What Does Health Actually Mean To You? (2528)

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In this episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros share an honest conversation about health, fitness standards, and the private frustration of knowing you are capable of more. Kevin and Alan have both trained for years, built businesses, and experienced the challenge of keeping physical goals at the center as life, work, and responsibility expand. They explain why being “better than average” can still feel unfulfilling when your current actions do not match your personal standard. The issue is not comparison. It is self-awareness.

This episode explores the psychology of high standards, the difference between effort and results, and why long-term health requires more than motivation. You will hear why aging is not a free pass, why priorities show up in your calendar, and why external praise cannot replace personal respect. If you know you have more to give, this conversation will challenge you to get honest about what your next level requires.

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NLU is more than a podcast. From the Next Level Dreamliner to Group Coaching, we provide tools and communities to help you grow with more clarity, consistency, and accountability.

Visit our website and socials through the links below. 👇

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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Email:
Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

LinkedIn:
Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/

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Show notes:
(2:14) What health actually means to you
(4:20) The cost of unearned expectations
(7:14) Aging without using it as an excuse
(9:28) Why your standards must be personal
(11:01) Priorities shape your physical results
(15:05) You cannot skip what you refuse to invest
(18:04) Taking responsibility as a leader
(20:11) Capability makes settling more difficult
(22:31) Why your own approval matters most
(25:04) Bettering your best over being done
(27:00) 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) Alan and I had a conversation about how we are both less in shape than we want to be, less in shape than we thought we would be, and still more in shape than most people will probably ever be.

Alan Lazaros

(0:15) I want to talk about standards. (0:17) I want to talk about frustration. (0:19) I want to talk about the tenacity that it takes to achieve great things.(0:23) And most importantly, the you versus you that no one else knows about. (0:28) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:30) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:32) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazaros. (0:35) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven, but no-BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:42) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:48) 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

(1:04) Self-improvement in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:11) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:16) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2,528. (1:20) What does health actually mean to you? (1:22) I realize in my intro I might have sounded a little bit arrogant and or smug.(1:26) I don't mean it in that way. (1:27) What I do mean is, I go to the gym, I work out with my buddy Bruce. (1:32) For those who don't know, Bruce is 80 years old, still crushing his weight training.(1:39) And he'll always say, like, the weight's coming off, man, you're looking good, you're looking good, you're tightening up, you're looking good. (1:44) And every time, it's like, thank you and I don't think so. (1:47) I don't think so at all.(1:48) I don't think so, thank you, I appreciate it. (1:51) And I don't think so at all. (1:54) Yes, I'm hungry and I'm doing it, but I don't feel like I'm making that big of a difference.(1:58) I don't feel like it's making that big of a change. (2:00) I don't feel like I look any different. (2:03) I don't think I look that good.(2:05) I'm not excited to see pictures of myself. (2:06) Now again, maybe there's a subset of you out there that's like, well, maybe that's an unhealthy relationship. (2:11) No, that's not what it is.(2:12) I'm not saying that.

Alan Lazaros

(2:14) So let's, we had an intense conversation. (2:19) I came in hot today.

Kevin Palmieri

(2:21) You've been coming in hot a lot recently.

Alan Lazaros

(2:23) I got a lot of fire in there. (2:26) Fire in there. (2:27) A lot of fire in here.(2:29) Be the change you wish to see in the world, right? (2:31) No, but standards, you versus you, okay, what's the uncomfortable truth that we can share that we believe will be of value? (2:45) I also love this about NLU, I say this on other podcasts when I go on them.(2:48) I say NLU is next level you, not next level Kevin, not next level Alan. (2:52) It's also, we are striving, never arriving. (2:55) We're on the climb with you.(2:57) We're not talking from some mountaintop being done. (2:59) That's why I like to talk about the protein Doritos and the things I'm struggling with. (3:03) I don't want it to come off like I'm constantly struggling all the time because I realize the credit hits that that is, but I would much rather just talk about what we're really going through and growing through and then bring principles into it.(3:17) Then John Smith the other day had a goal, John Smith didn't achieve his goal and he got upset about it. (3:25) Like that's not great content. (3:27) That's not useful.(3:28) I want to, this is called social learning. (3:30) You got to get invested. (3:31) You got to, it's the hero's journey.(3:33) You got to have a hero and you got to have a victim and a villain and a hero and a guide and you got to, you got to get in the fight. (3:38) You got to fight the good fight. (3:39) So my point of this is let's, let's take them behind the scenes.(3:42) I want to start saying that way more too, behind the scenes, behind the curtain, pull back the curtain. (3:46) You and I are fucking annoyed at how we are incapable of hitting our standards in fitness. (3:54) And by incapable, I don't mean actually incapable.(3:57) I mean, we are not allocating as much time and effort as is required for you and I to be, I mean, I can't remember the last time that I was above my own standards. (4:06) Now in terms of effort in, I do think that I've floated around my standards lately, but results out definitely not. (4:13) So let's, what's the uncomfortable truth that you want to share that might be helpful about your fitness journey?

