Buffaloes Run Into The Storm

There’s a really interesting phenomenon about buffaloes that has a great lesson embedded in it. Shoutout to my brother for sharing this with me! 

As wild animals, buffaloes are exposed to the elements. They’re tough beasts with thick skin, coarse hair, and big horns. They’re built to survive externally, but they also have a really unique mentality.

Apparently, when it starts to rain or storm, most animals seek cover and warmth. That, or they try to run away from it. But not buffaloes - They charge straight into it in an attempt to get to the other side.

Rather than avoiding our problems, or finding ways to be more comfortable amidst difficult circumstances, what if we were to attack challenges head on?

This is what would happen.

First, we’d be in the storm for less time. We would take bold action to work through the problem rather than just manage it. This creates a subtle mindset shift where we’re choosing the discomfort rather than inheriting it. Regardless of the external circumstances, we’re better off seeing them through this lens.

And second is it builds resilience. The storms in life will never stop coming. But as we get through more of them we get stronger. This helps us become more capable of navigating adversity and getting good results from it. We acclimate to the discomfort a little bit and expand our capacity.

The next time you’re facing something challenging, try being a buffalo. What would charging into the storm look like? What would a resilient response be? Embody that and see how empowered you are to take down whatever is in front of you, and discover what’s on the other side.