You launched that initiative with excitement. Big plans. Genuine commitment. But by week 3, you’re thinking about quitting because the results aren’t dramatic enough. The system you built? Looks like we’ll be abandoning it before week 6. The standard you set? Dropped as soon as it got hard to maintain. This happens constantly – yet there is a way through the muddy water. Keep reading for a nugget of wisdom on how to reach the top 1% without heroic effort.
If you’re a frustrated ambitious leader who feels like you’re the only one who cares about consistent excellence, this episode reveals why 99% of a certain group of people quit before they see results—and what the top 1% do differently. The answer isn’t talent, resources, or some secret strategy. It’s understanding what Abraham Lincoln knew in 1863, what Dick Van Dyke proves at 99, and what finally got the Hardcore and At Ease™ podcast to the top 1% of shows globally.
The Data That Explains Your Failed Initiatives
Here’s a stat that should stop you in your tracks: 90% of podcasts don’t make it past episode 3. Nine out of ten people who launch with excitement, big plans, and genuine intention to create something valuable quit before episode 4.
But it gets worse. Of the 10% who make it past episode 3, another 90% don’t reach episode 20.
Do the math. Reaching episode 21 puts you in the top 1% of all podcast producers globally. Out of 2 million podcasts, roughly 20,000 make it this far.
What Leaders Can Learn From Failed Podcasters
Now, you might be thinking, “That’s interesting, but I’m not a podcaster.” But here’s what matters for your consistent leadership: this isn’t about podcasting. This pattern shows up everywhere leaders try to build something sustainable.
Think about the last five initiatives you launched. How many made it past “episode 3”? How many are still running at “episode 20”?
For eight years, I had all the pieces ready for this podcast. The framework was built. Content ideas were mapped out. The microphone sat in my office collecting dust. But I didn’t launch.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of doing the work. I wasn’t scared of showing up every week. What stopped me was simpler: the elements I’d prepared weren’t perfect. They weren’t ready—at least not by my standards. The intro music wasn’t quite right. The website needed more polish. The branding could be better.
These elements were good enough. They just felt substandard to move forward with.
High Stakes Deserve Forward Movement
And this podcast dream was so dear to my heart that the stakes felt even higher. Because I’d been here before. I’d launched an Etsy shop with excitement—it died after a few months. I’d planned a subscription box business with detailed strategies—it never made it past planning.
This podcast mattered more than those did. And that made me more cautious.
Sound familiar? You’re probably sitting on an initiative right now that you know could transform your team, your organization, or your leadership—but you’re waiting for just a little more certainty, just a little more polish before you commit fully.
What Made This Time Different: The Consistency Principle
In July, I made a decision that changed everything: I’m done waiting for perfect. These elements aren’t perfect, but they’re good enough. And I’m not letting another year pass.
But here’s what made the difference between this launch and all the others that died:
I involved other people, and made it essential to the overall success of my business (not just an add-on or service enhancement). I stopped treating it like a hobby project and started treating it like the core of how I build authority with mission-driven leaders.
And I committed to showing up even when it felt like nobody was listening.
Twenty-one weeks later, we’re in the top 1% globally. Not because the elements are perfect now. They’re not. Episode 12 wasn’t perfect, episode 7 had an audio issue I didn’t catch until after publishing, and episode 15 ran ten minutes longer than I wanted.
But I kept showing up for the essential thing: valuable teaching for mission-driven leaders, every Tuesday.
Here’s the principle that separates sustainable excellence from exhausting intensity: Consistency in essential things, while releasing perfection in particulars, creates compound results that one-time heroic efforts never achieve.
This is the core of the “Trust the Process” ring in the T.A.R.G.E.T. methodology—the outermost ring of the Hardcore and At Ease Framework where you empower others and build sustainable systems through consistent action rather than constant intervention.
Lincoln’s Thanksgiving: Why Consistent Action Beats Dramatic Effort
When I was struggling with this question—how do you keep going when you can’t see if it’s working—I found wisdom in one of the most consequential moments in American history.
The Original Thanksgiving Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln. October 3rd, 1863. A man whose consistent leadership literally held our nation together during its darkest hour.