Kevin Palmieri

(4:20) Uh, it is arrogant of me to wish I was in far better shape than I am right now without being willing to put in way, way, way, way more effort.

Alan Lazaros

(4:32) Is arrogant the right term?

Kevin Palmieri

(4:33) Probably.

Alan Lazaros

(4:34) You know what striked me as arrogant in fitness?

Kevin Palmieri

(4:36) I think I'm very, I try to be very aware. (4:40) Like I, again, I, I tend to say like, I do not expect to get results that I haven't (4:44) worked for, but that's the lesson that I think that's the lesson is like when you get to (4:51) a certain level of anything, it's, it's weird because we've done episodes before where it's (4:57) like year one, you can go from zero to 50% year two, you can go from 50 to 75% and then (5:02) year three, it's like you go from 75 to like 76% and then it's like 78% it's smaller, it (5:08) gets smaller. (5:09) I think in fitness and health particularly, the longer you've been doing it, it's almost like the more you need to get to dedicate to even maintain the same level of standards that you once had. (5:21) Yeah.(5:21) It doesn't, this is a conversation we had behind the scenes. (5:24) I said, Alan, that's, that's the freaking crazy thing about fitness. (5:26) It's the only thing that doesn't get better with time.(5:28) It doesn't compound with time. (5:30) Money does.

