The foundation for success and winning is based on gratitude.
Cael Sanderson has dominated the wrestling world over the past two decades.
Cael, the collegiate wrestler, went a remarkable 159-0 at Iowa State from 1999-2002, winning four wrestling Division I NCAA National Championships, winning the NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler award all four years, the only wrestler to ever achieve this distinction and three Dan Hodge trophies.
Cael is the only college wrestler in NCAA history to never lose a match over a four-year career — considered the No. 2 achievement in college sports history, according to Sports Illustrated. (Surpassed only by Jesse Owens’ four world records in 45 minutes as an Ohio State Buckeye track and field phenom.)
Cael, the Olympian won a Gold Medalist, (at 84 kg, during the 2004 Athens Olympiad).
And finally, there is Cael Sanderson, the Coach of the Penn State Nitty Lions Wrestling Team.
Cael arrived as head wrestling coach at Penn State in April 2009. Since then, Cael’s Nittany Lions have won an unprecedented 11 NCAA team national championships in 15 seasons (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024), the most recent this past spring, when six Penn State wrestlers made the championship finals and four walked away with championships.
Also, during the fifteen seasons, he coached Penn State program to:
- 38 individual NCAA national titles through 2024.
- Named Big Ten Coach of the Year 13 times and National Coach of the Year 9 times.
- 132 All-American honors awarded.
- In the 2023-24 season, his team went 16-0 in duals, won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, and claimed their 11th NCAA team title.
- Dual meet record at Penn State through 2024 is 277-39-2.
His overriding philosophy is that everything in life and sports — peace of mind, happiness, getting the most out of what you have — springs off an ‘attitude of gratitude.’
Gratitude is right at the foundation of all things, especially his remarkable success and winning as a wrestler and head coach.
What does gratitude mean?
For Cael Sanderson, it means that “you think less about yourself. If I’m grateful, I’m going to think less about myself and more about others, and the opportunities I have.”
“You count your blessings and then you make your blessings count”, says Sanderson.
True gratitude isn’t just if you win. “True gratitude is based on all things — success and failure”, says Sanderson. “If you’re truly grateful, you’re going to maintain that sense of gratitude regardless of the outcome. Otherwise, it’s not gratitude.”
He opined that gratitude is a foreign idea initially to five-star college wrestlers. “Especially when you are a superstar athlete and everybody is kind of serving you and it’s about you. That’s instead of taking a step back and saying, ‘Wow, look how blessed I am.’”
“Getting the most out of yourself and the most out of the blessings that you have.”
When you can take a step back and look at life like that, it can change your perspective. It takes the pressure off. You’re just trying to get the most out of yourself and the most out of the blessings that you have.
Additionally, Sanderson explains that gratitude is remembering that, ‘I do want the pressure. I do want the opportunity to compete for a national championship. I’m grateful that I have this pressure right now because if there is pressure it means I am not quite there yet.’ You can’t forget who you are and what you truly want.
And winning is what you want to do. Gratitude helps you remember why you got into this, to begin with. It’s not about being cool or winning for any other reason — like picking up Twitter followers or anything like that. Who cares about that? If you care about those things, they will steer you away from your true goal.
Gratitude and humility are blood brothers
Gratitude and humility go hand-in-hand. Those two terms are going to help an individual become the best he can be. Because if you’re grateful, you’re humble. You’re always seeking a better way and seeking to improve. You’re willing to be coached, explains Sanderson.
That’s not a common trait. “I coach college wrestling and I have been in the sport my entire life”‘ says Sanderson. “There’s a lot of different levels of coachability. Our best kids are the ones who buy in the most. It means you think of others, you think about the team.”
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