Category Archives: Other Leisure

Hopeful interns face enormous pressure to secure a summer position to be proud of. Increasing competition can throw your mind into a combustible frenzy. But Cyler Sanderson, a senior All-American and top 10 national wrestler for Penn State, lives competition. And he knows how to get that mental edge. Sanderson shares his advice to InternCircle readers.

Preparation
Competition is mental. But there are many aspects to being mentally prepared. You have to believe in yourself and your abilities. You have to believe that you can compete with anyone.

The way you gain the confidence to compete is by your preparation. Preparation builds confidence. And being fully prepared allows me to compete with no regrets or excuses.

Natural Talent
All the mental strength in the world won’t help if you cant tie your own shoelaces. Your natural talents in many cases set great competitors apart. However, I do believe lack of talent can be made up for with hard work and willingness to learn.

Willingness to learn and change, in my opinion, is one of the most important mental components. People often never get better because they are too stubborn or aren’t willing to accept the fact that they aren’t great yet. In my experience the very best competitors are sponges. They soak up everything they can learn from anyone and can see past what they already know. This mental approach to learning everything available gives them limitless potential.

Confidence
Mentally approaching matches goes back to being prepared. If I know I have done everything I can to accomplish my goal, it gives me a lot of confidence. It also allows me to be satisfied with the result not matter the outcome. Knowing you did all you could relieves stress and any worries. Also, with each match I am focused on having fun.
Learning to enjoy competition is key. If you love it, you are unstoppable.
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