Okay.(15:00) This amount, this amount, this temperature about a bang. (15:02) Cool. (15:02) Awesome.(15:03) I keep saying about it being about a boom. (15:04) I don't know why. (15:05) I've been saying that a lot lately.(15:06) Knickknack, paddywhack, bada bing, bada boom, bada bing, bada boom, knickknack, paddywhack. (15:10) It's but it's every day. (15:11) It's not a recipe that you learn once and then you just, it just works forever.(15:15) It's a recipe that has to be practiced every day. (15:17) And I do. (15:17) I think that is the understanding that a lot of people don't actually get because they don't (15:22) do the thing long enough to actually get the benefit.(15:24) And then they see, oh my goodness, I have to do this. (15:27) It is. (15:27) It's just a never ending treadmill.(15:29) But the view gets better. (15:31) Yeah. (15:32) But you're still.(15:34) On a treadmill. (15:35) Forever. (15:36) For every day.(15:37) Forever. (15:38) Forever. (15:39) Poke holes in that.(15:40) I totally get it. (15:41) It makes perfect sense. (15:42) It sucks.(15:43) The point of life is not to chill. (15:45) The hole, the hole is the poking of the hole is it sucks. (15:48) And, but at least it gets to be your treadmill.(15:52) Yeah. (15:52) And it does get, it gets easier in certain ways as it gets harder. (15:56) Right.(15:56) So like. (15:57) Because you get better. (15:58) You get better.(15:59) There's certain things like that are definitely going to improve. (16:03) It's almost like you have to pick the thing. (16:05) So social media, whether we like it or not for Kevin and I, at least our goals.(16:11) We have to do social media. (16:13) We would be silly not to. (16:15) Okay.(16:15) Want love, hate, want more listeners, love one-on-one coaching, hate social media. (16:20) That's my truth. (16:21) Okay.(16:22) What can I do on social media that I don't hate? (16:25) Or maybe I hate it less. (16:27) All right. (16:28) Social media is a category that you and I both have to mask.(16:32) It's a treadmill we have to be on forever. (16:34) Yeah. (16:35) Yeah.(16:36) For the, like, listen, TikTok might go away. (16:38) Social media isn't. (16:40) X might change.(16:41) Social media isn't. (16:42) Instagram might change. (16:43) Social media isn't going away.(16:45) So social media is the category. (16:47) Pick your platform and get to work. (16:50) Now you don't have to do any of this if you don't have goals that require it.(16:53) Well, not this specifically. (16:55) Yeah, exactly. (16:55) But fitness, we're going to be on the treadmill forever.(16:59) So pick your treadmill, design it and iterate. (17:02) So the checklist mentality is I'm going to do X, Y, Z, and now I'm done for X result. (17:09) The SOP mentality is I'm going to do this and get better at it forever.(17:13) So Instagram is something you and I have been doing for nine years. (17:17) Yeah. (17:17) We started on Instagram when we started the podcast, both of us.(17:20) No, I was on Instagram before that. (17:22) Fair. (17:23) You know what I'm saying? (17:23) I know.(17:24) We started taking it seriously. (17:25) Well, yeah, yeah. (17:25) But I just want to make sure, like, if you, if somebody was to go look back, I'm going to have.(17:29) Yeah, yeah, yeah. (17:29) Fair. (17:29) Actually, I have someone who did.(17:31) Yeah, yeah. (17:31) He's like, I went all the way back. (17:32) I saw Kevin's X and all kinds of stuff.(17:34) Sorry that you went all the way back. (17:36) But there's, it wasn't very valuable back then. (17:39) Jacked though.(17:40) God, I was in way better shape than I am. (17:42) I'm starting, I'm honestly starting to get sad because I look back and it's like, (17:46) I, that just does not seem feasible. (17:49) It just does not seem feasible without hopping on a little something, (17:53) just a little something and I can't do it.(17:57) But damn man, you don't know how good you have it. (18:02) I know. (18:03) We can't talk about that right now.(18:05) I'm sad. (18:06) I'm still going for it. (18:07) I'll fail forever if I have to.(18:08) I'm still going for it. (18:09) My best is not in my past. (18:11) I know, I know.(18:12) But damn, it might be. (18:13) I think it is. (18:13) All right.(18:13) So no, I'm not accepting that. (18:15) I will not accept that. (18:16) I'm not ready to accept it yet.(18:17) We're going to be like 57 and I'm going to be like, all right, I think I accept it. (18:20) No, you're gonna be like, honestly, I think next year is the year. (18:23) Compound effect just hasn't really rolled yet.(18:25) The compound effect just hasn't really caught up yet and it's next year. (18:30) We are joking about that. (18:31) So ultimately the social media piece, we've been on Instagram for nine years.(18:36) Okay. (18:37) I have 3,505 posts. (18:40) The only reason I know that off the top of my head is because I told this person earlier.(18:42) I said, follow my lead. (18:44) It's all good. (18:45) And the point of this is, well, what do I do? (18:49) Because that was one of his questions.(18:50) I said, I can't answer that. (18:52) You post every day for the foreseeable future and you get better at posting every day. (18:58) I don't feel like there's a dabbler.(19:01) You can't really dabble and win. (19:03) If you look at anyone who's successful, I'm talking to the camera now. (19:07) Look at someone who's super successful in anything.