Brewing Success with Andrea Gebhardt

One Hour to Success: The Simple Strategy for Big Results

• Andrea Gebhardt • Season 1 • Episode 54

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Unlock the secret to achieving your  ambitions without overhauling your entire schedule. Through my own transformational journey, I've discovered the profound impact of dedicating just 4% of your day to your most significant goals. On today's  podcast, I'm thrilled to guide you on how investing one focused hour each day can compound into a 146% increase in any chosen area over a year. From nurturing family ties to skyrocketing your career, this episode is your blueprint for integrating the 4% principle into your daily life for maximum effect.

Have you ever felt like the quest for improvement demands more time than you can spare? I'm here to challenge that notion and show you the path to consistent, measurable change that fits into even the busiest of schedules. This episode is a testament to the power of prioritization; it's about making a pact with yourself to channel your efforts towards progress, regardless of how daunting your to-do list might seem. Discover how the 4% rule can serve as your catalyst for success.

Finally, grasp the essence of maximizing your potential with the smallest of daily commitments. We're often told that time is of the essence, but I'll show you how it's about the essence of time. By controlling just a sliver of your day and directing it towards your aspirations, you'll set in motion the ripples of change that can reshape your life. So, join me, as we explore not just the theory but the practical application of the 4% rule in this life-affirming session of Brewing Success.

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The Brewing Success Community isn't just about mentorship; it's a collaborative powerhouse equipped with comprehensive training and an abundance of resources tailored to ignite significant transformations in your life. If you are seeking leadership, guidance, and direction this community is for you! If you are looking to strengthen your leadership, mindset, confidence, team development strategies, and online business skills this community is for you. If you are growth minded and progress focused, this community is definitely for you, and will be the catalyst for growth and success you've been searching for. Be sure to join the community,  and also receive your very own copy of the ABC's of Leadership Mentoring Journal! https://leadlikeandreagebhardt.com/brewing-success-community/

Speaker 1:

Hi, my friends, and welcome to Brewing Success, where growth is the mission, change is the reward and progress is the goal. I am your host, andrea Gebhardt. I'm a former educator turned passionate entrepreneur, whose desire to create impact has never wavered. I have spent the last decade teaching, mentoring and coaching people on how to create success in their lives and businesses, with proven strategies and systems that not only bring about change but big results. When it comes down to it, teaching is my specialty, leadership is my jam, and inspiring you to live a bigger, fuller life is what I'm all about.

Speaker 1:

This podcast will give you the knowledge and tools you need to brew success in almost any area of your life. You're going to walk away each week feeling inspired, motivated and ready to step outside your comfort zone and into the next level of who you're meant to be. Now let's get into today's episode. So today, we're going to talk about how you can achieve more with what I like to call the four percent rule, and I'm going to tell you right now. This episode is going to be a game changer for you, game changer for people that you know that you lead, because, when it comes down to it, it's this one little adjustment that makes the biggest difference. So many people want to know what it takes to be successful, and when I tell them what it takes, they usually laugh and ask if I'm serious. And yeah, I'm dead serious. If you put this principle to work in any area of your life, you can be 100% certain that you will reach the goals you set for yourself and experience success on a more consistent basis. I think one of the biggest misconceptions around success is what it takes to achieve it, and if you've read any leadership or personal development book, I'm sure that you've come to learn and understand that success really has nothing to do with age, talent, background, social status, money or intelligence. Success is directly correlated to performance, work ethic, if you will, and I love this, because, while you can't choose the kind of life you were born into, you can certainly choose how you show up in the life that you have.

