The word equanimity is defined as “the ability to let sensory experiences come and go without self-interference.” It’s characterized by “mental calmness, composure, and an evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.”

Now that I’ve defined equanimity, I’m going to elaborate on how I may have, finally, found it.

A warning: This is yet another dude on the Internet writing about how meditation just may have changed his life.

Anyone who consistently seeks wisdom through books, podcasts, videos that focus on mindfulness gets inundated by the “superpower” of meditation. By now it’s universally accepted that a consistent daily practice of meditation has a profound impact on how an individual can process the world. It helps you become more awake and more purposeful in your actions. It teaches you how to respond, rather than react, to situations in your life.

For years I tried and tried. I bought apps, like the wonderful Calm app. I read books on the subject, both modern and ancient texts. I listened to podcasts with a meditation focus. I’d go through streaks where I was meditating every day and start to notice small improvements in how I processed the world. Yet I never truly got to the point that the practice was having a profound effect on how I interacted with those around me. Inevitably I’d get busy in my personal life or fall into a streak of bad habits away from my daily routine, then I’d enter a “stressful” phase in my corporate sales job and everything I learned about staying calm and centered would get tossed out the window.