“Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
– Thomas Edison
Strength House coach Nancy Newell likes to tell her young athletes to “be a buffalo.” She asks them, “What do buffalo do during a storm?” Then she tells the story of how storms roll across the great American plains from west to east. If you observe the movement of the herds of buffalo on these very plains, you’ll notice that when a storm rolls in, rather than running away from the storm, these buffalo run TOWARD the storm.
Why on earth would they do this? Simple: running directly toward the storm means that they’ll only face the wind and rain for a short time, and if they keep running, they’ll quickly end up on the other side of the storm as it moves further east. The bravery it takes to face the storm head on gets them back to warm sun and blue skies much faster.
To “be a buffalo” means that rather than shying away from challenges or giving up at the slightest sign of adversity, you put your head down, face your challenges head on and find a way to keep moving forward.
A while back, one of our whiteboard messages at The Strength House was, “When things get tough, do you find a way? Or find a way out?” I wrote this in reaction to a series of people making lousy excuses for avoiding difficult circumstances.
The Path of Least Resistance
People often say they want something, until they figure out it’s going to take lots of work to get it. As soon as the going gets tough, the excuses roll in.
“I’m still sore from the last workout, so I’m just gonna rest today.”
“I’ve got a cold, so I’m gonna take the rest of the week off.”
“I had to work late last night, so I’ll come in tomorrow instead.”
“The gym was too busy, so I went home.”
“Everything felt heavy today, so I just shut it down.”
“My schedule is pretty crazy right now. I just don’t have time to train.”
“The power rack I wanted was taken, so I skipped that exercise.”
“Traffic was terrible, so I just went home instead.”
All these problems have a solution. Had any of these people asked one of our coaches what to do, we’d have given them a way to have a productive workout despite the circumstances. We would have found a way.
All these people were running due east, away from the storm. These obstacles, some big and some small, could all be overcome by heading west, straight into the storm. But rather than finding a way, they all chose to find a way out.
Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
These people, like far too many others, were convinced that there was nothing they could to do improve their circumstances. They figure, “there’s nothing I can do, so I’ll just give up.”
Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, explains the difference between having a fixed mindset and a growth mindset:
“In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
The trap of a fixed mindset comes up all the time in strength sports and team sports.
Powerlifters bitch about their genetics and leverages. “My arms are too long, I’ll never be a good bench presser.” “My arms are too short, I’ll never pull a big deadlift.” “My genetics suck, I’ll never put on enough muscle to be competitive.”
Team sport athletes whine about their lack of opportunity or God-given talent. “The coach doesn’t like me, so he won’t play me.” “I’ll never be as good as so-and-so, they were born with so much talent.” “I’ll never get a college scholarship because I can’t get enough exposure.”
When things get tough, rather than blaming the card you’re dealt and uttering self-defeating clichés like, “It is what it is,” stop for a minute and consider what you CAN do to keep moving forward.
In the case of training, consider…
If you’re running late, can you at least train hard for 20-30 minutes? Something is better than nothing.
If you’re still sore from the last workout, can you do an extended warmup and foam rolling session to jumpstart your recovery?
If the weight is feeling really heavy, can you use lighter weights and work on technique and bar speed?
If your work schedule is crazy, can you get up extra early to work out in the morning? Or do a quick bodyweight workout at home?
If you hurt something (your shoulder, for example), can you work around it? Can you train all your healthy body parts?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You can almost always do SOMETHING. And if you’re truly stuck, if there’s truly nothing you can do, you must LEARN from the situation to avoid getting stuck in that situation again.
Find a Way
No more excuses. If you want results, you must find a way around your obstacles and stop using every setback as an opportunity to give up. Be a buffalo.
If this blog isn’t enough to change your mind, read these two books. They’ll completely change your mindset and the way you deal with adversity (and I don’t get any kickback if you buy these books, I just think they’re that helpful).