From the Stanley Cup to the startup: Chris Pronger on focused discipline

As hockey's best battle for Lord Stanley's Cup, hockey legend Chris Pronger puts focus on why it takes a lot of little things to become great

My love for Philadelphia sports and my recent foray into focus recently crashed together gloriously when I happened upon a quote on LinkedIn.

"Discipline rarely feels rewarding in the moment. The payoff comes later through consistency, growth, and long-term results. The willingness to keep showing up, especially on the days you don’t feel like it, is often what creates separation over time. Show up for the future you want, not just the comfort of today." 

As I continue my transition from 21 years in the local news industry to my own communications consultancy and other ventures, I found this quote spot on. Then I saw who it was from, and I was even more hooked: Chris Pronger. Yes, the Hockey Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist and Stanley Cup champion who played for the Hartford Whalers (best logo in sports history?) and carried my Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final. This guy is my favorite Flyer of my lifetime. He's the type of player you despised when he was wearing another jersey, but absolutely adored when he was on your side. 

Pronger's career was cut short when a stick hit him in the eye and led to a concussion that made playing hockey no longer possible. Having suffered my share of concussions, I unfortunately could relate on some level to this as well. 

In retirement, Pronger has transitioned to become a keynote speaker, leadership and mindset coach and author who, according to his website, "shows leaders and teams how to think, train and compete like champions."

The discipline needed for delayed satisfaction

For the purpose of No Distractions, I found myself drawn to the idea of the delayed reward for disciplined actions. This is something I have discussed for the past several months with my life coach Ben Kenyon. We've honed in on the idea that I have to be willing to put in the work and focus on what actually matters to achieve success.

Truthfully, there are days I don't always feel like putting in the reps: making the calls, dropping some text messages and crafting emails. But if I don't focus on those things, then I won't grow as a person or business entity.

I'm showing up for the future I want. And I'm glad I have this inspiration from my favorite Flyer to push me through the next few days and beyond.