5.25 Eileen Gu: In Love with Fear
“I admit it. I'm in love with fear.” - Eileen Gu How do you feel about fear? I’ve seen fear do a lot of things, including forcing people to stop doing something they love. As a coach, I hate when I see my athletes not try new things in practice and games because they are afraid, including not giving their all because they fear the opponent in front of them. Fear can slow you down or stop you altogether if you allow it, so how can you overcome it? Freeskier Eileen Gu has found a healthy balance between confidence in her ability and the thrill of uncertainty or fear. In fact, she has said, “I admit it. I’m in love with fear.” How? By recognizing it can both help and hurt you, and channeling in a way that fear serves as a guide, not an enemy. It starts with visualization. When Gu feels fear, she visualizes herself successfully doing the thing she is afraid of. Gu says confidence is also important when trying to fight off fear. How do we gain confidence? Through practice and succ...