Consciously Connected | Coaching

Most of us assume we need to feel ready before we act. More confident, less anxious, sure of ourselves.

But if we wait for unwanted thoughts and feelings to settle before we move, they end up deciding where we go.

Passengers on the Bus is my favourite way of looking at this differently. Swipe through.

Save this for the next time your passengers get loud.

Passengers on the Bus comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes, Strosahl & Wilson, 1999).

#passengersonthebus #act #copingstrategies #coaching #psychologycoaching

Picture yourself driving a bus.

Your direction is your values: what you want your life to be about. It doesn’t need to be a fixed destination. A direction to steer by is enough.

Passengers get on:

Thoughts and feelings turn up uninvited. It doesn’t mean something’s wrong. It’s what minds do, especially when we’re heading towards something that matters.

Some start shouting:

The loud ones tend to sound urgent and true. They’re thoughts, not facts.

So we try to deal with them:

Arguing with them, trying to get rid of them, taking a detour to keep them quiet: we can call these ‘away moves’. They might bring short-term relief, but they take us further from what matters.

There’s another option:

Notice what’s showing up. Make room for it. Make a towards move, one step in the direction that matters, with the passengers still on board. It can be small: sending the email, turning up, starting.

Fear can come along:

Fear showing up doesn’t mean you’re going the wrong way. Often it means you’re going somewhere that matters.

You’re in charge of the bus:

It’s not about getting rid of fear or doubt. It’s about not letting them drive.

If you’d like to explore this further in coaching, find the link in our bio to book a free introductory call.