Speaker 1:

So when it comes to achieving success, making leaps in business and working toward big goals and dreams, everyone assumes that there's some secret hack, some shortcut or strategy that will increase results while decreasing the timeline. I mean, it's no surprise that everybody wants instant results, instant success, instant income, instant fame, instant all those things, and I think that we glamorize that because we look at people who are crushing it in business and we look at people who are killing it in leadership or in the online space, and we see where they are and what they currently have. What we don't see is where they started and what they had to do day in and day out to get to where they are. The truth is, nothing great was ever accomplished without hard work and sweat equity. All things worthwhile, as we have discussed, are uphill, meaning that all things take time, energy and effort. This is why consistency matters and makes the biggest impact, because consistency is what compounds and it either propels your progress or it's going to push it back.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of people assume and I realize I'm saying a lot there's a lot of assumptions here, and I think that's fair to say that when it comes to success, there's a lot of assumptions. A lot of people assume what it takes or what they might need or what might be a part of the process. A lot of people assume that in order to be successful in anything, you have to spend a ton of time on it every single day. The truth is, a ton of time does not need to be spent. Instead, focused, intentional time needs to be devoted to what it is that you are working on, and herein lies the biggest challenge People think they don't have time.

Speaker 1:

People think they don't have enough time. In fact, I'm almost 99% positive that in the last week, you have wanted to do something or spend time with someone, or had an idea come into your mind and you literally talked yourself out of it with the excuse that you didn't have time for it. The truth is, you have to spend a ton of time on it. We always make time for what matters. Time isn't our issue how we spend it. 100% is. And this is where the 4% rule kicks in, and this is where you learn that time is actually on your side it's not your enemy and how you have more time than you think you do to do and accomplish the things that you want.

Speaker 1:

And before I jump into the 4% rule, let me just say this my favorite thing about time is that it doesn't discriminate. Everyone is entitled to the same exact amount of time. We have complete control of how those 24 hours are spent. The only thing we can control is how many of those 24-hour periods we get. Therefore, we must treat each one as a gift, as an opportunity, as a time to make the most of the moments we have, with timing, our most precious commodity. We need to become stewards of the time that we are blessed with. Without being said, we got to do the best we can with the time we have, be selective about how we spend our time and who we spend it with.

Speaker 1:

As so many people say, life is short, so you better make sure it is full of the things that make you happy, bring you joy and bring you closer to your purpose and calling in life. So I want to show you how to maximize the time that you have for the things you want most, and that starts with incorporating the 4% rule into your daily routine. You see, 4% of your day is just one hour of your time. So my question to you is can you dedicate and commit one hour of your time to the things that matter the most to you? Of course you can, right, of course you can. I hope you're sitting there listening to that and you're like nodding your head. You're like, yeah, 4%, like I could totally do 4%, but if it were that easy, wouldn't more people be winning in more areas of their lives.

Speaker 1:

The gut puncher I like to call out of that rule is that when you don't do this, when you don't commit and dedicate 4% of your day to the things that matter the most to you, what you're actually saying is that you don't have time, that you don't have time to work out, to read, to hang out with your kids, to make progress toward that goal of yours, to start and complete that project, to see your friends, to pour back into yourself. I mean, try saying it out loud when you say you don't have time, when you assume that you don't have the time it takes to do the things that matter to you. I mean, I see this all the time. I especially see it with women and with moms Putting themselves on the back burner, putting the things that matter and mean the most to them on the back burner because they're so busy taking care of everybody else. But you can take care of everyone else and take care of yourself at the same time. You can show up and be an incredible entrepreneur, leader in your business or employee or job or whatever it is that you're doing, and be good at doing life by doing more of the things that bring you joy and make you happy. Imagine saying that out loud.

Speaker 1:

Like you're saying I don't have time to read every day, I don't have time to take my kids to the park or spend quality time, I don't have time to go work out. I don't have time to start a business, I don't have time to paint or dance or whatever brings you joy. Really, you don't have 4% of your day to give to yourself. You don't have 4% of your day to give to your family. You don't have 4% of your day to give to your goals and your dreams. Like, wow, imagine looking at your kid will come to you like mommy, will you go outside and draw on the concrete outside of chalk with me and you're like oh sorry, babe, I don't have 4% for you. Like what?

