In today’s episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros challenge the common belief that commitment is about motivation or willpower. They explain why real consistency comes from removing exit options before pressure shows up.

Drawing from thousands of episodes and years of coaching, they break down the difference between being interested and being committed, and how identity, standards, and decision-making shape long-term personal development. This conversation focuses on raising your minimums, sustaining progress without perfect conditions, and building a level of commitment that holds when energy is low and no one is watching.

_______________________

Learn more about:
Your first 30-minute “Business Breakthrough Session” call with Alan is FREE. This call is designed to help you identify bottlenecks and build a clear plan for your next level. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(1:20) Why quitting is not an option
(3:36) Identity, standards, and real commitment
(7:06) You are the last line of defense
(9:07) Raising your minimums over time
(16:45) What you are truly fighting for
(22:16) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros challenge why so many people work hard yet fail to see real progress in self-improvement. Discipline is not the problem. Consistency is not the problem. The real issue shows up in how decisions are made when no one is watching.

This episode cuts through surface-level personal development and focuses on the thinking patterns that quietly determine long-term outcomes. If you care about making better decisions, building consistency that lasts, and growing with intention instead of urgency, this conversation will sharpen how you approach self-improvement.

Listen closely. Then ask yourself if your daily choices are actually taking you where you say you want to go.

_______________________

Learn more about:
Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(2:01) Short-term cost Vs. Long-term value
(4:21) Reverse engineering outcomes
(6:45) Why goals are required for strategy
(10:05) Cost-value analysis as a life skill
(13:17) What you are optimizing for
(15:25) Strategy, consistency, and direction
(18:23) Failure as strategic feedback
(23:55) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Growth gets real when effort meets reality. In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan strip away a comfortable idea in self-improvement that sounds right but quietly caps results. Consistency matters. Personal development matters. But progress stalls when discipline disconnects from real-world decision-making.

This is a grounded conversation about long-term growth, identity, and what actually drives performance over time. No hype. No shortcuts. Just a clear look at how serious self-improvement works when pressure, competition, and standards are real. If you care about building consistency that lasts and making decisions that compound, this episode will sharpen how you think. Listen closely. This one separates intention from execution.

_______________________

Learn more about:
Your first 30-minute “Business Breakthrough Session” call with Alan is FREE. This call is designed to help you identify bottlenecks and build a clear plan for your next level. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(3:37) Discipline internally, competition externally
(7:45) Overswinging from competition to comfort
(9:58) Identity conflicts that drive growth
(13:55) Intrinsic Vs. Extrinsic motivation explained
(17:58) Competition as a performance multiplier
(21:11) Long-term effort creates inevitable results
(24:38) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Why does fulfillment feel so hard to define, and even harder to maintain?

In this episode, Kevin and Alan break down why personal development without alignment eventually stalls. Fulfillment is not a reward for working harder. It is the result of consistent decisions, honest self-awareness, and staying committed to meaningful work long after the excitement fades. This episode is for anyone focused on self-improvement, consistency, and long-term growth, not quick motivation. It challenges how you think about progress, pressure, and the choices you make when no one is watching.

Press play and measure your growth by who you are becoming, not what you are chasing.

Learn more about:
Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

Where learning turns into action. Join our “Next Level Book Club” every Saturday:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkcuiupjIqE9QlkptiKDQykRtKyFB5Jbhc

The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(2:08) The question that reveals fulfilled seasons
(4:39) Conscientiousness as the root of fulfillment
(5:24) Eustress Vs. Distress and sustainable growth
(6:55) Why fulfillment is recognized in reflection
(10:31) Fulfillment across past, present, and future
(14:13) Why hard things become meaningful over time
(15:06) Quitting Vs. Regret and identity cost
(17:12) Commitment to mastery and the long game
(19:32) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

In today’s episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros challenge how most people think about fulfillment and why chasing the wrong thing leads to long-term dissatisfaction. They examine the gap between outcomes and meaning, question commonly accepted definitions of happiness, and address why fulfillment cannot be manufactured through success alone. Drawing from years of experience and real-world patterns, this episode reframes fulfillment as something built over time, not something found in a moment.

This conversation is a grounded reminder that meaning is earned through consistent execution and personal alignment, not intention or emotion.

_______________________

Visual Asset:
The Pyramid of Fulfillment

Learn more about:
Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(1:18) Fulfillment is a byproduct, not a goal
(3:46) Reverse engineering fulfillment
(6:17) Universal principles, personal execution
(8:05) Why fulfillment cannot be seen online
(10:54) Happiness burns fast, fulfillment endures
(11:52) Fulfillment across past, present, and future
(13:53) Why can you not force fulfillment
(15:24) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros challenge a common misconception in self-improvement. Most people are not stuck because they lack drive. They are stuck because they are building on the wrong foundation. This episode reframes what real personal development requires when results matter over the long term. Through lived experience and hard-earned insight, Kevin and Alan unpack the invisible factors that separate progress from stagnation and why some people consistently earn trust, momentum, and opportunity while others do not.

If you want sustainable growth, sharper decisions, and real progress in your self-improvement journey, this episode clarifies what serious personal development actually requires.

