I left town with nothing more than my dog, and $400 and my car, headed to some friend’s in another state.

That was a year ago, and now I’m happier than I could ever imagine, and am re-charged, and ready to get back to business.

At age 61, I’ve had an epiphany about the old Chinese proverb… “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. Once again, I find it guiding my life… and this time, I’m a lot more receptive.

As for intuition, I’ve found that when an idea keeps me awake at night for more than two nights, or consumes my sub-conscious thought, I must take action. That means research the idea and then accept it or reject… just don’t let it eat at me.

The upshot is that someone is always writing in that we sold at too low a price or purchased at too high a price. No one EVER writes in and says ‘hey thanks for giving me such a high sale price!’ They are all convinced they are being cheated.

Sometimes I think the whole fixation we have on ‘loss’ stems from childhood, when you always felt like your sibling or classmate got the better crayons, piece of cake, etc.

In regards to your question…

Attachments are things you hold on to for no particular reason.

Responsibilities are things you (at one point) committed to doing.

Some responsibilities may only be attachments though – an attachment to life looking a particular way. This is a goal.

Marriage, for example, is a commitment. You don’t just leave your spouse because you’ve decided to no longer want to be married. However, being in a miserable marriage is an attachment; neither party is happy. Either improve your relationship or find some other creative alternative where both parties are happy.

Children are a responsibility. But treating them as a burden is a lose-lose proposition.

It’s all a matter of choice. Powerfully embrace your responsibilities, not because you have to, but because you want to. Doing so can make any commitment a thing of passion.

Goal-Free Living is all about integrity. But integrity is often misunderstood.

Quite often it only means “being your word.” This is definitely one component of integrity. But it is only half of the equation. When you say “yes” to requests when you want to say “no,” maintaining that type of integrity becomes a burden.

This leads to the second half of integrity – “your word being you.” Make commitments that are truly in line with your personal compass and values. Yes, your compass changes over time. In those situations you typically need to honor past commitments. But sometimes, a creative solution can change that situation. Maintaining commitments as the currently exist is a goal. Instead, strive to honor the “intent” of your commitment while meeting the needs of all parties involved. Doing so, you may find that you can develop a win-win solution.

Steve