What would make Rickson tremble with fear?

Do you feel fear now and then in your day-to-day life? What kind of fear?

According to Rickson Gracie, fear is a natural emotion for humans and can even be beneficial if treated with serenity, respect and intelligence. 

"It's like a sign that says, 'Don't forget: There's a dog here'," he explains. "Fear is often an ally, our friend, given that it works for our self-preservation. Fear is the feeling that brings us back to reality."

Quite different from that is panic, a state that paralyzes the person and stops them from trying, from being free and happy. 

But how should we go about not letting hesitation, insecurity and panic take over our mind when we need our bravery the most? Rickson knows it: 

"In jiu-jitsu, training session by training session, challenge by challenge, I learned to differentiate fear from lack of confidence. Paralyzing fear only arises in the face of what we don't understand. We feel fear when confronted with what we don't know, what we don't trust."

Rickson goes on to give a clear, and fun, example:

 

"If I get an invitation tomorrow, 'Rickson, do you want to sing at the Staples Center?' I'm gonna say, 'Are you kidding!'"

 

He adds:

 

"I'm gonna piss in my pants. I know nothing about singing. I'll be shaking if I have to sing for the president. It's not an activity I know. But if you say, 'Can you teach an armbar to the present?' then yes, I'll do it because it's comfortable for me; it's something I've done all my life. So I'm not afraid of things I know; I'm afraid of things I don't know."

 

Nobody is afraid of what they know. Fear takes shape when the unknown presents itself. And the person, naturally, acts so as to preserve their life, their ego and their wallet. 

 

So use fear as your alarm, as your best friend, and not as something that clouds your mind and weighs on your shoulders. Breathe, study the problem, face it with courage. It's what Rickson Gracie teaches.