The Civil War is tearing the country apart. Brothers fighting brothers. The outcome? Completely uncertain. 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—issues the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation. But here’s what’s remarkable about what he wrote:
“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…”
“So constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget.”
He’s grateful for what shows up consistently. Not dramatically. Consistently.
Consistent Efforts Deserves Recognition
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. The ship kept sailing.
Not because they were heroic. Because they were consistent. Farmers didn’t wait to feel excited about plowing. They just plowed. Week after week. Even during a war that threatened everything they were building.
Then Lincoln writes: “Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field.”
Despite the crisis, the deaths, and the uncertainty, the nation was surviving because people kept showing up for essential work. Not the dramatic work. The essential work.
This is what consistent leadership looks like in high-pressure environments. When I read that, sitting at my desk after publishing episode 11 or 12 to maybe a hundred people, I thought: “I’m that farmer. Recording this podcast every Tuesday isn’t dramatic. It’s not saving lives. It’s just… the plow.”
But that plow? It feeds nations. If you keep plowing.
Lincoln—and the founding principles he fought to preserve—showed me something I’d missed my entire leadership career: The dramatic moments don’t build empires. The consistent actions do.
Dick Van Dyke at 99: The Compound Effect of Showing Up
Now let me show you what consistent leadership looks like when it compounds over almost a century.
The Man. The Myth. The Legend.
Dick Van Dyke is 99 years old. One month from turning 100.
Last month, Rick Springfield—who’s 76 and in excellent shape—was at his gym in Malibu working out. He’s feeling pretty good about his discipline at 76. Then he sees Dick Van Dyke working every single machine. Systematically. One after another.
Springfield watches him finish the chest press. Van Dyke stands up and does a little dance step before moving to the next machine.
A dance step. At 99.
Springfield posted: “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!”
When asked about his routine, Van Dyke said: “I don’t know why this is something I still want to do, but it is. If I miss too many gym days, I really can feel it—a stiffness creeping in here and there.”
He’s not doing heroic workouts. He goes three times per week. Has for decades. And he rewards himself: a smoothie afterward, a nap, “limber dancing in the days ahead.”
The Philosophy That’s Keeping Him Going
He’s 99 and planning for future dancing.
His philosophy? “You get better the longer you do it.”
Not “you get better the harder you push.” Not “you get better through intensity.” You get better the longer you do it.
But here’s the crucial part for your consistent leadership: Van Dyke can dance at 99 because he’s NOT trying to be perfect in everything else.
He admits he’s “a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer.” He deals with feet problems. Sight issues. Hearing aids. His wife tells him to change his shirt before they go out because it’s covered in blueberry stains.
Van Dyke released perfection in the particulars. But the essential thing—mobility, vitality, the ability to contribute—remains strong at 99.
He’s hardcore about his three gym visits per week. He’s at ease about the blueberry stains.
This is the Others Over Self® philosophy in action: understanding that your greatest impact comes when your pursuit of excellence serves something bigger than yourself. Van Dyke’s commitment to mobility isn’t about vanity—it’s about maintaining the ability to contribute, to perform, to bring joy to others at 99.
The Framework: Trust the Process in the T.A.R.G.E.T. Methodology
The Hardcore and At Ease Framework uses a target visual with six rings representing the T.A.R.G.E.T. methodology. Trust the Process is the outermost ring—the black and white rings where you empower others to maintain standards.
But here’s what most leaders miss: you can’t reach the outer rings without consistent action in the inner rings first.
Phase 1: SELF (Rings 1-2: Tactical Center + Ambition Alignment)
This is where you build your authentic foundation. You identify your essential outcome and align your ambition with what actually matters.
Phase 2: OVER (Rings 3-4: Resourceful Action + Generate Momentum)
You build systems and establish collaborative momentum through consistent execution.
Phase 3: OTHERS (Rings 5-6: Expect Excellence + Trust the Process)
You empower others to lead and trust the process you’ve built through consistent action.
Most leaders try to jump straight to Phase 3. They want their teams operating independently, their systems running smoothly, their standards maintained without constant oversight. But they haven’t done the consistent work in Phases 1 and 2 to build that foundation.
