Mental Oasis

President Harry Truman was asked once how he handled the high-stress environment he was in. His answer: “I have a foxhole in my mind.”

I think about that quote often. As leaders, we can struggle with stress, demands, commands, complaints, and so much more that calls our attention away from the current task at hand. Successful leaders know when to separate those demands, which ones to address right now (very few) and which ones to put aside until later.

How can you designate a foxhole, a safe place, in your mind to limit your stress and response? I can’t answer that for you but let me give you an example I use. I love small thinking oases throughout the day. I schedule in random times throughout my day and put an alarm on my watch. When it goes off, I take 90 seconds to close my eyes and think about the ocean and the waves. It’s just enough to remind me that life is not all about the current problem I’m trying to solve.

What about you? What could you do to create that foxhole in your mind?