Coaching practices for Act Values vs Goals

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Act Values vs Goals, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• There’s a goal I keep flogging myself to pursue and it just won’t stick
• I keep grinding toward goals and the second I hit one
• I keep hitting the milestones I chase
• I write down things like "be consistent" and "execute well" thinking those are my action goals, but they’re really just the result wearing a disguise
• The moment a goal gets hard I lose all sense of why I’m even doing it

Practices that may help

1. Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical
   Values-based action in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) means choosing behaviors that are consistent with what matters most to you — your values — rather than behaviors driven by avoidance of pain or approval-seeking. ACT distinguishes values (directions, ongoing) from goals (destinations, finishable); the emphasis is on the quality of action in the present rather than outcome attainment. ACT has robust meta-analytic support; values-based action is identified as a core mechanism.
2. Using your ranked values as a coaching north star
   Return to your ranked values list every time a goal, project, or decision feels off-track.
   Values Card Sort
3. Link every action to a named value
   Before you begin, name the value the action expresses — not just the goal it serves.
   Committed Action, Made Practical
4. Separate values from goals
   Distinguish directions you live (values) from destinations you reach (goals).
   Values Clarification, Made Practical
5. Design process goals that are specific, observable, and within your control
   Process goals must be both actionable (you can do them) and observable (you can confirm you did them).
   Process vs. Outcome Goals in Sport and Performance
6. Anchor each goal to a named, personal value
   Make the goal an expression of a specific value so it stays motivating when difficulty peaks.
   Self-Concordant Goals, Made Practical
7. Excavate core values before writing goals
   Identify what you most fundamentally care about before deciding what you want — or goals will be other people’s.
   The Life Crafting Intervention: Scripting Your Future Self
8. Committed action: making specific, values-linked behavioral commitments
   Translate a value into a specific, observable action you commit to this week.
   Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical
9. Values clarification
   Name the directions you want your life to move in, distinct from goals you can check off.
   Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Made Practical
10. Review the bullseye weekly to track real movement
    Re-mark each domain every week and compare — small outward or inward shifts are your feedback loop.
    Values Bullseye, Made Practical

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