Into the Storm

I've been a fan of Rich Froning for a long time. I don't know him personally, and I have only met him once, but I've watched him emerge as a CrossFit star. He had a pretty embarrassing finish his first year at the games when he couldn't figure out how to do a rope climb. He came back to win multiple CrossFit games in a row. All the while, he maintained a healthy sense of family and faith. He was a positive role model and an overall great guy to watch succeed. After he retired from the sport, he went on to lead teams to CrossFit champions and opened his gym to the broader community in Knoxville, TN. For CrossFitters, this guy is one of the OGs.

As he wound down his individual fitness pursuits, he wasn't shy about using his status to launch other businesses. I would have done the same thing. One of those businesses was Froning Farms, where he offers a series of snacks primarily derived from Bison. As part of this business, he used the marketing tagline: "Into the storm," and that, for me, is where this gets interesting.

Rich tells the origin story in this video and explains how, when there is a storm approaching, and other animals flee, the Bison turns to face it and charges forward. The result is they spend less total time in the storm than those that would run away. That metaphor stuck with him and it sticks with me. Here he is talking about it:

The last six months have been challenging for me professionally. We're on an aggressive mission that is not absent of its storms. Today was no exception. With ropes being at their end, I called a meeting that was going to be tough.

Life is complicated. Confidence, defiance, acquiescence, bravado, faith, patience, and humility all have their utility, and using them in the correct combination is important. Knowing what is to gain and what is at risk is important. Where do you let it go, and where do you draw a line? Maybe the true learning is in how to deploy these skills in concert.

For me, I was headed into a meeting where I was going to deploy a combination of confidence, humility, and faith. As I walked up the stairs to take the call, I noticed that I was still wearing my "Into the Storm" t-shirt from Froning Farms that I received as a gift from a good friend some years ago. While I was less than elated to be having this conversation, I was aware that I was heading into the storm.

As we go through life, it's important to not only think about the storm but also how we handled knowing it was coming.