Alan Lazaros

(5:31) Compound effect does not, let's use the compound effect with money. (5:37) If you put a dollar in a financial calculator and grow it by 0.1%, which is one 10th of 1% for 50 years, I've done the math a bunch of times. (5:49) I can take anyone through it if they want to.(5:50) It becomes almost $84 million in fitness. (5:54) It does not in fitness, you have to add a dollar every day in order for it to be the same. (6:00) So if you look at, anyone can research this and you should, in wealth, typically, not always, statistically speaking, wealth increases exponentially with age.(6:12) That's why the majority of millionaires on earth are 40 and older, okay? (6:19) There are very few 20 year old millionaires unless they have generational wealth and a parent died and they had inheritance. (6:26) I'm not saying it's not possible.(6:27) There are some and with tech, there are more now than ever, but it's not normal. (6:31) There are no like, yeah, it's not normal. (6:34) It's very, very rare.(6:35) So, so with fitness though, and a lot of athletics, the peak of the game is not way later. (6:45) Well that's finance. (6:46) The accumulation phase is usually the first 50 to 60 years and then the distribution phase is when you kind of coast a bit and you start taking back pay from your assets.(6:56) And again, I can explain that to anyone who's curious, but in fitness, the peak is basically 30 for the most part, depending on what it is for dancers. (7:04) It's even younger for different Olympians. (7:06) It's even younger, that kind of thing.(7:08) And so to bring this back to a tangible conversation, I'm 37. (7:14) I definitely don't think my biological age is 37. (7:18) I know that it's not, I hit puberty extremely late, but, but holy hell, it's definitely not the same game as in my twenties.(7:27) So, but I also am not willing to make that as an excuse. (7:30) That's not an excuse because, well, now you have more control over your calendar. (7:36) Now you have the money to buy the supplements and the workout gear and the, all of it.(7:42) You can go to whichever gym you want. (7:44) You also have better time management skills. (7:46) You, you have more available time to sleep like, well, you could also argue the other way.(7:51) Well, now you have more responsibilities and it's harder to focus on it, but no, bolt screw all that. (7:56) My uncomfortable truth is this is the best I've ever been in my thirties. (8:05) Yeah.(8:07) Eh, no, because when I turned 30, it was when Emilia and I just met, I turned 30, like right after I met her. (8:14) So I would say, yeah, when I was 31, 32, it was definitely better than this. (8:22) But remember, and I want to make this clear to everybody.(8:27) I do think input wise, since 32 to now, this is the best I've ever done in terms of my time and effort and money into investing in my physical fitness. (8:41) And I'm, I'm by no means out of shape, but, and this is hopefully the point that will land that isn't what life is about. (8:48) In my opinion, it's not really, yeah.(8:50) Okay, cool. (8:51) Alan, you, you know, you can run a six minute mile. (8:53) Okay.(8:53) Awesome. (8:54) Alan, you, you work out every day for four and a half years. (8:57) Awesome.(8:57) Okay. (8:58) You weight train and you're pretty strong. (8:59) Statistically, I'm in the high end of a lot of this, but my point is, my point is that doesn't really matter that much to me.(9:06) I don't really care because at the end of the day, what I think matters to me, and maybe this is more about more my thing than other people saying, I'm not sure. (9:16) It's like, you should be proud of that. (9:18) People say that all the time.(9:18) You should be proud of that. (9:19) But I am, and I would much rather lose at a bigger game. (9:28) I don't like the idea of my best being in my past.(9:33) So if it takes the rest of my life, I will do that to make sure that my best is not in my past. (9:39) And I would rather climb towards that than accept macro defeat. (9:44) I would, I want micro failure for macro success.(9:46) I don't want micro success and giving up for macro failure. (9:54) And so to bring this, land this plane, my uncomfortable truth is no one knows my standards inside of me. (10:06) People on this microphone, on the other side of this microphone do, because I talk about it.(10:09) It's called Next Level University, right? (10:11) But for you, if you would be pumped with my athleticism, that's awesome. (10:17) Cool.(10:17) That's great. (10:18) That also tells me that you won't ever be at my athleticism. (10:22) And the reason why is because this athleticism is on the way.(10:26) It's on the way. (10:27) So A, B, and then the middle. (10:29) So if you're trying to get from A to B, A is where you are now.(10:33) B is where you want to be. (10:36) The now is on the way. (10:39) And so let's make now A, and then what's your new B?(10:45) And I hope everyone leaves this episode with a new understanding of how losing and feeling failure along the way from your A to B is actually necessary to raise your standards and to improve your life.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:01) The other thing that's super challenging is if you were a part of something in a meaningful way when you were younger, you are going to get less results as you get older. (11:12) If you naturally exclude yourself from those communities. (11:17) Okay.(11:18) Go ahead. (11:19) Go deeper. (11:20) We were in our mid-20s, early 30s.(11:23) We literally did a photo shoot together. (11:25) Fitness photo shoot. (11:26) Multiple, actually.(11:27) One of them we did, and then they just never sent us the photos, which was fucking devastating. (11:32) Peter, if you're out there, I would still love those photos if you could send them to us. (11:35) I would appreciate that.(11:36) I was devastated. (11:37) Oh my goodness. (11:38) I suffered for nothing.

Alan Lazaros

(11:39) I don't even think I cared that much.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:41) I did. (11:42) I was like...

Alan Lazaros

(11:42) I had done 43 of them.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:43) For me, I uprooted my life, it seemed like, for that. (11:49) Our whole community 10 years ago was bodybuilders. (11:53) What happened to that?(11:56) We don't do enough. (11:59) It's not a priority. (12:00) It's not a big enough priority.(12:03) When I used to wake up, I would plan everything around my workout. (12:07) I don't do that anymore. (12:09) I plan everything around my work.(12:10) Business. (12:11) Yeah. (12:11) That.(12:13) So it doesn't fit. (12:15) What I said to Alan was, we don't add enough value to the community in a way. (12:18) If I was to go hang out with a bunch of bodybuilders, I don't add enough value.(12:23) Because what they're going to say is like, all right, cool. (12:26) I'm going to do this, and I got to do this, and then I'm going to eat here. (12:29) I'm going to eat a bunch of carbs so I can work out at four.(12:31) I think four is the optimal time for me to work out today. (12:33) You in, Kev? (12:34) It's like, no, I got fucking business to run.(12:36) No, I'll be here at 6am though.

Alan Lazaros

(12:38) That's a good point. (12:38) You want to come at 6am, I'll be here.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:40) 6am. (12:41) It's just not, it's not enough of the orbit of what we do. (12:45) So we can't add value in the way that we used to.

