Putting Off The GMAT? How to Get Unstuck

ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS YOU SEE AROUND YOU

As a first step to loosening the stuckness, it can help to acknowledge the endings and beginnings you see around you all the time. Cheesy as it sounds, you end and begin with each breath. Each time you exhale, you empty out completely, making space for the new inhale.

Notice the change of seasons and recognize that you, too, cycle through them. People have quiet, still reflective times like winter, and we burst open with possibilities like spring. We slow down and get a little lazy like summer. We reap what we’ve sown like fall. We naturally let go of things all the time in our bodies and minds, but then some situations have more of a hold on us. That’s fine.

And ‘letting go’ can have a depressing ring. It might be easier to think of the other side, the welcoming in that you’re doing. When you let go of the clothes from high school you’ve been keeping under your bed, you make room for new things that fit who you are now. When you release those daydreams about a relationship that just wasn’t working, you’re opening up space for a new one that does. When you say goodbye to a life and job that got you to this point, you are making room for new steps forward on your path.

The transition to business school can be a big one for many of us. I’ve watched applicants over the years use this as a maker of taking things more seriously. So many of them get engaged around this time and define their career paths and choose the part of the country where they want to settle down.

DON’T BRUSH OFF YOUR FEELINGS WHEN LETTING GO

The big steps forward can mean letting go of a lot. Try not to brush off your feelings around it. Give special attention to the different endings you face to make space for the new. Let your friends and coworkers organize events to say goodbye to you. Make special time with your close friends to express how much they’ve meant to you. Let yourself be said and reflective; it only shows how wonderful your time together has been. Be mindful of whether your relationship should continue long-distance if you’re in that situation. Have respect for that significant other and really think about what is best for the two of you.

Let yourself have personal letting-go ceremonies, again with journaling, being outside, dancing, singing, running, or whatever it is you love to do. Just infusing regular acts with intention will make them spiritual and healing. The more you can let go of what is naturally leaving, the more space you will create for the new that is naturally coming.

This article is excerpted from “Earn It: A Stress-Free and Proven Approach to Getting Into Top MBA Programs” by Katie Malachuk. A former MBA admissions consultant, Malachuk is a yoga instructor and a certified life coach.

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