The Top 1% Advantage - What 21 Episodes Taught Us About Everyday Excellence

This show is powered by others over self. Hit that subscribe button to keep training your brain. You're not more talented. You just kept plowing when everyone else was waiting for dramatic results. You trusted the process and the process delivered. From others over self. This is hardcore and at ease. A show about people who are keeping their edge without going over the edge. I'm host Shelly Rude, and today we're celebrating a milestone. This show just earned a position in the top 1% of podcasts globally. Now, before you think that this is about talent or resources or some special strategy, let me tell you what really got us here and why it matters for that initiative that you're thinking about quitting. This is hardcore at ease. Today is a day for celebrating, and I'm wearing a little bit of sparkle to mark the occasion. This podcast that you're listening to right now sits in the top 1% of podcasts worldwide. Out of 2 million podcasts, roughly 20,000 make it to where we are today, episode 22. But before I tell you why that matters for your leadership, I need to tell you about the eight years that happened before July. For eight years, I had all the pieces ready for this podcast. I had the framework, I had the content ideas, I had the microphones sitting in my office. But I didn't launch. And it wasn't that I was afraid of doing the work. I wasn't scared of showing up every week or of being vulnerable and putting myself out there. What stopped me from launching was so much simpler than that. In fact, the elements that I had prepared weren't perfect. They weren't ready, at least not by my sky high standards. The intro music I didn't absolutely love. The website still needed polish. The. The branding totally could have been better. I needed more episodes recorded in advance. What if I lost my voice? The show notes template wasn't even finished. And underneath all of these hesitations, you know what? The elements were good enough. They just felt substandard for me to move forward with. What about you? Have you ever held back on something that mattered deeply to you? Not because you couldn't do it, but because what you had prepared felt just short of what it could be. You told yourself you just needed a little more time, a little more polish, a little more certainty before we can finally launch it properly? Well, that was me for eight solid years. And this podcast was my dream. And it was so dear to my heart that the stakes felt even higher. Because I've been here before. I've launched a lot of things in my entrepreneurial career. I launched an Etsy shop. Lots of excitement and big plans. It died after a few months. I planned a subscription box business. There was so much strategizing and preparation. It went active for a solid two years before we moved past that. And this podcast, well, it mattered even more than those two initiatives. And that's what made me even more cautious. What if I launched it and it went in the same direction as those other things that I had started? So. So when this past July came, I had finally decided I'm done waiting for perfect. These elements aren't perfect, but they're good enough. And I'm not letting another year go by. And here's what made the difference between this launch and all the other strategies that I've tried that haven't ended up being consistent. This is critical. I involved other people. I made it essential to the overall success of my business. This podcast wasn't just an add on or a service enhancement. I stopped treating it like a hobby project, and I started treating it like the core of how I build authority with mission driven leaders. And I committed myself to showing up even when I felt like nobody was listening. This is episode 22, 21 weeks of keeping that commitment. I'm Shelly Rude, and welcome back to Hardcore at ease. What happened when I chose Good Enough to start Over Perfect before I launch? Well, that taught me everything about how excellence actually compounds and why you're probably about to quit on something that could actually transform your leadership if you just kept it going. Research shows that 90% of podcasts, 90% don't make it past episode three. Now think about that. Nine out of 10 people who launch with excitement, and they have big plans, genuine intention to create something valuable, will they quit before episode four? And here's what happens to the 10% who make it past episode three. Well, another 90% of them don't reach episode 20. So if you do the math, this means that reaching episode 21 puts a show in the top 1% of all podcast producers globally. Not the top 10%, not even the top five. We made it to the top 1%. And here's what I want you to understand. This episode isn't about celebrating that we've published 21 episodes. This episode is about what those 21 episodes taught us, what they taught me, what they've proved about the principle that we teach that separates sustainable excellence from exhausting intensity. Because if you're leading anything that matters, then you need to know this. Being consistent in the essential things. Well, you have to do that side by side with letting go of having perfection in those particulars. That right there is what creates consistent results that compound over time. Now, let's get into it. Think of a recent time when you were leading through absolute chaos. I used to work in a newsroom, and that's how it always felt when a hurricane was headed our way. Maybe there's a crisis that's been threatening your organization. Or maybe in the past you had some type of personal upheaval that made it nearly impossible to focus. Like a birth of a child, a child jail. Maybe it was just some particular season where you felt uncertain and you weren't sure if any of it would work out. When I was struggling with this question, how do you keep going when you can't see if it's working well? I found wisdom in one of the most consequential moments in American history. And it taught me something about consistency that changed how I think and how I lead when I talk about leadership. Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863. A man whose leadership held our nation together during its darkest hour. The Civil War is tearing the country apart, brothers and sisters fighting each other, and the outcome is completely uncertain. In the moment, the future of the Union itself hangs in the balance. And in the middle of this crisis, this president carrying the weight of a fragmenting nation on his shoulders, he does something. Remark. He issues the first national Thanksgiving proclamation. Now think about what you would do if you were president during the worst crisis in American history. What would you put in your Thanksgiving message? Would it be about military victories or some dramatic speech about the future of the Union? Would you have rallying cries for patriotism because Lincoln did something different? And he did something that taught me more about sustainable leadership than any business book I've ever read. Something that speaks to the very heart of what our Founding Fathers understood about building things that last. Here's what he wrote, and I want you to hear this like I heard it as somebody wondering if showing up consistently even matters. The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come. Let's listen to that one part again. So constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget. He's grateful for what shows up consistently, not dramatically. Consistently, he continues. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle or the ship. The plow kept plowing, the shuttle kept weaving and the ship kept sailing. Not because they were heroic, because they were consistent, because farmers didn't wait to feel excited about plowing. They just plowed week after week, even during a war that threatened everything that they were building. And then Lincoln writes this line that should be on every leader's wall. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield. Despite the crisis, despite the deaths, despite the uncertainty, the nation was surviving because people kept showing up for essential work. Not the dramatic work, the essential work. I reread the Thanksgiving proclamation every year, and this time I read it in preparation for our holiday. And I was reading it after a recording, episod episode 11 or 12, somewhere around there. And I thought, I'm that farmer. I'm recording this podcast every Tuesday. And it isn't dramatic. It's not saving lives. It's. It's just the plow. But that plow is the plow that feeds nations if you keep plowing. Now, Lincoln and the founding principles that he fought to preserve, they've showed me something that I missed entirely during my leadership career. The dramatic moments don't build empires. It's the consistent actions that do. And he proved it. And the guests on this show keep proving it to me. The nation didn't survive because of heroic battles. They contributed, but it really survived because the plow kept plowing. Now, let's shift gears, because I want to show you what consistency looks like when it compounds over almost a century. Dick van Dyke. He's 99 years old, one month as of today from turning 100 years old. And last month, Rick Springfield, who's 76 and in excellent shape, was at his gym in Malibu. He's working out, feeling pretty good about his discipline at age 76. And he sees Dick Van Dyke working every single machine systematically, one after another. Springfield watches him finish the chest press, and Dick Van Dyke stands up and does a little dance step before moving to the next machine. A dance step at 99, Springfield posted about it. I thought I was doing well at 76, but Dick got up from the chest press machine and did a little dance step before I left. Amazing. Now, here's the part that matters for your leadership. When they asked Van Dyke about his workout routine, he said, I don't know why this is something that I still want to do, but it is. If I miss too many gym days, I can really feel it. A stiffness creeping in here and there. He's not doing heroic workouts. He goes three times per week, and he has for Decades. And he even rewards himself with a smoothie afterwards and a nap. Limber dancing in the days ahead. He says he's 99 and planning for future dancing. His philosophy is, you get better the longer you do it. Not you get better the harder you push. Not you get better through intensity. Dick Van Dyke. You get better the longer you do it. He can dance at 99 because he's not trying to be perfect in everything else. He admits that he's a stupor, a shuffler and a teeterer. He deals with feet problems, sight issues, he's got hearing aids. His wife tells him to change his shirt all the time before they go out because it's covered in blueberry stains. Van Dyke released perfection in the particulars. But the essential thing of mobility, vitality, that ability to contribute well, that remains strong. At 99, he's hardcore about his three gym visits per week, and he's at ease about the blueberry stains now. That combination, that's what puts him