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132. Win the Hour: Why Consistency Beats Motivation
3 Plays3 months ago
In this episode of the Especially for Athletes Podcast, Shad and Dustin dive into the powerful principle of consistency—a key factor that separates long-term champions from those who only experience short-term success. While motivation may spark action, it’s consistency that truly leads to growth and achievement.
Drawing insights from Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Utah Valley wrestling coach Adam Hall, and legendary football coach Chris Petersen, the guys discuss how consistency plays a crucial role in achieving success, whether in sports, school, or life.
They break down how to build consistent habits and offer practical advice for pushing through moments when motivation fades. Michael Phelps shares how consistent efforts—no matter how small—lead to extraordinary results. Coach Hall emphasizes being fully present and committed, and Chris Petersen’s advice rings true: “Don’t rely on motivation—rely on consistency.”
Key Takeaways:
- Motivation gets you started, but consistency keeps you going.
- Develop clear goals, create a routine, and stick to it.
- Stay present in every moment, focusing on winning the hour—not the entire day or week.
Join Shad as they explain why consistency is the secret weapon behind greatness and how developing this powerful habit leads to lasting success.
Tune in now to learn how to build consistency into your daily life, and remember: Eyes up, do the work, and win the hour!
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Credits:
Hosted by Shad Martin
Produced by IMAGINATE STUDIO
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Transcript
Introduction to Empowering Principles for Athletes
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Welcome to the especially for athletes podcast where we explore essential principles that empower athletes to learn life's most valuable lessons through sports.
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Hello, everybody.
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Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast.
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We're going to break down some principles today that help coaches and leaders maximize their influence and impact and success.
Consistency Over Motivation: Key to Long-term Success
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And today we're going to dive into a topic that separates the good from the great, the short-term successes from the long-term champions.
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And it's not motivation that leads to greatness, it's consistency.
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And that's what we're going to talk about today today.
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in relation to our principle of win the hour.
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So John C. Maxwell once said, motivation gets you going, but consistency keeps you growing.
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And if we're being real, we've all felt it, right?
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Some days you wake up fired up, ready to go.
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Other days you'd rather hit snooze, stay in bed, push things off until tomorrow.
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So how do the great ones push through those moments?
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How do they show up day after day, even when motivation is nowhere to be found?
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And I'm sure we've all felt that.
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Maybe today was a day that you felt that.
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So we're going to answer that question with insights from Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Utah Valley wrestling coach Adam Hall, when he joined our podcast, and one of the greatest football coaches of all time, Chris Peterson, through Coach Hall.
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So
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So stick with us.
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This episode might just change the way you approach your day, your goals, ultimately your life.
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So let's start
Insights from Elite Athletes on Motivation Challenges
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with the simple truth.
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Motivation is really unreliable.
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Michael Phelps, one of the greatest Olympians in history, said it best.
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Here's what he said.
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There were a lot of days where I did not want to get out of bed.
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And I guarantee you, if I ask the question here, if everybody is excited to get out of bed every single day, if I saw a hand, I'm going to blatantly call you a liar.
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Because we all know that is far from the truth.
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So that's Michael Phelps, the guy with 28 Olympic medals, admitting that motivation for him alone, motivation alone, was not enough.
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The truth is, if we only train and work and study when we feel like it, we're never going to reach our full potential.
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Motivation
The Role of Discipline and Emotional Control
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gets you started, but consistency is what's going to get us across the finish line in relation to our goals and the things that we want to accomplish.
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So just take a minute as you listen to this and ask yourself this question.
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How often do I wait until I feel like it before I act?
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That's a really good question, right?
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How often do I wait until I feel like it before I act?
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And second, do I let my emotions decide my work ethic?
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Do I let my emotions decide my work ethic?
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And last, do I have the discipline to push forward even when motivation is gone?
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Do I have the discipline to push forward even when motivation is gone?
Building Habits for Consistency
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So if you answered yes to any of those, don't worry, you're not alone, but that's exactly why we need to develop consistent habits
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that keep us moving forward regardless of how we feel.
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So how do we become more consistent?
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How do we win the hour every hour regardless of how we feel so that our habits build towards something great?
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So let's turn to Adam Hall, head wrestling coach of Utah Valley University, who shared something powerful, some powerful advice that he learned from football coach Chris Peterson.
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So Adam Hall was a very accomplished wrestler at Boise State when Chris Peterson was the football coach at Boise State.
