Committed Action

Definition: patterns of behavior in the service of values

"Committed Action" is the component of the model where the rubber hits the road.

After all the work of acceptance, defusion and clarification of values, nothing changes in external reality if there is no change in observable behavior.

In this context, committed action is defined as the adoption of increasingly broad, flexible and effective patterns of behavior that are linked to freely chosen values.

It is not a matter of performing a one-off heroic act, but of building a habit of persistence.

It is crucial to understand that "commitment" here does not mean "promise of perfection" or "guarantee of success". It means committing to follow a course, even when we stray.

If someone values health and decides to go for a run, but stays on the couch one day, the commitment is not irreparably broken; it is reaffirmed the moment the person gets up the next day and puts his or her running shoes back on.

Committed action involves being willing to be wrong, to be uncomfortable, and to try again and again.

It is about moving our feet in the direction of what matters, regardless of what the mind is saying or what emotions we are feeling. It is the physical manifestation of psychological flexibility.

The rule of "act before you feel good"

One of the biggest barriers to behavioral change is the culturally ingrained belief that we need to feel a certain way before we can act.

We think, "When I feel like it, I'll go to the gym," "When I feel confident, I'll ask for that raise," "When I'm inspired, I'll write my novel."

This rule of "first the feeling, then the action" is a death trap for vitality, because often the desired feeling (desire, confidence, inspiration) does not appear, or appears very rarely.

Therapy proposes to reverse the equation: action must precede feeling.

We do not wait until we feel good to act; we act to build a valuable life, and often, the positive feeling comes after the action, as a consequence of it. And even if it doesn't come, the action is still valuable in its own right.

Imagine a writer who sits down to write only when the muses visit; he will probably write very little.

In contrast, the professional writer sits down to write every day, whether he feels like it or not, whether he feels flow or blockage.

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