Rory Vaden, NY Times Bestselling Author of “Take The Stairs”, recently taught me about the fascinating behaviors of the cow and the buffalo. We can learn a lot about ourselves by observing these two creatures responses to storms.
Growing up in Colorado, I could expect 99% of the storms to begin in the west and roll over the majestic Rocky Mountains and then head east. Additionally, Colorado is one of the few places on Earth that has both Cows and Buffalos.
When cows feel a storm approaching from the west, they run east to escape it. As we know, cows aren’t the quickest animals, so the storms catch up to them while they continue running east. In the end, the cows are running WITH the storm, which only lengthens their suffering in the storm.
We humans are pretty similar, right? Our storms are storms of change, filled with social media, booming technology, and new generations. We often feel overwhelmed and try to escape from change. We run away, hoping our existing skills and knowledge will keep us ahead of the approaching storm behind us.
Buffalos have a very different response to storms. They wait for the storm to crest over the Rocky Mountains and then they run west INTO the storm. By running towards the storm they run thru it and minimize the time they have to deal with the storm.
We don’t get to choose if we get storms or when change will occur. But we do get to choose how we react to storms of change. Change is inevitable but our development thru change must be intentional. Gain a mindset like the buffalos and lean into and embrace the storm so that you become better equipped to weather the next storm, trend, or change.
Get BUFF…alo-ing and persist thru change.
Question: How do you typically respond to storms of change? How can you be more buffalo-like?