Modern philosopher Brian Johnson calls this the “equanimity game.” The rules are simple: (1) notice when you’re off-balance, for example, when you start to lose your patience with the traffic, your spouse, or a colleague, then (2) see how fast you can catch yourself and correct yourself—bringing yourself back to equanimity. He says equanimity is one of the greatest words ever. From the Latin: aequus (even) and animus (mind), the word means “balanced mind.” So we should catch ourselves whenever we get thrown off-balance by some event, and then get back to a balanced mind as quickly as possible.
