Do it Despite...

Is there something you want to do but unpleasant thoughts stop you?

Join me to find out how to 'Do it, despite...' those thoughts and feelings.

About this event

What's keeping you stuck?

If goal setting was easy you would already have done what you want to achieve, am I right? But it's those niggling, interfering thoughts that stop you moving forward.

"I can't because... Everyone will laugh at me... I don't have the confidence... I'll fail... I don't have the will power... I'm too lazy... I don't have the time..."

So you wait. You wait for the day when you will feel more confident, have the time, the money, the skills or whatever else it is that you are waiting for.

But what if that day never comes? What then?

This was me. I have had anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for 20 years. OCD is a disorder that is characterised by distressing, intrusive thoughts, so as you can imagine I get how unpleasant thoughts and feelings can impact your life.

I always wanted my own business but thought, "I'll do it when my OCD isn't as bad; when I have the time and the money".

Then, as my 35th birthday approached I suddenly thought, "What if I never recover from OCD? What if this is my life?"

This should have made me feel dejected but, for some reason, it didn't. Suddenly, instead of struggling and fighting my OCD, I thought that, "If I wait until I am recovered from my OCD, I might never do the things I want to do. I have to do it now, in the present!"

This felt liberating. I could now concentrate on working with what I had, instead of waiting for the moment when everything was 'perfect'.

I didn't realise it at the time but I had finally accepted my OCD. After training be a life coach I later stumbled across Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I realised that in accepting my OCD and setting goals in line with my values I was already, unknowingly, incorporating the basic premise of ACT.

The unpleasant thoughts and feelings were still there, but I had stopped struggling with them, meaning I could spend my time and energy towards creating the life I wanted. The more I learned about ACT the more it made sense to me and I started to use little bits of it in my coaching practice.

I found Acceptance and Commitment techniques were great at helping clients stuck in a loop of unhelpful thoughts and feelings. By helping them 'unhook' from unpleasant thoughts they overcame barriers that for years had stopped them living the life they wanted. Although the thoughts were still there my clients could respond to them more effectively, they could achieve their value-based goals despite their thoughts and feelings.

This is why I am doing this workshop to help you 'Do it Despite...'

This course is for you if:

• You want to achieve your goals but find you can't because of unhelpful thoughts, feelings and emotions.
• You have tried positive thinking and found it didn't work for you.
• You want another tool to help you feel more resilient.
• You want to live more in the present moment.
• You want to push through difficult barriers.
• You have tried to achieve a goal in the past but you gave up.
• You want to set goals in line with your values.
• You want to lead a full and meaningful life.

What will we cover?

• What are values and why they are important.
• The differences between values and goals.
• The fruitless pursuit of happiness.
• Being willing to experience everything life has to offer.
• Effective goal setting.
• Overcoming difficult barriers.
• Responding more effectively to negative thoughts, feelings and self-talk.
• Unhooking from unhelpful thoughts.
• Stepping out of your comfort zone.
• Connecting to the present moment.
• Taking committed action.
• Creating a meaningful life. 

What will you take away with you?

• A better understanding of your values, priorities and where your focus needs to be.
• How to set a value-based goal.
• Goal setting tools and techniques to help you stay motivated and focused.
• How to recognise and plan for the barriers that may get in your way.
• An awareness of how your thoughts affect your behaviour.
• Techniques to help you unhook from unhelpful thoughts and feelings and step out of your comfort zone.
• Mindfulness exercises for busy people to help you 'be in the present'.
• An exercise for crisis times.
• An insight into creating your meaningful life.

So, if you find you have tried (and probably failed) to think positive; if you want to stop struggling with your thoughts and start accepting them; if you want to start appreciating and living your life in a meaningful way then join me to, Do it Despite...

* Please note, you will need access to Zoom for this workshop.