We can learn valuable lessons from the animal kingdom. In many cases, these lessons can be applied to our personal and professional lives.
I attended a local training session with Talon Tactical Medicine recently, and they shared one of these tales.
Most animals can detect severe changes in the weather. They sense approaching storms, and usually flee in the opposite direction. Instinctively they want to avoid the suffering that often accompanies these severe storms. In some cases, they migrate thousands of miles away to avoid seasonal changes in the weather.
Not all animals can fly south for the winter, however. Consider the Great Plains of the United States. Winter storms there can be devastating. Gale force winds and rain create deadly blizzards and ice storms. Temperatures can drop quickly to well below zero. These deadly storms threaten the life of everything in their path.
As these severe winter storms approach, cattle on open range sense the impending devastation. They immediately begin to walk away from the storm. Inevitably the blizzard catches up to them. The cattle continue to walk until the storm passes and finally, they can graze again.
Bison handle this same winter challenge in a different way. As the storm approaches, they gather in a massive herd, pressing their bodies together to stay warm. The herd faces toward the storm and charge into it. They continue to move at a deliberate pace until the skies clear, and they can graze again.
Ultimately, the cattle spend more time battling the elements because they walk in the same direction as the storm. The bison get through the same storm relatively quickly by charging directly into it.
The next time you face a serious challenge, do not shy away from it. Instead, face it head on and move deliberately toward the threat.
Be the bison, charge the storm.
