Musings...having won vs. being a winner

Lately I've been considering the difference between people or teams who have won vs. people or teams who are considered winners. I believe there is a pronounced difference and distinction.

Being SOMEONE WHO HAS WON is short term, being a WINNER is your identity. These two things aren’t necessarily tied together, you can be someone who has won and not be a winner. A WINNER never stops striving, growing, and bettering themselves and the team (because it is who they are). You may show that you can win, now you need to take the next step.

To become a winner I think it has to be more a character trait than a short term sprint for a championship. In team sports the more of these types of athletes you can have and develop on the team the score and end results will take care of themselves.

New York Times best selling author James Clear addresses this in his book Atomic Habits --

“The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.”

Throughout Atomic Habits, Clear also discusses getting away from goal setting saying "winners and losers both have the same goals." In an achievement sense this is true. The difference is the type of person you are, how you see yourself, and the actions you take.

If you consider yourself a WINNER and have proof to back that up (HAVING WON) then you take actions to reinforce that identity. As I saw Buzz Williams say recently "The work is the reward."
It's in your bones and just unapologetically who you are, a WINNER.