The worst thing about chapter one is all of Rand's fanboys coming out of the woodwork. At least this board isn't as bad as some in that regard.

Seriously, I wonder if this new found serenity and aura is more or less permanent. Further I wonder if the consequences for the story are far different than what the fanboys expect.

My gut feeling, or it may just be a hope, is that Rand's new serenity will mean that he is less involved with the story not more. He is in a better position now to lead and to delegate.
Others must do the heavy lifting from now until Rand confronts the DO and beyond. Rand will still be present as will his aura. But his days of reckless attacks are over. His job now is to keep his serenity and prepare himself for the final battle.

Further, I wonder if we will even see many PoVs from Rand. In chapter 1, Rand seemed to have knowledge that BS (and RJ) will probably want to keep us in the dark about. It wouldn't surprise me if we only had a few short PoVs from Rand during all of ToM.

On a related note, what must it be like to realize that the world depends on your mood? If you get angry the world burns. If you are happy the world is saved. The pressure must be enormous. Suddenly, Min, becomes quite a bit more important in keeping Rand happy .