Equanimity of Mind

The Master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.
(Tao Te Ching)

It probably has happened to you that you are talking to a colleague about a project and suddenly you feel her resistance. You stay polite, you pretend as if everything is just perfect, but beneath the image of calmness you are exerting enormous amounts of energy to hold your ground. And after this encounter you feel so exhausted that you go home to get a good night's sleep. But then the opposite happens too. Unexpectedly, things are going your way and everyone is convinced that you are it. You are happy, but you have to work almost as hard as in the example before not be driven to irrational exuberance by the cheering crowd.

The first example probably makes sense to you. You know who you are, so why would you let a nay-sayer get to you, right? But then, you might have a hard time resonating with the second case.  You know how good you are, so why not let others celebrate you a little? Our point isn't that you should be emotionless along the Way, our point is that once you have connected with the Tao you will naturally stay close to the center, ready to welcome the yin and yang of life, completely unfazed by the criticism and the projections of others.

Find out for yourself that along the Tao every event vanishes just as a cloud would in the wind. I met the colleague who gave me a hard time on my recent Japan trip and she was all smiles instead as if the previous run-in never existed. Similarly, moments of success and compliments are always followed by the next day when a new project with uncertain outcomes presents itself. Try to discover the Way in your life - your mind's sanity depends on it.