(19:09) They never dabble. (19:12) I mean the top of the game. (19:13) There are some people in the middle of the bell curve that dabble and they're weekend (19:18) warriors and they're still pretty good.(19:19) I'm talking like top 10% in the entire industry. (19:23) They never dabble. (19:24) I coach a finance company in Florida and I just found out some awesome stuff.(19:29) This dude does not dabble. (19:30) He's been in finance for 42 years. (19:34) 42 years.(19:35) That's older than we have been alive and he is crushing it. (19:41) And I said, that's really freaking cool. (19:42) And I said, I know you're modest.(19:44) I know you're humble. (19:44) Can you tell me what you're really good at? (19:46) Talk to me. (19:47) What are you unbelievably good at? (19:48) He went through this whole thing.(19:49) I was like, that's really cool. (19:50) I learned so much. (19:52) My point.(19:53) Yes, we have two minutes. (19:55) SOP. (19:56) He didn't have some checklist of I'm going to be in finance.(19:59) I'm going to invest some money. (20:00) I'm going to buy this, this, and this, and I'm done now. (20:04) No, I'm going to master finance.(20:07) And then he did it for 42 years and he's at this level because of it. (20:12) And he is a multi, multi, multi-millionaire and it's awesome. (20:17) But if he was like, Hey, I want to do this thing for a week or a month.(20:21) That never, that's not even possible. (20:24) Checklist is I need to do this and get it done. (20:27) Right.(20:27) That's it. (20:28) It's like, this is on my list. (20:29) And you do it once and it could be gone forever.(20:32) SOP is I am going to do this. (20:34) This is a habit. (20:35) That's all it is.(20:36) That's the difference. (20:37) It's a one-time thing versus a habit. (20:40) And if you make it a habit, you'll most likely get much better.(20:42) If you don't, you're Jeff. (20:44) You're Jeff. (20:45) This is why new year's resolutions don't work.(20:47) This is why anytime there's a boost of motivation that immediately fades, (20:50) it doesn't work because it's not about check signed up for the gym. (20:54) Awesome. (20:55) Now you're going to make it a habit.(20:56) Check bought the podcast equipment. (20:57) Nope. (20:58) That's not enough.(20:58) I know a bunch of people. (21:00) I have sent thousands of dollars of equipment to people who have bought it and then done (21:03) nothing with it. (21:03) That is very common.(21:04) It's more common than you might think. (21:06) Get on the dating apps. (21:07) Boom.(21:08) Done. (21:08) Oh, now I have to do my profile and make sure I'm having intelligent conversations with (21:11) human beings and bettering myself every day and actually having stuff to talk about. (21:16) It is, it's a never ending process of getting a little bit better.(21:20) Question. (21:20) I know we gotta go. (21:21) Last question.(21:22) Sure. (21:24) I've always been of the mind since you and I started working together of deciding to (21:32) advance and then master it. (21:34) Like I decided in advance to master fitness and then I went and did that.(21:37) I decided in advance to master speaking and then I went and did that. (21:40) And I don't mean I'm done. (21:42) Yeah.(21:43) I meant like forever. (21:44) Master. (21:45) I decided to master relationships.(21:46) I decided to read books for the rest of my life. (21:48) I decided to be a successful podcaster. (21:50) I decided like plant your flag in advance.(21:52) Question. (21:53) Why don't people do that? (21:55) And by the way, how could you possibly be successful if you don't plan on mastering (21:59) the iceberg underneath the success? (22:01) And you have started doing that. (22:03) So sell it.(22:05) One, I don't think people do it because they don't know they're supposed to. (22:08) Because the people who usually make it to the top don't really talk about it. (22:13) How they got there.(22:14) And if they do, it seems arrogant. (22:16) Doesn't seem real. (22:18) Like even I can understand if somebody heard that, like I decided to master something.(22:21) It's like, I don't know, man. (22:23) Pretty outrageous. (22:24) Yeah.(22:24) It seems very. (22:26) Well, you decided to master speaking and now you did it. (22:28) And again, you're not done.(22:30) No, but I didn't in the beginning. (22:31) I didn't. (22:31) But when did you? (22:34) You decided to be better than me at speaking.(22:36) Yeah. (22:36) When back in the day we were having, we were having conversations about like what I could (22:40) actually be really, really good at. (22:42) And I was like, I can be a better speaker than Alan for sure.(22:45) And then I had some people in my ear. (22:47) They're like, Alan says he's going to be better. (22:49) And I said, I don't fucking care.(22:50) Like the good. (22:51) I love it. (22:52) Awesome.(22:52) And that's, it doesn't even matter. (22:54) That's not the point. (22:55) Yeah.(22:55) The point is that's actually something. (22:56) You decided to master speaking. (22:58) I can do every day and get a little bit.(22:59) Do you think you could have gotten here if you didn't? (23:01) A lot of the success you have right now is predicated on that decision. (23:04) You made what? (23:04) Seven years ago. (23:05) I know.