Alan Lazaros

(12:48) And I do see you. (12:49) And that is, I'm glad we're talking about this. (12:51) And I don't care.(12:52) Let's find a way. (12:53) I was talking to Kev off air and I said, I love our community. (12:57) I adore you all.(12:58) I really do. (12:59) There aren't that many like elite athletes in our community. (13:03) And it's like, well, why not?(13:05) Because we're not elite athletes, but we need to do better. (13:12) For sure. (13:13) Because, and then there's the other piece of this too.(13:16) And this kind of just came to me. (13:19) Are there really that many elite athletes in their thirties? (13:22) Like, is that part of this just aging too?(13:25) Well, to your point, right? (13:26) Priorities change, right? (13:27) People have families, like they don't.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:29) If there's, if 80%, let's just say, I don't, this isn't the actual numbers. (13:32) I don't know. (13:33) You know better.(13:33) Let's say 80% of millionaires are older than 50. (13:37) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(13:37) 80% of elite athletes are under 30 or under 40. (13:42) It's a great point. (13:43) For sure.(13:43) It is a great point, but I can't stand being a statistic. (13:46) If I was going to be a statistic, I would have not gotten here. (13:49) I know, but you can't expect everybody else to do the same.(13:50) I know. (13:51) I know. (13:51) That's true.(13:52) I do wish fitness was a bigger part of our world. (13:56) I do. (13:57) Why was it such a big part of our world before?

Kevin Palmieri

(14:00) I don't feel like I... (14:01) Because you wanted to be on the cover of magazines and you were tracking the number of fucking photo shoots you were doing? (14:07) Of course.

Alan Lazaros

(14:07) Yeah, that's true. (14:08) I was a bodybuilder. (14:08) Fitness model, fitness competition.(14:10) Yeah. (14:10) We all did fitness competitions. (14:12) We all did photo shoots and I was modeling and I was a fitness coach as well.(14:16) I still do fitness coaching. (14:18) I think that's part of the reason why I started fitness coaching again is because I miss... (14:22) I don't want to be one-dimensional, brother.(14:25) Well, I can't stand the idea of being just good in business.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:28) I know, but it's... (14:28) Okay, so here's the thing. (14:30) There are certain people I work out with Bruce.(14:33) I golf with Gavin. (14:34) I whatever with somebody else. (14:36) Podcast with me.(14:37) I podcast with you. (14:38) I used to rap with certain people. (14:40) Good luck finding one person that does all those fucking things.

Alan Lazaros

(14:43) I know.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:44) That also is fun to do with them. (14:48) Whatever it is, right?

Alan Lazaros

(14:49) I don't need that.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:50) You don't have to be fun. (14:51) I'm better at weight training than Bruce. (14:54) Right?(14:55) I don't know. (14:56) Gavin and I are close, but Gav, if you're listening, I'm a little bit better than Gavin at golf.

Alan Lazaros

(15:00) Nice.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:01) I was better at rapping, but I was never... (15:03) But that's not good. (15:04) You need to have leaders.(15:05) I know, but I was never good enough to get to the next tier because I didn't invest the fucking time. (15:10) That's the weird thing is you can't skip unless you pay. (15:17) I could get...(15:18) I'll text my old coach, Justin, right now and say, hey, brother, how much does it cost? (15:21) Give me a meal plan and I don't know. (15:23) I want to work out with you.(15:24) I want to work out with you twice a month. (15:25) What's... (15:26) Give me a number.(15:27) All right, cool. (15:27) Here you go. (15:28) Now bodybuilding is back in...(15:30) But that's... (15:30) I don't add enough value to his life right now. (15:33) That's a great point.(15:34) I like that, how honest you are with that.

Alan Lazaros

(15:37) Well, I didn't realize... (15:40) I remember I had a mentor. (15:42) He said, you feel good at the beach.(15:43) I feel good at the bank. (15:44) Let's switch. (15:45) And that was why he was hanging out with me, for sure.(15:48) Yeah. (15:48) Because I helped him in fitness and he helped me in business. (15:52) Yeah.(15:52) It's all transactional. (15:53) It's a value exchange.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:54) Yeah, it's all transactional. (15:55) It's just, it doesn't have to be negative.