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And this is what he said about what Chris Peterson taught him.
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I went to Boise State and I was fortunate enough to be the
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There when a great coach, Chris Peterson, was there in his growing years before he left for Washington.
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And he always told his athletes, like, when you're in when you're on the field, be on the field.
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When you're in the classroom, be in the classroom.
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When you're in study hall, be in study hall.
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Be present.
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So that might sound simple.
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But if you think about it, how often do we struggle with this?
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We let distractions take over.
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We think about everything we have to do instead of what we need to do right now.
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But consistency comes from locking in and being fully present.
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Coach Hall also shared something else that's crucial.
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Here's Coach Hall again.
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One good quote that I heard and I've since used it with our team is, is don't rely on motivation because motivation ebbs and flows.
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Rely on consistency.
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So that applies to everything.
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Whether you're an
Practical Tips for Developing Consistency
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athlete, a student, a parent, a coach, or a business leader, your success depends on daily habits that you build, not how you feel in the moment.
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So how do we actually become more consistent?
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Here's three things we could do.
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First, set small, clear goals.
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Michael Phelps called this putting money in the bank.
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Every day, every practice, every rep,
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is a deposit.
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We would say every hour is a deposit.
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You got to win that hour, deposit that hour.
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And when it's time to compete, you can withdraw from that bank account that you've built.
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So first, set small, clear goals.
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Second,
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Create a routine and stick to it.
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Don't make decisions based on emotions.
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Have a plan for what you need to do each day and execute it no matter what.
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Justin Sua on our podcast, the head mental performance coach for the Tampa Bay Rays,
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He said you need to embrace the boredom of consistency.
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And so those goals, when you set that routine, and no matter how you feel, you stick to that routine, even if you're absolutely bored or unenthused or unmotivated that day, that is what is going to get you closer to your goals.
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So second, create a routine and stick to it.
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Third, be fully present in the moment.
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If you're at practice, commit 100%.
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If you're studying, lock in.
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Win the hour that you're in one hour at a time.
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One of the biggest challenges with consistency is that results don't always come right away.
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So Michael Phelps said this.
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But if you have those little small goals, those little small things that get you excited when you don't want to,
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It's going to make it even better and even easier at the end when you're getting ready for a presentation at the end of the year, this, that, whatever event you're leading up to.
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It's going to make it so much easier.
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And I think if you look at the greats in anything, in any walk of life, the greats do things when they don't always want to.
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And that's the separation.
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The key is seeing the big picture.
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Too often we focus
Trust the Process: Small Victories and Long-term Success
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on how we feel instead of where we're going.
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We get frustrated when we don't see instant results.
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We lose motivation when things get hard, but consistency is about playing the long game.
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Think about a weightlifter in the gym.
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If they show up every day and put in the work, they may not see a massive difference after one week, but after six months,
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A year, five years, they're a completely different person.
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The same is true for you and your mindset and your goals and for me and my mindset and my goals.
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So here's the challenge.
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Can you show up every day even when you don't see immediate results?
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Can you trust the process knowing that small wins add up over time?
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And can you stay committed when motivation disappears?
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Because that's what separates average performers from high achievers.
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So as we wrap up today's episode, let's bring it back to one simple principle.
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Win the hour.
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Not the whole week, not the whole year.
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Just win this hour.
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If you do that over and over again, you will develop the kind of consistency that outlasts motivation and leads to real success.
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So here's the challenge.
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Pick one habit to work on this week.
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It could be training, studying, or improving your mindset.
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Second, commit to it, no matter how you feel.
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If you're tired, unmotivated, or distracted, do it anyway.
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That's the victory that you need to win this week.
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Track your progress.
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Remember, every action, every hour that you win is a deposit in the bank.
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Because at the end of the day, success isn't about how motivated you were.
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It's about how consistent
Commitment to Habits and Podcast Call to Action
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you were.
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Thank you so much for joining us today on the Especially for Athletes podcast.
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If you got value from today's episode, share it with a teammate, a friend, or someone you coach or a child who needs to hear it.
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And if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe.
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Never miss
Conclusion and Resources
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an episode.
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And as always, eyes up, do the work.
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Thank you for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast.
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To learn more about Especially for Athletes organization, get a copy of our book, The Sport Light, or to bring our program to your team, school, business, or organization, visit us at especiallyforathletes.org.