in a category of one. When I saw that story, I thought about my podcast, episode 12, definitely not perfect, episode seven, audio issue that I didn't catch until after it was released. Episode 15. It's on the long side. I consider those blueberry stains. And yet I kept showing up for the essential thing, the valuable teaching for the mission driven leaders that I know are listening every Tuesday. And now we're here. Episode 22, top 1% globally. And it's not because I'm perfect. It has nothing to do with that. It's because I trusted the process enough to just keep plowing. So here's what these 21 episodes taught me that I'm passing on to you today. You're probably failing at your version of episode three right now. Maybe you launched something that really mattered to you. Maybe you have built a system, but you're starting to feel like it's crumbling. You started even showing up for the things that you put together, but it's starting to feel a lot harder to maintain than it was when you launched it. I think about my podcast and people say, how's it going? And I say, I've created a monster. Maybe you're inside even wondering, is this even working? Maybe you're just waiting for proof. Well, what might be happening is you might be comparing your week 12 to someone else's year 5. Keep that in mind if you feel like you're ready to quit, because I don't want you to. Let's do a mind shift here. Let's change the narrative so that we stop Measuring dramatic results and start measuring that consistent action. This show, Hardcore Netties, it sits in three different podcast categories. Business, management, philosophy, and how to. And you know what else is in those Categories? Shows with 180 million downloads, shows that have published over 600 episodes over two decades. Shows that feature billionaires and interview Nobel Prize winners. Those are the category kings. There are the libraries. They do the research, they interview the famous, and they analyze the trends. They are so essential, and I learn from them every day. But here we're doing something different. Here we're talking to the builders. So while they're interviewing the billionaires about what worked, we're teaching how to apply it to tomorrow morning. They may be exploring centuries of philosophical theory, which I love, but we're translating stoic wisdom into the decisions that you're going to make this week while under pressure. We are not out here trying to beat them at their game. We're playing a completely different game, and here's why that matters. Shows like ours, teaching methodology, teaching implementation, building skills.

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Well, they don't typically gain traction until after hundreds of episodes. The interview shows can build audiences fast by featuring those famous names. But transformation through consistent practice, well, that requires proof through repetition, and we're already ahead of the curve at episode 22. Now, because we trusted the process before we saw the results, we can claim top 1% globally. So now it's your turn. We're heading into Thanksgiving this week, so let me give you a practice that connects everything that we've been talking about. Lincoln's gratitude came from recognizing what persisted during crisis. Not what was dramatic, but what was steady. Dick Van Dyke has a vitality at 99 that came from showing up when it wasn't exciting. This podcast authority is building through 21 weeks of choosing consistency over convenience. So here's your Thanksgiving practice, and I need you to do this. Actually do this. Instead of just listening, step one is to name your essential outcome. This is not a goal list. It's not your quarterly objectives. I want you to nail down one thing that if you achieve it, it'll make everything else easier or appear pretty much unnecessary. This is how you should think about what you're building, what would make the biggest difference? And no, the answer is not a zillion dollars. Write down that one thing, one sentence, and make it specific enough that you know when you've achieved it. Now, step two is to identify two or three consistent actions that are going to directly support that outcome. These are not heroic efforts like a giant viral video on YouTube. What we're talking about are consistent practices. Think about the plow that's in your work. What if? What. What is that thing that if you did it every week without fail, it would compound into something significant? So here's what mine looks like. Record podcast every Monday. Have meaningful client conversations every week. Document my frameworks as we teach them three actions. They're sustainable, they're repeatable, and they directly support my essential outcome. So what are yours now? Step three is to be able to name what you're releasing. Dick Van Dyke released perfect health, perfect posture, even clean shirts. He's okay being a stupor, a shuffler and a teeterer because it lets him keep dancing. So what about you, my friend? What are you going to release so that you can keep plowing? Look at your calendar right now. What are you doing that doesn't directly support your essential outcome? What initiative from maybe two years ago is just taking energy still, but it's not producing results? Maybe there's a standard that you're maintaining just out of habit instead of out of purpose. You cannot consistently execute your essential outcome if you're trying to be perfect in everything else. And the final step here is commitment. It's easy sometimes for us to just think of a time frame. So we're