Alan Lazaros

(15:58) Well, I think there's more than just transactional, but I do think that transactional... (16:02) You do have to be aware of that, for sure. (16:04) Like, remember when someone...(16:07) We'll keep this anonymous, but there were people who were like, well, we could still mastermind. (16:11) And in my head, it was like, no, what do you mean? (16:15) And I think this person is very arrogant.(16:17) They think they're better than they are. (16:18) And they think they can add more value to my life than they really can. (16:21) And it's like, I'm trying to go up levels, up.(16:28) And you were a client. (16:31) And now all of a sudden you want to mastermind and be peers. (16:34) But again, no one's explicit about this stuff.(16:37) And so I think that the root cause of all this is probably just, there aren't really any communities that were built around health, wealth, and love. (16:46) We're like, I don't... (16:47) Have you ever met any community that has health, wealth, and love?

Kevin Palmieri

(16:51) Oh, at the risk of sounding arrogant or whatever it is, I think to this point, the point of this episode, I think health, wealth, and love all mean something different. (17:00) There's a bunch of toxic fucking communities that health is like, do roids or whatever. (17:08) Wealth is, here's a dropshipping course and just rip people off, don't worry about it.(17:12) And then love is like, just bang as many people as possible and treat them terribly. (17:16) There is a plethora of communities like that, for sure.

Alan Lazaros

(17:22) That's just not what we're doing. (17:26) Is there anyone who's doing all three of those? (17:28) Yeah, probably.(17:30) All three of those.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:31) But I think it usually starts in fitness, usually, I think. (17:34) Yeah. (17:35) I think the best way is fitness.(17:37) Chris Bumstead. (17:39) Chris Bumstead. (17:40) I don't know how many times he won Mr. Olympia. (17:42) One of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. (17:47) Healthy, in quotes, but he takes care of himself. (17:50) He takes care of himself more than other bodybuilders do, for sure.(17:52) Okay, fair. (17:53) Yeah. (17:53) Okay, good.(17:53) Wealth, definitely. (17:55) Dude's balling. (17:55) He's got a supplement company.(17:57) And he seems like he has a good relationship. (17:59) But his foundation was fitness.

Alan Lazaros

(18:02) Yeah, it was fitness. (18:04) Some of this is probably just me needing to take responsibility in advance for being a leader. (18:09) Because, dude, I think back in my 20s, I really liked when other people had higher standards than me.(18:16) And there are people with higher standards than me in health, wealth, or love. (18:19) I don't know if there are any that have higher standards in all three. (18:24) That sucks.(18:26) Which means what? (18:28) Wait, what's the... (18:29) I think it's 50 First Dates where...(18:34) He's like, do you remember me at all? (18:35) If you haven't seen the movie, this is gonna be brutal. (18:37) But do you remember me at all?(18:38) Because she has memory challenges. (18:40) And she's like, no. (18:42) And he's like, oh, that sucks.(18:45) You know what scene I'm talking about? (18:47) I haven't seen that movie in a long time. (18:48) Oh, okay, never mind.(18:50) But anyways, I just said it like that. (18:51) But that does kind of suck. (18:53) I didn't...(18:54) I don't... (18:54) Maybe in real time, I'm going to take responsibility for that. (18:58) Okay, Alan, you want to have a community that's focused on health, wealth, and love.(19:02) And the reason for that is because you couldn't find it anywhere else. (19:04) So you built a community. (19:07) Okay, well, then you can't expect to not lead.(19:11) And so health, fitness, fitness, health, it's not... (19:18) I mean, I track my sleep every day, blah, blah, blah. (19:20) Sleep, hydration, nutrition, training, mobility, breathwork, supplementation.(19:23) Like we do have pillars under all of these. (19:25) We do. (19:25) I just...(19:26) I told Kevin this off air. (19:28) I said, we are not elite in fitness anymore. (19:30) And it pisses me off.(19:31) That's my truth. (19:32) What's the uncomfortable truth for anyone out there listening? (19:34) Maybe this isn't of any value to you.(19:36) Does it bother you? (19:37) I know some people who aren't bothered at all. (19:40) I wonder, like, how are you okay with that?(19:43) Have you ever met someone where they're like wildly out of shape and they're totally cool with it?

Kevin Palmieri

(19:47) Yeah, but I understand they don't value it like I do. (19:51) Yeah. (19:52) I like, I don't know.

Alan Lazaros

(19:54) I understand. (19:55) This ain't it, man. (19:56) We got more to give.(19:57) We got more to do. (19:58) And that's our standard for sure. (20:00) Let's talk about that and we'll get out of here.(20:02) So why do we have such high standards? (20:07) Like why, you know? (20:08) Like some people would be like, why aren't you okay with that?