This show sits in Business Management, Philosophy, and How To categories. You know what else is in those categories? Shows with 180 million downloads. Also, shows that have published 600 episodes over two decades. There are also shows that feature billionaires and interview Nobel Prize winners.
Those are the category kings. They’re the libraries, backed with research and famous interviews. They analyze the trends. And they’re essential.
But we’re doing something different here. We’re the builders. While they’re interviewing billionaires about what worked, we’re teaching you how to apply it tomorrow morning. While they’re exploring centuries of philosophical theory, we’re translating Stoic wisdom into decisions you’ll make under pressure this week.
We’re not trying to beat them at their game. We’re playing a different game.
And here’s why this matters for your consistent leadership: Shows like ours—teaching methodology, building implementation skills—don’t typically gain traction until after hundreds of episodes. The interview shows can build audiences fast by featuring famous names.
But transformation through consistent practice? That requires proof through repetition.
At episode 22, we’re already ahead of the curve. Because we trusted the process before we saw the results.
Your Thanksgiving Practice: Four Steps to Consistent Leadership
We’re heading into Thanksgiving this week. So here’s a practice that connects everything—Lincoln’s gratitude for what persisted during crisis, Van Dyke’s vitality from showing up when it wasn’t exciting, and this podcast’s authority building through 21 weeks of choosing consistency over convenience.
Step One: Name Your One Essential Outcome
Not your goal list. Not your quarterly objectives. The ONE thing that, if you achieve it, makes everything else easier or unnecessary.
Think about what you’re building. What would make the biggest difference in your consistent leadership?
Write it down. One sentence. Make it specific enough that you’ll know when you’ve achieved it.
For me, it was: “Build authority with mission-driven leaders so they seek out my coaching and frameworks.”
Step Two: Identify 2-3 Consistent Actions
Not heroic efforts. Consistent practices that directly support that outcome.
Think about the “plow” in your work. What’s the thing that, if you did it every week without fail, would compound into something significant?
Mine looked like this:
- Record podcast every Tuesday
- Have meaningful client conversations every week
- Document my frameworks as I teach them
Three actions. Sustainable. Repeatable. Directly supporting my essential outcome.
What are yours?
Step Three: Name What You’re Releasing
Van Dyke released perfect health, perfect posture, clean shirts. He’s okay being a “stooper, shuffler, and teeterer” because it lets him keep dancing.
What will you release so you can keep plowing?
Look at your calendar right now and answer these three questions:
- Which actions don’t directly support your essential outcome?
- What initiative from two years ago is taking energy but not producing results?
- What standard are you maintaining out of habit rather than purpose?
You cannot consistently execute your essential outcome if you’re trying to be perfect in everything else.
I released: Perfect audio quality on every episode. Immediate responses to every message. The five other content ideas I’d been planning to launch simultaneously.
Step Four: The 52-Week Commitment
Pick one day per week. Same day every week. And before you do anything else that day, you do ONE of your consistent actions.
Not perfectly. Consistently.
For me, it’s Tuesday. Before I check email, before I look at my calendar, I record the podcast. Episode 22 happened because I made that commitment 21 weeks ago.
What’s your Tuesday? What’s your one action?
Between now and Thanksgiving next year, that’s 52 repetitions of your essential action. That’s 52 times you chose consistency over convenience. I say again, that’s the power of 52 weeks of compound growth while 99% of people quit at week 3.
That’s how you get to the top 1% of consistent leadership.
The Success or Failure Stakes
Let me paint you two pictures of what happens next.
Picture One: You quit at episode 3.
You read this. You felt inspired. Maybe you even wrote down your essential outcome. But next week comes. You’re busy. The action doesn’t feel exciting anymore. You skip it. Then you skip it again. By December, this conversation is a distant memory and you’re back to heroic efforts that don’t compound.
A year from now, you’re still frustrated. Perhaps still feeling like the only one who cares. Still launching initiatives that die at week 6. Still wondering why consistent leadership excellence feels so exhausting.
You’re in the 99% who gave up because they were waiting for proof before they committed.
Picture Two: You commit to the process.
