Underlying Automatic Commitments (UAC)

What is a UAC? A UAC is a concept that has everything to do with people who continue to have outcomes, fall into situations, or have problems and issues in their lifes which they don't want to have. Why can't these people achieve what they want, what is stopping them?

Whatever a person is truly committed to they will create and experience - these are conscious commitments. There is also another kind of commitment - the underlying commitment, which tends to be automatic or seems to be naturally part of us. Our UAC's are what continually sabotage our attempts to create a truly fulfilling life. UAC's are thoughts that are underlying to your behaviour, adopted beliefs that sabotage your goals, self-imposed sentence (you never release yourself from it).
An example: Sam, who keeps having a high work pressure, can't say no. She says no because she is afraid that her colleagues won't like her anymore if she does this. This is a negative pattern that keeps coming back in her life, because she committed herself to her belief that people will like her if she does what they want her to do. And this is her UAC.

To find UAC's we look at situations and outcomes or results in our client's life, which he doesn't want. For coaches red flag words to recognise a UAC are: 'should, always, never, not, can't '.
If you hear these words, ask for evidence and let the client prove that what they say about theirselves is true. We want to clarify what is behind the patterns of behaviour that disempowers us. By using UAC's to define these patterns clearly, we can then have a fresh perspective in order to take action outside of these old patterns of behaviour.
Some questions we could ask our clients are:

• What could you be proving by having this result in your life?
  
• There seems to be a pattern here
• What are you truly committed to?
• What obstacles do you have to overcome?
• What is showing up instead?
  

To work on a UAC with a client, say that you have a 'bold request' to make: change your thoughts for a week and see how this works for you. For example: 'say 3 times no to requests from colleagues this week'.

It is not interesting where the UAC originally comes from; this is more something for therapy.