Kevin Palmieri

(20:11) Because I think we owned the responsibility of understanding that we have and we know we have the capabilities.

Alan Lazaros

(20:19) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:20) When you know you're capable of something, it's very hard to let it ride. (20:23) And when you don't think you are, it's very easy to let it ride.

Alan Lazaros

(20:26) If you don't think you can do it, it's easy to just- Can you talk about that? (20:28) Because you talk all the time about how you have a lot more belief now. (20:32) So it must be much harder to just let it ride now.(20:36) Yeah, it's weird. (20:36) I mean, I don't know.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:38) I still don't have any trouble taking R&R, if that's what you're talking about.

Alan Lazaros

(20:41) No, no. (20:41) I mean- I don't have any trouble. (20:43) Knowing what you're capable of now, wouldn't it be really hard to just like go settle?(20:48) It's harder to settle when you know you- Yeah, I think it would make me sad. (20:52) Make me sad. (20:54) Can you give an example?(20:56) What would make you sad? (21:00) Yeah, it would make me too sad. (21:01) I can't do it.(21:02) I'm not going to settle. (21:02) I can't do it.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:03) If I just like stopped doing fitness, just like let myself go. (21:07) And it was just like, yeah, I'm 37. (21:09) That's what happens.(21:10) Like that would make me sad.

Alan Lazaros

(21:12) Okay, okay. (21:13) What's the difference between you and someone else who actually does let it go? (21:18) It's either one of two things.(21:20) Either they're kidding themselves and it does bother them and they're pretending it doesn't. (21:23) Or they don't believe they can change it anyway, so they're just accepting it. (21:27) I think there's some things you should accept.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:29) Genuinely.

Alan Lazaros

(21:30) An extreme example of that is I accept that not everyone cares about personal development. (21:36) I hate it. (21:37) It sucks.(21:37) I think the world would change if everyone worked on themselves. (21:40) I know that it would. (21:41) I am certain that it would.(21:42) But I accept that I'm weird in that. (21:45) I'm not going to accept my limitations in fitness. (21:49) I'm not going to accept just letting it ride.(21:52) Hopefully this ignites some people to... (21:56) You either pretend it doesn't bother you or maybe it doesn't. (22:01) And I think you should accept what you can't change.(22:03) But if you can make a difference, if you can change, if you can shoot for it, if you can go for it, I think that's what life's about. (22:09) I know that I'm unique in that, but I don't think you can be less knowing you could have been more and then be okay with it without really telling yourself a story or being unfulfilled or being sad or whatever. (22:23) Yeah, it's complicated for sure.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:25) I don't know. (22:25) I don't have the answer to that. (22:27) I don't have the answer.

Alan Lazaros

(22:27) I know we got to go. (22:28) Wrap this in a bow.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:31) Jesus. (22:33) I think at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what other people want for you. (22:38) It doesn't really matter how much respect people have for you.(22:40) It doesn't really matter if they're impressed with your results. (22:42) It doesn't really matter if they're proud of you. (22:45) It matters if you are.(22:46) On both ends. (22:48) On both ends. (22:49) I appreciate all the kind words.(22:52) When people say you're jacked or whatever, like I get messages like that. (22:55) I appreciate that. (22:56) And like, I don't want, I don't need that because that's not why I'm doing it.(23:02) That's part one. (23:03) I like it. (23:03) It feels good.(23:04) I'm not going to lie about that for sure. (23:05) It feels good. (23:06) But number two, I had a conversation with somebody recently and we were talking about, I don't remember what it was.(23:14) I said, oh yeah, I'm going to Houston for a client. (23:16) They're like, oh, you're going to get a lot of barbecue. (23:17) I said, no, I'm doing my, I'm doing our 10 pound and 10 week challenge.(23:20) And they said, well, you can just like cheat a little bit. (23:22) I said, well, yeah, but the only person that's going to affect is me. (23:24) It doesn't affect anybody else.(23:25) And they said, why are you doing it? (23:27) And I said, because I'm trying to get fucking jacked. (23:28) And they said, aren't you like already jacked enough?(23:31) And I said, I'll never be jacked enough. (23:33) No, no. (23:35) And that is a joke.(23:36) And like, that's kind of the way, what do you know? (23:39) I'm just going to get to a point where I decide I'm done. (23:41) That we should do an episode on.

