Time to “run into the roar.”
My friend Steve Barnhill of Edge Creative told me and a group of guys hanging at a friend’s ranch a great story. Steve said that he heard from a man recently here from Africa. I want to share it because it contains some great advice.
Apparently lions love to eat gazelles. But they have to catch them to eat them and gazelles run faster than lions. So the lions have to be smarter.
When a pride of lions finds a herd of gazelles the lionesses fan out and begin slinking in closer and closer to the herd. The gazelles eventually sense their presence and run like hell away from them. What they don’t know is that the oldest, mangiest, weakest, slowest lion has positioned himself (of course he is the male) on the side opposite from the lionesses. As the gazelles bound toward him, he rises to his feet and lets out the biggest roar imaginable. And of course, the gazelles are scared silly by the roar and turn and run right back into the claws and maws of the chasing females. Gazelle is back on the menu ladies.
Had they kept going, they could have easily outrun the old roarer. The indigenous people having observed this Mutual of Omaha life lesson have learned from it. What they say is, “Run into the roar.” Seems to me that it is time for us to do the same.
The bad news roars every day. And we are running silly. Everyone I know is cutting back, hunkering down – in short operating out of fear. Maybe it is time to run into the roar.
We are no less creative, no less imaginative, no less talented, and no less educated than we were just 18 months ago. Time to live creatively and generously. It is time to turn back around and run into the roar.
Apparently lions love to eat gazelles. But they have to catch them to eat them and gazelles run faster than lions. So the lions have to be smarter.
When a pride of lions finds a herd of gazelles the lionesses fan out and begin slinking in closer and closer to the herd. The gazelles eventually sense their presence and run like hell away from them. What they don’t know is that the oldest, mangiest, weakest, slowest lion has positioned himself (of course he is the male) on the side opposite from the lionesses. As the gazelles bound toward him, he rises to his feet and lets out the biggest roar imaginable. And of course, the gazelles are scared silly by the roar and turn and run right back into the claws and maws of the chasing females. Gazelle is back on the menu ladies.
Had they kept going, they could have easily outrun the old roarer. The indigenous people having observed this Mutual of Omaha life lesson have learned from it. What they say is, “Run into the roar.” Seems to me that it is time for us to do the same.
The bad news roars every day. And we are running silly. Everyone I know is cutting back, hunkering down – in short operating out of fear. Maybe it is time to run into the roar.
We are no less creative, no less imaginative, no less talented, and no less educated than we were just 18 months ago. Time to live creatively and generously. It is time to turn back around and run into the roar.
posted by Randall E. Butler at 9:02 PM
2 Comments:
Randall, I was sent a link to your blog post by my good friend Betty Gerlach. I would like to share it with my employees in an internal newsletter. May I have permission to publish and distribute your text?
Janice Anderson
Access Sciences Corp.
janderson@accesssciences.com
Randy
This was an awesome lesson. Thanks for always doing such a great job leading Basic's. I always learn so much from your teachings.
In His might name
Elizabeth Gresser
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