Detachment

Detachment is the answer to most of my problems.

Whether it is detaching from a person, a situation, or even a desired outcome, less involvement is better.  When I am able to let go of my desire for things, or people, to be a specific way, I instantly feel more peaceful.

Being detached simply means not letting another's behavior determine our feelings or actions.  It means not letting outside situations determine how we act, how we think or how we behave. (Paraphrased from Karen Casey's wonderful book Let Go Now.)

Detachment is not an easy pattern to practice.  It must be a daily intentional decision.  As with most habits, it gets easier the more we work at it.

Successful detachment requires the ability to sit with discomfort.  Frequently, the reason we involve ourselves in the affairs around us, is because we do not like what is happening.  Often with good intentions, we try to change, or fix, what is happening or what others are doing.  This is the point at which we become overly involved in what is not ours.

This is also the point at which we can consciously choose to take a step back.  With practice, we can learn to let what is be what it is - even when we do not like it.   Day after day, this becomes the practice of detaching from what is not ours to fix, change or solve.

The reward of living through the discomfort is peace from within.  Through detachment, we are able to control how we behave, so that we like who we are - this is a wonderful place to live - at peace with oneself even when the world around is not as we wish.