Alan Lazaros

(23:43) Why? (23:43) We need to dig into why. (23:45) Because being done is bad.(23:47) Because I like the retirement means taking something out of commission. (23:50) It means you're out of the fight journey.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:53) It's a journey. (23:54) It's a finance journey. (23:55) Relationships are a journey.(23:56) It's not a, it's not a checklist.

Alan Lazaros

(23:58) It's a journey. (23:59) It's forever. (24:00) Yeah.(24:00) There's no 10 pound in 10 weeks. (24:01) Okay. (24:02) September 8th.(24:03) Now what? (24:04) We're going to be something else. (24:06) It'll be something else.(24:06) I want to continue getting better to me. (24:09) That's progress and getting better, happier, healthier, wealthier, more productive, more in love. (24:15) Like, yeah, there's something so exciting to me about aiming high and setting a new standard.(24:22) And I love that. (24:24) It's much better than the alternative, which is just, what do you even do without goals, without dreams? (24:30) What do you even do?(24:31) You just like chill. (24:33) To me, that's very unfulfilling. (24:34) And I don't think that's unique to just me.(24:36) I think you have to grow and contribute and improve your quality of life and improve yourself and others in order to have a meaningful life. (24:42) I think striving is where the value is created and where meaning is created. (24:48) I really feel strongly about that.(24:49) But maybe we do an episode on that where it's like, maybe that exact topic, that person reached out, like, aren't you jacked enough? (24:55) It's like, no, aren't you athletic enough? (24:59) No, I'm athletic.(25:02) Great. (25:02) Compared to who? (25:03) What does that even mean?

Kevin Palmieri

(25:04) Compared to what?

Alan Lazaros

(25:04) What is enough? (25:06) What is enough? (25:06) Getting better.(25:07) The point is getting better. (25:08) Getting better is the point. (25:09) Bettering your best is the point.(25:11) Like, why would you ever be done at 37? (25:16) You know what I mean? (25:16) Like, the point of life is to live, not to chill.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:19) So even enough, it's like, what do you mean? (25:21) You're just thinking what enough would be for you versus what it is for me. (25:25) It's not the same.(25:27) It's okay. (25:27) Exactly. (25:27) It doesn't have to be.(25:28) It doesn't have to be. (25:29) I could say that about other people. (25:31) Isn't that enough, quote unquote?(25:32) But that's not... (25:34) It's different. (25:35) It's personal.(25:35) It's different. (25:36) Okay. (25:36) If one of the things you want to do is get to the next level, you're listening to the right podcast, number one.(25:40) Number two, get a coach. (25:41) Alan is accepting one-on-one clients. (25:43) Reach out to Alan for peak performance coaching.(25:46) And then next level fitness accountability group, the 10-pound and 10-week challenge. (25:49) We still have, what, three weeks left? (25:51) Something like that?

Alan Lazaros

(25:52) Yes, sir.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:52) 22 days. (25:53) Something's going to happen after that. (25:55) I don't know exactly what it is yet, but there are still people joining that aren't doing a 10-pound and 10-week challenge.(25:59) If you're looking for accountability, that group is really good. (26:01) Alan and I are leading there. (26:02) We're in there every single day.(26:04) You will not be let down when it comes to accountability because of the community. (26:08) Anything you want to add?

Alan Lazaros

(26:10) If enough is never enough and you believe in striving more than arriving, I will help you level up. (26:18) I never want to stop leveling up. (26:22) Never.(26:23) I know there's limitations. (26:25) I know there's aging. (26:26) I don't care.(26:27) I'm going to continue getting better for as long as humanly possible. (26:30) And I believe that that is good. (26:33) It's a really important thing.(26:35) If your life's not getting better, it's probably because you're not getting better. (26:41) And yeah, if you need someone who's going to keep you in the fight and keep you in the success loop and keep you failing forward and keep you out of the doom loop, it's my favorite work in the world. (26:52) I will continuously pour and we are never going to stop.(26:57) We're never going to stop. (26:58) No, we're going to keep cranking.

Kevin Palmieri

(26:59) Keep on cranking. (27:00) All right. (27:00) As always, we love you.(27:01) Appreciate you. (27:02) Grateful for each and every one of you. (27:03) If you are as committed as you say you are to getting to the next level, make sure you tune in tomorrow because we'll be here every single day to help you get there.(27:09) Keep leveling up to reach your full potential. (27:12) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (27:16) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(27:18) We mean it when we say family. (27:20) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (27:24) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(27:27) Thank you again, and we will talk to you tomorrow.