Speaker 1:

If you can't spend 4% of your day pouring into your kids, we've got to change something. If you can't spend 4% of your day working on your wellness so that you can live 99% of your life healthier, we've got to re-evaluate your priorities. If you can't spend 4% of your day working toward that dream or that goal of yours, then it must not be that important to you. If you can't dedicate 4% of your day to what really matters, then something is seriously out of whack. We are all capable of 4% all of us. So let's get that 4% principle set up and going in your life. First, you must decide, outside of work and family obligations, what matters to you. What matters to you? Write it down, think about it for a second.

Speaker 1:

I coach this principle to people on a regular basis. It's how I get people on track and in motion, and that's why we're doing this work today because I want to get you on track and I want to get you in motion. I don't want to see you live a life full of wasted time. I don't want you to see you live a life that is, you know, lacks impact because you are too busy, focused on scrolling or trolling or whatever it might have been. I want you to be able to recognize that you do have the time to spend on the things that matter to you. We all have 4% Again, we're all capable of that. So we're going to get on track and we're going to get in motion. You see, most people assume they don't have time for something new or time to dedicate to working out, building a side hustle, doing the things that bring them joy. When they say, and when they say, when I'm starting with people, I'm like number one.

Speaker 1:

What's your goal? What do you want to work toward? Oh, I want to really focus on personal growth and development Okay, great. So how are you going to do that? I want to read. I want to read books Cool. What books you know? I want to read this book and this book and this book Cool. What timeframe do you want to do that in? I would like to be able to read a book a month, okay, great.

Speaker 1:

So let's take a look at how we can commit 4% of your day to that growth. Can you commit 4% of your day to that? I want to become more fit Okay, great. How would you? How do you plan to do that? I want to walk Okay, great. Can we commit 4% to walking every single day? We can't. Okay, great. I want to grow my business Okay, great. What do you need to do to make that happen? I need to connect with people, get into conversations, share my product or my business Okay, great. Can you commit an hour to doing that? Can you commit an hour to doing it? Can you commit 4% of your entire day to doing those things?

Speaker 1:

And it's so funny because when I say, okay, great, they're like, well, I'm not sure if I have time for that. I work full time, I have kids, I'm a single parent, my spouse works out of town, I've also got these additional obligations I'm a Girl Scout leader, I run this office, or whatever the case may be. Then I ask can you just give 4% of your time to it? And of course, the answer is almost always yes. And then we schedule it. We actually schedule this time into their days. We schedule the walk, we schedule the workout, we schedule the quality time with your kiddos, we schedule the time to work on the project and the business.

Speaker 1:

Always remember that what you don't schedule, you don't accomplish, and this is just a simple truth. And what we don't measure, we can't manage. We can, however, measure our progress when we manage our time and we can continually experience success in the areas we give our time to. So you're probably sitting here thinking like but only 4%? Yes, just 4%. Why? Because it's doable, because it's realistic, because it contributes to your ability to be consistent, and consistency compounds, which means when you're giving listen to this, this is crazy when you're giving 4% of each day, so dedicating 4% of every day to working out, dedicating 4% of every day towards spending quality time with a teenager, that you've got 4% of your day working on that side hustle, that side project, that passion project of yours, whatever it is you're actually giving 146% to that area of your life over the course of a year. Now listen to me, when you can give 146% like effort and attention and activity and time to any area that is guaranteed change, that is guaranteed, this basically proves that you will make real progress and create real success. This is huge. It's massive actually. Remember, the needle makes micro movements in a day, so it can make macro change over time. 4% of your day leads to 146% progress.