(23:05) But a lot of it was based in naivete in the beginning of like, I just see it, do a speech (23:09) and see what happens. (23:10) I enjoy speaking. (23:11) I know, but that's the truth for me.(23:13) Yeah. (23:14) I didn't reverse engineer any of this. (23:15) Bad advice.(23:17) You gotta decide. (23:18) What do you, what do you tell people now? (23:22) I think if you have an, if you have a feeling of, I'd like to be successful at something, (23:27) the next thing in your mind should be, I also have to become the best humanly possible (23:32) at that thing. (23:33) So I need to master that and what comes with that too.(23:36) Like why not master Instagram, right? (23:39) Why not master social media? (23:40) Maybe not Instagram. (23:41) Well, because I think it seems, it seems like a giant mountain. (23:45) I think it's just too big of a goal straight up.(23:46) That's it. (23:47) That's my truth. (23:48) It seems like too big of a goal, because what I'm saying is, (23:50) master it.(23:51) I mean, start the process of mastering it. (23:54) So give me the 10 year, give me the 10 year roadmap of what year one looks like versus (23:58) it is. (23:59) That's the answer.(24:00) It looks the exact same though. (24:01) That's the thing. (24:02) I'm still posting.(24:03) I did a reel today that is better than my old content, but it's not as good as it's (24:08) going to be. (24:09) It's better than it used to be. (24:10) Not as good as it's going to be.(24:11) It's a process. (24:14) These, these SOP, the SOP mindset is process orientation. (24:17) It's, it's, I've decided to master social media.(24:21) I've decided to master podcasting. (24:23) I've decided to master coaching, speaking, training. (24:25) I've decided to master Canva.(24:27) I've decided to, and all of that's predicated on the goals. (24:30) Like, okay, here's my goals. (24:31) What do I need to master in advance to achieve them? (24:34) That's a good question.(24:35) I think it's a really good question. (24:36) I just think it depends on your level of self-belief. (24:38) That's always my answer.(24:40) Now I believe I can master things, right? (24:43) I just didn't have the belief. (24:45) Why not? (24:48) Because I had never, uh, state-proved self-assigned. (24:50) I'd never done that.(24:52) I'd never stated I was going to do something, proved to myself that I was capable of doing (24:55) it and then self-assigned the fact that I said I was going to do it. (24:57) You think I'm going to go from that to saying, you know what? (25:00) I'm just going to master speaking. (25:03) Honestly, I think I'm just going to be the best speaker in the world.(25:06) That's what I'm going to do. (25:08) And I'll just do a podcast episode every day and I'll just go on thousands of other podcasts (25:12) and I'll just do like reels every day. (25:14) I'm going to be a fucking man, baby.(25:16) I didn't say you have to say it out loud, but you got to say it to yourself inside for (25:20) sure. (25:23) Last, last, last, I know I gotta go. (25:25) Listener, decide in advance to master fitness, decide in advance to master finance and decide (25:32) in advance to master relationships.(25:34) I mean, those three right there. (25:37) And then you get to work. (25:38) You learn, you practice, you fail forward, you do your thing.(25:42) You fall down seven times, you get up eight. (25:45) I heard that yesterday. (25:46) Can't fall down once, get up twice.(25:47) And I was like, not possible to do it. (25:50) You only fell down that one time. (25:52) How do you get it? (25:53) You can't get up twice.(25:55) Fall down seven times. (25:56) You can only get up seven times. (25:58) Actually, whoever said that originally is not math oriented, but I've also made some (26:03) math mistakes.(26:03) Well, in fairness though, it's, it's stuck. (26:06) I mean, that, that quote withstood this test of time. (26:09) Yeah, it has.(26:10) And it's gonna, so it doesn't even matter that it's not correct. (26:13) It doesn't even matter. (26:13) All right.(26:14) Allen's coaching for more stuff like this. (26:16) If you need SOPs, if you need to run systems and get a little bit better every day, it obviously (26:20) helps having a coach help you do it. (26:21) Next level fitness accountability group.(26:23) I am in better shape today than I was yesterday, but I'm not in as good a shape as I was five (26:28) years ago, but I'm working on that every day. (26:29) Fitness is forever. (26:30) It is a lifestyle.(26:31) Maybe that's the best way we could put this. (26:33) The things that you want to get really good at are going to become part of your lifestyle. (26:36) If they're not, unfortunately, you're probably not going to get much better at them as always.(26:40) We love you. (26:40) Appreciate you. (26:40) Grateful for each and every one of you.(26:41) If you are as committed as you say you are to getting to the next level, make sure you (26:45) tune in tomorrow because we will be here every single day to help you get there. (26:48) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential. (26:51) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University.(26:55) We love connecting with the Next Level family. (26:58) We mean it when we say family. (27:00) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly.(27:03) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes. (27:06) Thank you again, and we will talk to you tomorrow.