Now this is an amazing sight: you write down your essential outcome, and 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 the action.
You repeat this the week after, and the week after that.
By Thanksgiving next year, you’ve executed your essential action 52 times. Your team is starting to operate independently. Your systems are running without your constant oversight. People are asking you how you made consistent leadership look so easy.
And you’ll 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.
Get the Gear
The tools and resources mentioned in this episode on consistent leadership:
📊 My Business Report – Track your essential outcomes with clarity: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/biz-report
🎯 StoryBrand.ai – Clarify your message so your consistent action connects: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/storybrand-ai
📚 Business Made Simple – Build systems that support consistent leadership: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/bms
🚀 Flight School – Learn to scale through consistent execution: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/flight-school
📈 My Marketing Report – Measure what matters in your consistent efforts: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/marketing-report
Affiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I genuinely use. Full disclosure at https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/
Listen to the Full Episode
This blog post covers the key insights from Episode 22, but there’s so much more in the full conversation. Hear the complete story of the 8-year delay, the Etsy shop that failed, and exactly what made this time different. Listen to how Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation applies to your leadership this week, and get the detailed breakdown of the 52-week commitment.
Listen now: [Apple Podcasts] | [Spotify] | [YouTube] | https://othersoverself.com
Don’t miss next week’s episode where we explore another leader’s journey from heroic effort to sustainable systems.
Join the Hardcore and At Ease Community
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References & Footnotes
¹ Witnish, A. (2023, April 20). “90% of podcasts don’t get past episode 3!” Medium. https://aaronwitnish.medium.com/interesting-stat-90-of-podcasts-dont-get-past-episode-3-8d1d83a5537d
² WebiCaster. “You need to publish 21 episodes to be in the top 1% of the world’s podcasts.” https://webicaster.com/en/blog/you-need-publish-21-episodes-be-top-1-worlds-podcasts
³ Riverside.fm. (2025, February 12). “Podcast Statistics and Trends for 2025.” https://riverside.fm/blog/podcast-statistics
⁴ Lincoln, A. (1863, October 3). Thanksgiving Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln Online. https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
⁵ National Archives. (2021, April 16). “Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation.” https://education.blogs.archives.gov/2020/11/22/lincolns-thanksgiving-proclamation/
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ AARP. (2025, November 14). “Dick Van Dyke, 99, Still Goes to the Gym. Here’s His Routine.” https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/celebrities/dick-van-dyke-works-out/
⁸ Box Life Magazine. (2024, October). “76-Year-Old Rick Springfield Thought He Was Fit… Then He Saw 99-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke Working Every Machine at the Gym.” https://boxlifemagazine.com/dick-van-dyke-gym-routine-stuns-springfield/
⁹ AARP, Ibid.
¹⁰ Bookey. (2024, July 12). “30 Best Dick Van Dyke Quotes With Image.” https://www.bookey.app/quote-author/dick-van-dyke
¹¹ Box Life Magazine, Ibid.
¹² The Investors Podcast Network. (2025, February 24). “The 20 Best Business Podcasts in 2025.” https://www.theinvestorspodcast.com/podcasts/20-best-business-podcasts/
¹³ Flowlu. (2025, April 22). “The 12 Best Business Podcasts to Follow in 2025 for Growth.” https://www.flowlu.com/blog/productivity/business-podcasts/
¹⁴ Million Podcasts. “Best 100 Philosophy Podcasts.” https://www.millionpodcasts.com/philosophy-podcasts/
Meta Description: Reach the top 1% through consistent action, not heroic effort. Discover what Lincoln knew in 1863 and Dick Van Dyke proves at 99 about sustainable excellence.
Social Snippets:
“The plow kept plowing. The shuttle kept weaving. The ship kept sailing. Not because they were heroic. Because they were consistent.” – Episode 22 on what Lincoln knew about consistent leadership
“You get better the longer you do it. Not the harder you push. Not through intensity. The longer you do it.” – Dick Van Dyke at 99 on sustainable excellence
“Consistency in essential things, while releasing perfection in particulars, creates compound results that one-time heroic efforts never achieve.” – The consistent leadership principle from Episode 22
