Qiu Yinong, Class 1, Grade 8, Hyde School of Nanshan Second Foreign Languages School (Group) Instructed by Yan Yifan

The idea of fear occurs to us almost every day, and the misunderstanding of fear can invoke some people into a rage. Fear technically contains three sensations, which are excitement, uncertainty and pressure, as Eileen Gu has indicated .

However, many of us may consider fear as the unwillingness to do certain things; though this may not be wrong, one can think of fear as an opportunity to challenge ourselves instead of some barrier that can prevent individuals to reach a higher value of life.

As an athlete, Eileen Gu pointed out that we shouldn’t ignore fear; instead, we should build special bonds by extending a sense of self-awareness and making deliberate risk assessments.

Many athletes are considered as fearless and capricious by most people, but that’s only an estimate from the outside; nevertheless, they overlook the inside where fear and confidence fight against each other to find a tantalizingly precarious balance that can help to maximize performance while minimizing the risk of injury, if the balance is being arranged properly and not being oriented to one side or other. And lastly, there is pressure.

Pressure can be considered as a perspective of fear or the cause of fear, and it can be influenced by personal experiences, individual goals and expectations from others. The utilization of pressure is quite significant; it can be a positive force to help us challenge ourselves and push us to do better.

However, if pressure is not properly arranged, it can also prevent us from moving on and maximize the chance to fail instead of turning pressure into a motive to facilitate the chance of success. In this way I totally agree with Eileen Gu.

In my opinion, excitement, uncertainty and pressure need to be balanced in order to cope with fear, and turning fear into the willingness to challenge oneself is truly important for people nowadays. The word fear is what we dread the most, but understanding the background and impulse to fear can minimize the chance of succumbing to it.

If one can balance the three sensations adequately, he or she may not only conquer fear, but also enjoy the whole process of self evolution.