Make sandals for chaos by channeling anger rather than fighting it

I used to dread unfair moves on the chestboard. Opponents would make dirty plays and I’d fly off the rails, losing my cool and my next moves. One day a coach told me: “Don’t scold your anger. Channel it.” So I practiced under safe sparring conditions—whenever I felt that flash of ire, I paused, labeled it, then directed it into my next technique. Magic happened.

In real life, that meant the morning I discovered my colleague had taken credit for my idea. My first instinct was to explode, but I’d drilled the process enough times to notice the fire and redirect it into drafting a bullet-proof follow-up memo. I got even more credit in the end.

Studies show that when we name our emotions and use them mindfully, the amygdala’s alarm bells quiet and top-down thinking takes over. We stay in command. That’s making sandals—building an internal solution so you navigate the world’s thorns barefoot yet unhurt. Apply this today next time someone pushes you off balance.

Next time you feel the heat of anger rising, simply name it in your mind. Notice how recognizing your trigger gives you a split-second of calm. Then channel that surge into a single productive action—refining a strategy at work, tightening a game plan, or writing a clear, composed response. Practice this in low-stakes moments, and watch your anger transform into your sharpest tool.