Do You Act Like A Buffalo Or Like A Cow?

Choose wisely when life’s storms approach

We all have to deal with storms in our lives. Whether financial problems, health scares, or relationship issues, no one’s life is free of challenges. And we often don’t get to choose which storms pass through our life.

The only choice we usually have is how we respond to those storms.

And here is where nature provides us with a great metaphor-like she often does. More specifically, we can look at the different reactions between a herd of cows and a herd of buffalos when a storm approaches.

The cows make what might seem the logical choice. They try to run away from the storm. However, the problem is that cows are not very fast and hence can not outrun the storm. Soon they get caught by the storm, and instead of outrunning it, they are running along with it, extending their pain and suffering.

What do buffalos do differently?

They do not try to run away from the storm. But they do not wait until it’s over either. Instead, they charge directly towards the storm. The buffalos run straight through the storm and, as a result, spend way less time in pain and frustration than the cows. By approaching the storm that way, the buffalos actively minimize their suffering.

Look at your life and how you respond to challenges.

Which approach do you take?

Do you try to run away from it, thinking you can outrun it or that the problem will take care of itself? Or do you face your life’s storms head-on and deal with them proactively as soon as they approach?

Dealing with challenges head-on might seem harder, but ultimately, it is the easier choice. You only prolong your frustration and suffering if you act like a cow.

For example, if you are in debt and avoid opening up the reminders that pile up on your desk, you will prolong spending time in the financial storm of your life.

If you avoid having the necessary conversations when you feel unhappy in your relationship, you will extend your unhappiness and frustration.

If you continue to work through sickness, you will prolong your misery because your healing will be slower.

If you want to be in the driver’s seat of your life, you need to start acting like a buffalo.

It is possible to change your behaviors and habits

I used to be the perfect example of acting like a cow during my school years. Whenever a test came up in a subject that I didn’t like, I would get sick leave. Instead of studying more or looking for help, I would run away.

The problem, of course, was that I still needed to take the test once I resumed school.

And as I didn’t use my extra time to study, I didn’t solve the problem but only prolonged my anxieties and created new problems because I missed school so often.

However, I learned that I could improve by simply studying more, and during my years at university, I pro-actively studied from the very first day of the semester. Instead of partying and binge-learning at the end of the semester, I put in the workday after day.

I have successfully transformed from cow-style behavior to buffalo-style behavior in my professional and financial life.

Do I act like a buffalo all of the time?

Of course not.

There are areas where I struggle to charge towards the storm — relationships being my weak point. Speaking up and voicing my frustrations or disappointments is a challenge for me.

But I am confident that having self-awareness and a willingness to be more proactive in dealing with these storms counts.

Look at your life and your default behaviors. How do you deal with approaching storms?

Choose to be the buffalo and face life’s storms head-on.

Waiting always makes it worse.