_______________________

Learn more about:
The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(2:26) Conscientiousness defined: responsibility and reliability
(5:02) Why you would bet on certain people
(6:48) Prep, rep, reflect, perfect as a success framework
(9:23) Organization, prudence, and work ethic
(15:36) Paying for conscientiousness in life and business
(17:24) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Success changes the weight you carry, not the work you avoid. In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan cut through one of the most misunderstood ideas in self-improvement and personal development. Growth does not simplify your life. It sharpens it. The better you get, the more responsibility your decisions carry. The higher you climb, the more consistency and self-awareness are required to stay there.

This conversation challenges surface-level motivation and reframes what real progress actually demands over the long term. If you are serious about personal development, disciplined decision-making, and building success you can sustain, this episode will reset your expectations. Listen carefully. Then decide if you are willing to carry what you are asking for.

_______________________

Learn more about:
Your first 30-minute “Business Breakthrough Session” call with Alan is FREE. This call is designed to help you identify bottlenecks and build a clear plan for your next level. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

Ready to level up your podcast? Your first 30-minute “Podcast Breakthrough Session” call with Kevin is FREE - https://calendly.com/kevinpalmieri/free-30-minute-podcast-breakthrough-session-with-kevin

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(3:31) Every success has real costs
(5:42) Success increases responsibility
(6:18) The lie that success makes life easier
(7:57) Circumstances change the right strategy
(9:39) Accuracy Vs. Inspiration
(11:33) Credibility and making things look easy
(15:22) Growth requires choosing harder paths
(23:43) Goals force you to become more
(28:36) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Are your results being shaped by effort, or by something far more subtle and powerful? In this episode, Kevin and Alan challenge common assumptions about self-improvement, personal development, and success. They unpack how consistency, attention, and daily decision-making quietly determine long-term outcomes, often without people realizing it. This conversation is direct, grounded, and built for those who care about sustainable growth, not short-term motivation.

If you want sharper habits, better decisions, and progress you can actually trust, this episode will recalibrate how you think about success. Run the system. Track the inputs. Let time do the rest.

_______________________

Learn more about:
The “Next Level Dreamliner” is a productivity journal that turns clarity and accountability into consistent action. Grab your copy 👉  https://a.co/d/9fPpxEt

Join our Next Level University Monthly Masterclass, "Goal Setting For 2026," One hour. Real principles. Lasting breakthroughs. (Scheduled for January 1st at 5:00 PM Eastern Time) - Link to follow.

Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(2:02) Focus, environment, and behavior explained
(4:01) How identity is formed over time
(6:02) Outgrowing people and environments
(9:02) Standards, role models, and self-assessment
(10:09) Questions as a tool for focus
(12:26) Tracking attention through daily behavior
(13:10) Why self-belief is built, not forced, and the role of meaningful goals
(18:24) December environments and discernment
(20:35) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

In today’s episode of Next Level University, hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros break down why the traditional idea of work-life balance is holding so many people back from real self-improvement. They reveal how the wrong mental map can derail your decision-making, weaken your consistency, and limit your growth long before you realize it. Instead of chasing balance, you’ll learn the performance-driven frame high achievers use to make progress across health, wealth, and love without burning out or drifting off course.

This is a direct, practical look at personal development for people who want results, not clichés. Listen now, rethink your framework, and step into the version of yourself you’ve been avoiding.

_______________________

Learn more about:
The “Next Level Hope Foundation” creates meaningful experiences for kids growing up without a father figure and builds a positive, supportive community around them.
To support this event, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/5c6abcf7f

Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(3:52) Mental maps and how wrong assumptions derail goals
(5:24) Escaping work vs pursuing meaningful improvement
(7:19) Why people avoid goals they don’t know how to achieve
(12:16) Positive peer pressure and aligned community
(15:38) Goals dictate the ratio of work and life
(20:18) Identifying constraints across health, wealth, and love
(22:14) Avoiding the cycle of overcorrecting between buckets
(25:54) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.

Hosts Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros reveal the hidden cost of prioritization that most people in self-improvement overlook. When your life grows, your decisions get heavier, your seasons shift, and consistency becomes a deliberate skill. This episode uncovers why some people progress year after year while others stay stuck with the same goals and the same 24 hours. 

If you care about personal development, discipline, and decision-making that creates real change, this conversation will challenge how you think about balance and force you to confront the trade-offs you’ve been avoiding.

Learn more about: 
Your first 30-minute “Business Breakthrough Session” call with Alan is FREE. This call is designed to help you identify bottlenecks and build a clear plan for your next level. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

Join our private Facebook community, “Next Level Nation,” to grow alongside people who are committed to improvement. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/459320958216700

_______________________

NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

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

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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

Facebook:
Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
Kevin: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.palmieri.90/

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]

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

_______________________

Show notes:
(1:20) Seasons of life and how priorities shift
(3:27) The 168-hour framework and identity alignment
(5:23) Commitments, constraints, and future promises
(10:08) Why winning in one area requires neglecting another
(14:56) Obsession, excellence, and misunderstood work ethic
(19:33) Redefining balance through health, wealth, and love
(21:50) Outro

Send a text to Kevin and Alan!

🎙️ 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.