“If you have only two pennies left in the world, with the first penny, you should buy rice to feed your family. With the second penny, say the wise Japanese, you should buy a lily. The Japanese understand the importance of dreaming.”

We all love to dream. But we also need to make a living.

It takes strength to keep your eye on a distant goal when there are needs in the present. But ask yourself, “Can you give up what you want now for what you want most?”

Champions do this all the time. They ignore the distractions and temptations of the present. They have their feet on the earth and their gaze toward the sky.

My friend Gary Pritchard alludes to this way of living when he says, “Make your decisions based on the person you want to become, not the person you are.”

That means looking past outward circumstances and listening to something within the self.

Said Steve Jobs, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

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TotalGamePlan offers Winner’s Workshops for schools, sports teams and businesses. The emphasis is on motivation, skill-building and teamwork. To bring a Winner’s Workshop to your group, just email coachtully@totalgameplan.com or call (973) 800-5836. To order a copy of “Ten Things Great Coaches Know,” click here.