In today's society, the workforce is extremely competitive. When comparing qualified employees, it is proven that individuals who have participated in elite sports are more skilled and hardworking. I dare someone to separate two qualified employees and ask them, "Have you ever been involved or participated in sports at the elite level?"

"Research indicates that individuals who have competed in elite level sports; such as collegiate, international, or professional level competition possess higher levels of emotional intelligence than their non-athlete counterparts," says Richard Mendelson, founder of Dynamic IO Consultants. In 2002, professors Daniel Gould and Kristen Dieffenbach published a study in the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, which noted that Olympic champions display higher levels of specific attributes directly linked to success, in particular, emotional intelligence.

While I respectively acknowledge that nearly all athletes at an elite level have a tremendous amount of drive, wrestlers, in particular, seem to operate at a higher level of fortitude and perseverance. I am not the best athlete or most skilled, but I wrestled in 8th grade to my senior year of high school. I've known Olympians, world champions, college champions, and everything in between. Through participation and observing, I realized that wrestling builds character and prepares you for what the world throws at you personal and professional level. In life, people go through situations that require knowing how to handle themselves through the good and the bad. In the business world, companies and businesses look for people that can handle themselves in any situation.

I have spoken to people in the sport of wrestling and observers outside the sport, and we all agree that wrestling is the most disciplined sport out there. Discipline is one of the most important characteristics to have in the workforce. Discipline avoids problem behaviors, it upholds workplace and professional standards and respect for higher positions.

Retired Olympic wrestler, Dan Gable, says, "More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill -- none have wrestled without pride."

There are many life lessons wrestlers get from the sport. I can tell you the biggest lesson I learned is how to have humility and perseverance. Even after I dislocated my elbows two separate times, I worked hard every year. I wasn't always the toughest guy, but I kept with the sport I loved, which made me disciplined and prepared me for a hard future.

When I asked my wrestling teammate, Dan Burg, what he learned, he responded, "I learned a lot, but the most useful thing is that you're gonna have to go through pretty rough times and stressful situations in order to get where you wanna be in life, and that will stick with me until I'm dead. If I want something or to get a goal, I have to set to it no matter what I know. Stick to it, and I will end up where I want to be."

Wrestling prepared me to be ready for the good times and certainly be prepared for the rough times to come ahead. Three years ago, I was homeless and jobless and had to prepare how to handle those situations.

After a year of being jobless and no place to stay, I landed a managing position in a female retail store. Through the skills I learned, I was able to lead others through my two retail jobs that I had as a manager. I learned how to accept defeat when days at work got rough and how to pick myself up and learn from them. I learned to lead and teach others responsibility, but be humble enough to follow and learn from others as well. I have been blessed to have the experiences I have had because of the life skills I have received from wrestling.

Over the years, I have learned that getting knocked down is just part of the process to work harder and improve. In many aspects of my life, that mentality is needed, especially in the workplace.