All of us have storms.
The only choice that we have is how we respond to those storms.
And more specifically is when we respond to those storms.
Let me map out this story for you so you can visualize it. In Colorado, where I grew up, we are world-famous for the Rocky Mountains. Many people don’t realize about Colorado, as a state, is divided almost exactly in half: the western part of the state is the great Rocky Mountains on and to the eastern part of the state is the great Kansas Plains. Because of this unique, topographical landscape where we have the Rocky Mountains and the Plains, Colorado is one of the only places in the world that has both buffalo and cows.
And there’s a fantastic lesson for leaders, salespeople, and just influencers in general from learning and studying the way that these two creatures respond to storms.
When storms come, they almost always brew from the West. And then what happens is they roll out towards the East.
Cows can sense that a storm is coming from this direction. So, a cow will try to run East to get away from the storm.
Now, the only problem with that is that if you know anything about cows, they’re not real fast.
So as the storm comes from this direction, the storm catches up with them rather quickly.
Without knowing any better, the cows continue to try to outrun the storm.
But instead of outrunning the storm, they run with the storm, maximizing the amount of pain, time, and frustration they experience from that storm.
Isn’t that stupid?
Overcoming Adversity
Humans do the same thing all the time.
We spend so much of our lives constantly trying to avoid the inevitable challenges that come along from the difficult circumstances that our very own choices have led us to be in.
What buffaloes do is very unique for the animal kingdom.
Building Resilience
Buffaloes wait for the storm to cross right over the crest of the peak of the mountaintop.
And as the storm rolls over the ridge, buffaloes will turn and charge directly into the storm.
They run at the storm and by running at the storm, they run straight through it, minimizing the amount of pain, time, and frustration they experience from that storm.
Notice how it is the same storm.
It’s such a great metaphor for all of us because even though we’re in different places in life, all of us have storms.
We always have storms, not even just professionally, but personally, right?
There’s some financial struggle we’re going through. A relationship battle. A health issue. etc.
And we don’t get to choose whether or not we have storms.
The only choice that we have is how we respond to those storms.
And more specifically here, is when we respond to those storms.
How do you respond to the storms in your life? Which direction are you heading? Comment below.
