What is the difference between a winner and a loser? The characteristics of a winner listed here apply not just to basketball but to life.
20 Ways to Tell a Winner
1. Winners first want to win!
2. A winner says, “Let’s find out”; a loser says, “Nobody knows.”
3. When a winner makes a mistake he says, “I was wrong”; when a loser makes a mistake he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”
4. A winner goes through a problem; a loser goes around it and never gets past it.
5. A winner makes commitments; a loser makes promises.
6. A winner says,” I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be”; a loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”
7. A winner tries to learn from those who are better than him, a loser tries to tear them down.
8. A winner says, “There ought to be a better way to do it”; a loser says, “That’s the way it’s always been done.”
9. A winner listens and learns; a loser talks about what she’s going to do.
10. A winner asks questions and listens to the answers; a loser never listens.
11. A winner discusses opportunities; a loser complains about problems.
12. A winner welcomes taking a risk to meet a challenge; a loser won’t take a risk.
13. A winner repeats behavior that works and avoids behavior that doesn’t work; a loser repeats behavior because he is comfortable with it.
14. A winner has plans and goals that can be measured; a loser hates measurements.
15. A winner is extremely loyal; a loser doesn’t know the meaning of the word loyalty.
16. A winner keeps statistics; a loser doesn’t want statistics.
17. A winner sets goals daily; a loser doesn’t want to know what goals are.
18. A winner works harder than a loser, and has more time; a loser is always “too busy’ to do what is necessary.
19. A winner isn’t nearly as afraid of losing as a loser is secretly afraid of winning.
20. A winner knows what to fight for and what to compromise on, a loser compromises on what she shouldn’t, and fights for what isn’t worthwhile.
Which one will you choose to be?