I’ve taught skiing for decades; GMAT prep for just years. Skiing happens outdoors, in the cold, pitting the body against elemental forces of gravity and weather. In contrast, GMAT is indoors, warm (depending on the HVAC at the test center), and almost exclusively cerebral. So I was surprised to discover useful parallels in these contrasting challenges.
Indeed, as I began to think about it, I realized that the initial major obstacles in each even look alike – for skiers, it’s the fear of falling, while for GMAT takers, it’s their fear of failing. Okay, so the conceit is a little contrived, but in reality, both kinds of fear can turn into paralyzing impediments. Either way, you need to embrace the challenge. And once you do, you quickly realize that the anticipation is far more daunting than the reality. Of course, that doesn’t mean either activity is painless or even risk-free. As I tell my GMAT classes, in skiing we have saying: “If you’re not falling, you’re not learning.” Which brings us to the first parallel:
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