dedication

what makes people more dedicated than others in life? I am in my 4th year of college basketball and my team has lost the past four games now in a row. how does one team go on a winning streak and the other go on a losing streak? what makes someone a winner rather than a loser? what if the person who loses really isn't a loser to begin with? maybe that person just has bad luck or circumstances are different for them. maybe they weren't recruited by a winning program but a program in need of wins. we play teams that are 15th in the nation and we keep up with them but come up short... what do they do that keeps them on top and us on bottom? people ask me what i am dedicated to or what i am passionate about and sometimes i say basketball, other times i say family, friends, music etc... so do the teams that are on top always 100% say "basketball" ? in high school too, my team never was the top dog but we did beat some top teams. but we didn't make any history that was left behind except for the history we remember ourselves. to me, that is enough. my years of basketball have taught me so much about things in life like the way to handle yourself, your leadership skills, and how to deal with wins and losses. throughout the years i have managed to emerge as a leader. i have earned myself respect for how i act on the court but also how i act off the court. i feel that these are more important than  my win-loss record. in my eyes, even though we lost four in a row, i am still a winner. i have followed my heart to do something i love and i never gave up. regardless if i only have 11 games left of my competitive basketball career... i will take all that i learned to my next team, whether it be in the work force or in a family.