going to say one year. I want you to pick one day per week, the same day every week. And before you do anything else, I want you to do one of those consistent actions. I don't want you to do it perfectly. I want you to do it consistently. I have a really good friend, and he is writing a book. And Friday mornings are for him to go to the library and sit down and write. And he is 4800 words, sorry, 48,000 words into his book because he's been consistent. Now, for me, it's Tuesdays. Before I check my email or look at my calendar, I make sure that my podcast episode has already hit. It's being published at 4am Episode 22 happened today, right? Because I made that commitment 21 weeks ago. So what's your Tuesday and what's your one action? Because here's what happens when you choose to do this between now and Thanksgiving next year. That time is going to pass anyway. And that's 52 repetitions of your essential action. That's 52 times that you could have been writing a chapter of a book where you can choose intentionally to be consistent over what's convenient. That's 52 weeks of compound growth while 99% of people quit at just week three. That right there is how you get to the top 1%. You're either going to succeed at this or you're not. So let me paint you a picture of what can happen one way and what can happen the other way. So picture number one. You quit at episode three, three steps in. You're reading this. You're listening to this episode. You feel inspired. Maybe you even wrote down that essential outcome. But then the next week comes and somebody calls you and you rush off to put out a fire. And then the week after that comes, and you're just too busy to make it happen. And that action that you promised yourself that you would do, it doesn't feel exciting anymore. So maybe you skip it. And then by December, this conversation that we've had today could only be a distant memory. And maybe you're back to those heroic efforts that don't compound. A year from now, you're still going to feel frustrated. You're still going to feel like you're the only one that cares. Still launching initiatives that die at week five or six and wondering why excellence can feel so exhausting. Listen to me. Because if you're here, you might be in that 99% who gave up because they were waiting for proof before they committed. Now, on the other hand, you've got a second picture. The picture where you commit to the process. You write down your essential outcome. You pick your three consistent actions. You choose your Tuesday and next week. Even when it's not exciting, even when you don't see immediate results, you do that action and the week after and the week after that. And by Thanksgiving next year, you've executed your essential action 52 times. Your team is operating independently. Your systems are running without your constant oversight. People are asking you, shelley, your podcast is amazing. How do you make it look so easy? And you know the truth. You're not more talented. You just kept plowing when everyone else was waiting for dramatic results. You trusted the process and the process delivered. So which picture do you want to live in, my friend? Because the choice really is up to you. Now, back in July, I stood in this studio in front of my microphone with elements that were good enough but not perfect. And I really was internally scared that I was going to quit again a couple episodes in. But today, I'm in front of this microphone celebrating episode 22, top 1% globally. Not because I'm more talented than the people who quit, but because I kept showing up on Tuesdays when nobody was watching. And what I've learned is this excellence doesn't come from heroic. Efforts. It comes from consistent action in essential things while we release the perfection of the particulars. Lincoln's plow, it kept plowing. Dick Van Dyke's gym, his visits keep happening, and my Tuesday recordings keep airing. So your essential action, it can keep going too. Don't quit. Don't quit on me at episode three because the world needs ambitious people like you to make it to episode 22. Episode 52. Episode 100. Now, next week we're back with a guest episode. We're going to talk about being a micromanager and how we can shift that mindset into really being a force multiplier. We're going to hear from a leader who has committed to being consistent with delegation instead of being the heroic problem solver himself. Real transformation through sustained practice. All right, my friend, thank you for being here for episode 22. Thank you for trusting the process with me, and thank you for choosing to be hardcore in your standards while staying at ease and your authentic self. Now go pick your Tuesday, write down your essential outcome and commit to 52 weeks of showing up. I'll see you next week, same day and same time, because that is what the top 1% do. Until then, stay hardcore, be at ease, and trust the process.

You're listening to Hardcore and at ease. Keep the conversation going@join othersoverself.com hi, I'm Doug Slocum, the author of the book Violent Positivity. I was Blessed to spend 35 years in the US military, the Air Force, working with some of the most amazing men and women you'd ever want to meet. Well, throughout my life, throughout my career, I learned lessons. I developed this leadership style that I like to call violent positivity. And this book was my opportunity to tell that story, but also put forth those principles. Violentpositivity.com More information on how to order the book.

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