Last week while I was caught in yet another rainstorm on the East Coast, I remembered something I had read about the difference between the bison and the cow.

Not having experienced it, I am not sure if it is anecdotal or always holds true. Even if it is only anecdotal, it holds some good lessons for all of us.

When storms come, the bison and the cow approach the storm differently.

Most storms come from the west and move east.

When cows sense that a storm is coming, they will start to run to the east, to try to outrun it. Ever watch cows run? I have, since my uncle and cousins raise grass-fed cattle. They do not really move all that fast. So the storm will catch up to the cows and they will be caught up in it and actually run with it. They won’t get out of the storm until the storm passes them by.

Bison, on the other hand, will run right into the storm. They will get through the storm more quickly and with less pain and frustration.

Both animals face exactly same storm yet their approach is the opposite.

When I started thinking about this, I thought about how many of us are like cows at times.

We try to avoid those challenging situations by not facing them head-on, e.g., difficult conversations, handling our money problems, putting off the work until later, procrastinating on decisions. I can think of situations that apply to me, and I am sure you can think of situations that apply to you.

If you really stop and think about your own situations, how many times would it have been better to just confront the situation head-on, rather than put it off?

The thoughts that come with putting it off rather than just dealing with it are greater than just getting it over with. Hindsight is always 20/20.

So, what can you take from this? I know that I am going to face storms. I also know that what I get to choose is how I face those storms. I am working to be the bison.

It’s your turn!

How about you? How do you deal with the storms of your business and life in general?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 8th, 2019 at 10:08 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.