There are moments when you know exactly what needs to be addressed, and you still find yourself putting it off.

The conversation you keep delaying, the decision you know is coming, or the problem you quietly hope will improve if you give it a little more time.

Most people don’t avoid these moments because they are lazy. They avoid them because they are uncomfortable.

That’s why something Shadé Zahrai shared stuck with me. She described the difference between a cow and a bison.

When storms roll in, cows tend to move together and move away from the storm, going with the wind. The intention is avoidance. The outcome is the opposite. The storm eventually catches up, and they end up sitting in it longer.

Bison respond differently.

They’ve been observed walking straight into the storm. Into the wind. Not because it’s easier, but because they understand something important. The fastest way through the storm is not around it.

Shadé puts it this way. There’s a bison mindset where you acknowledge the hard thing and move toward it, trusting there is light on the other side. And there’s a cow mindset where you avoid it, delay it, or refuse to take ownership, and it only gets worse.

Life is hard, so the storms are not optional. But the direction you choose to run is optional.

You can keep running from what’s uncomfortable and let it chase you, or you can walk toward it and shorten the storm.

So, run toward hard, not away from it.

P.S. The Optimistic Outlook is a Podcast! Leaving a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts would mean a lot.