• negative thoughts and feelings happen all the time to everybody
• a focus on the negative thoughts all the time actually serves as an amplifier
• ACT is a style of therapy that has the patient identify the things in their life that they value most — valued directions, how they want to show up and behave in the world
• this is not goals like "I want to make a million dollars"
• it's things like "I want to show up and be there for my partner," or "I want to write a beautiful book"
• things that I want to do even if they bring up negative emotions
• willing to go through the negative emotions because you've chosen to do it