Speaker 1:

How many of us would love to be able to say I grew 146% in my fitness and wellness this year? I grew 146% in my business. I grew 146% in my fill in the blank with whatever it is that you're wanting to make progress in. I love this because it's just 4%. It is just one hour of your day and again, so many people assume I don't have time for that because you gotta do it. You have to spend all your, you have to spend your whole life in the gym. I don't have time to spend every single day. Like everybody thinks we have to give up this upfront amount of time, when in reality we just gotta give it a little time, energy and effort every single day, and that compounding aspect takes turns all of that into the big chunk, turns it all into the big chunk over time, and it's the big chunk over time that makes the difference, that makes the impact, that allows you to make progress. This is true, this principle is true, and I've experienced it for myself and helped thousands of people put this principle into action in their lives and, as a result, they reach goals, they climb to new heights and begin to make massive strides in the areas of life that they're looking to grow and improve in. And I'll give you some examples.

Speaker 1:

When I started this podcast, I had this idea, I had this dream of having a podcast, and the reason why I wanted to do it was to increase reach and impact beyond the stages I was speaking on or the rooms I was pouring into or the teams I was mentoring and developing. I wanted to extend that beyond myself, in a physical room with whoever was there. I wanted to extend and increase that reach and that impact and I worried and in fact, I put it off and I delayed starting it because I kept making excuses for myself, and every single excuse had to do with time. I kept saying I don't know how I can make time for this in my busy, busy life. So I was like, well, what can I commit to it? And at that point it was an hour, an hour every single day that I could commit to creating this podcast Writing, researching, editing, producing the episodes. And here we are. Here we are Over 50 episodes in downloaded in over 14 different countries and listed in the top 50% of podcasts, and I still commit 4% of my day to this podcast, and that will never change. The consistency creates the results, and the results creates the momentum, and the momentum feeds the motivation. This is so exciting.

Speaker 1:

When I started my inspiration email newsletter which you can subscribe to, by the way, on the website instead of wondering if I had the time to do it, I just instituted the 4% rule. I just spent an hour each day writing the emails, responding to the emails from the community and developing the community that has turned into, like it's grown into over a thousand inspiration emails that have gone out, 5,000 people who subscribed to this on a weekly basis and an incredible community of like-minded people who are searching for change and progress and real growth and impact in their life. When I started working out, I went from going like I don't have time for that to I have to make time for that, and I implemented the 4% rule and now it's just something I do every day and I'm healthier and I'm stronger for it. That 4% of my day is the best part of my day. I get to tune the whole world out and I get to focus on being my healthiest self, getting stronger, so that I can live a long, healthy life. I mean, that's the ultimate goal there. You see, we can't make progress in the areas that we don't prioritize, and this rule, this 4% rule, helps us do that.

Speaker 1:

I think people have a tendency to think that they don't have the time because their lives are already so full and so busy, but it's not true. There are plenty of ways in which we waste valuable time that could be redirected into more important activities. Are you busy? Sure, sure you're busy, but are you busy with the right things? Busy blurs the lines of success and productivity propels them. So take a moment to think about the things you want to accomplish over the next 90 days and then just dedicate 4% of your day to it. If you choose three things that you're working toward over the course of the next 90 days, that's just 12% of your day to the things that matter the most to you, the things that will help you feel successful when you make progress in them, the things that will ignite your inspiration and motivation, the things that will help you achieve real results and real success.

Speaker 1:

We must get serious about this, because if we continue to go about our day saying we're too busy, going about our days wasting time, go about our days putting things off, we end up behind, we end up discouraged and we end up validating those annoying inner voices and stories that constantly whisper the who do you think you are and the you're a failure in the back of your mind. We've got to turn down our excuses and turn up our level of intentionality. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. It's what we do with them that makes a difference. We all have dreams and goals. It's how we get after them that makes a difference.

Speaker 1:

We all have a limited amount of time we are given. It's how we utilize that time that makes the difference. The best news here is that you have 100% control over what that looks like, how it plays out and how it changes your life. It's just 4%. You can give 4%. Put this principle into action and watch how 4% can change 100% of your life. Thank you so much for joining me here on the Brewing Success Podcast. You guys, where growth is the mission, change is the reward and progress is always the goal, I can't wait to see you put this into action in your own life so that you can see for yourself the ways in which it will transform your goals and dreams into reality.