Mental state important in preparation

What is the appropriate tournament preparation aimed at optimal achievement across the board?
Preparation in chess is primarily mental and motivational in nature.
Apart from specific chess training and study in openings, tactics, strategy, and endgame play, a student does well to come to each chess game mentally and emotionally ready, willing and able to play their best.
Chess instruction, chess club participation, and chess study (including game review and chess puzzle solving) are all designed to improve student skill and increase the ability of competitive students of chess.
Emotional and physical readiness and willingness in generating quality chess play are quite distinct from the quantity of cognitive knowledge and experience chess players use during play to inform their game. "A genius is a talented person who does their homework." – Thomas Edison
Attitude is aptitude. Chess players do best when their attitude is positive, opportunistic, and focused on the present moment.
Chess players, as all human beings, engage in "self-talk." It is of paramount importance for chess excellence that the player to direct this self-talk into positive and victory oriented avenues both before and during the game.
The confident players have their eyes open and believe that good things will come their way during play.
In scholastic play, it is not a question of ‘if’ an opportunity will arise during play, but rather ‘when’ in a game the student’s chance for a significant advantage will arrive. "Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity." – Oprah Winfrey
A positive, aware, and alert attitude during play makes possible the detection, identification, and exploitation of potentially advantageous moves, moments, and circumstances. A champion player will not tire of seeking such fortune during playas it is the source of every victory!

By Knight Mysterious in "The Standard".