home / Tips & Tricks / #
How to Set Heart Goals that Matter - 5 Practical Steps
Setting goals for the year ahead, knowing what this past year has been like, could perhaps feel overwhelming. But we’re here to encourage you to look inwards, and to set goals that resonate with your heart. What are you passionate about and would like to develop, bit by bit, in the next year? Keep reading to learn more about 5 useful steps to finding your heart reason.
Right! You want to set some goals to kick that bad eating habit to the curb or get back in shape with a new exercise regime?
Goal-setting can be a fantastic skill to develop and practice, as author and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, famously said: A life best lived is a life by design - not by accident.
Designing your life involves setting goals and strategies that will build the landscape you want to live in. We live in a world where goal-setting is the norm and improvement is considered necessary; its almost enforced on the individual in order to succeed in life.
Sure, youll ask yourself how youre going to achieve your goals. But perhaps its also important to ask why you want to achieve these goals in the first place.
1. Does your goal resonate with your heart?
If youve ever watched the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, youll be familiar with the universal themes that permeate the story. When Dorothy left the Emerald City to off the Wicked Witch of the West, she had to think hard about why she wanted to do it. Getting the Witchs broomstick would give her a ticket back to Kansas, back home with her loved ones.Dorothy is a young girl who feels no one understands her, and who dreams of somewhere over the rainbow, where she imagines shell feel more at home, more understood. Her passion to find a better place leads her to set goals that confront her fears, and that ultimately lead her right back to her heart - her home and loving family, where shes always felt best.
When youre passionate about something, its your heart-mind speaking and finding a way to sync up with what your brain is telling you. In this way, a passion has no real value unless it comes from the heart.
The heart reasons will vary for everyone. You may want to feel empowered again when you climb those stairs without the huff and puff. Or maybe you want to model a more wholesome relationship to food for your kids. Whatever the reason, it must be true for you.
If the reason doesnt empower you, youre at risk of losing motivation before reaching your goal.
2. Believe in yourself
To keep fuelling the fire, you need to have patience and keep a positive outlook so you can follow through. Your mindset is crucial to maintaining interest in the goal.The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion were all good friends to Dorothy and helped her believe that she could get back home. They were her brains, her heart, and her courage.
Real goals might bring up thoughts in your head that make you feel unworthy, like I'm too old or I'm not good enough. But by switching it up, you could hear a more positive voice instead, telling you Im experienced and I am enough.
Think about what you want your goal to make you feel. Remember, the core feeling behind the goal will inspire you to achieve it!
3. Break down the goal into manageable steps
Setting any goal can be overwhelming and, if youre like most of us, you may have more than five goals youd like to achieve... and yesterday!To avoid freaking out before youve even started, its helpful to break down the goal into three or more simple and achievable steps.
Our back pages Monthly Goals are a great tool for this.
Start by writing down one or more goals for that month. If you decide on more than one, make sure you prioritize among your goals so that you have a clear picture of what youll start with.
Next, set mini-milestones, starting with a list of your first steps. And mini means small, like answer Stellas email or follow up on the plumbing quote. Write down as many of these as you need.
Dorothys first steps in Munchkinland were follow the yellow brick road!
By breaking down the goal into manageable decisions we can feel more engaged, which in the end it makes us happier - fuelling our productivity - as we tick off the easy tasks from the list. This can also take care of risks along the way and reduce any fear around failure.
Focus on doing a few things well by prioritising what you truly want to achieve. Quality over quantity!
4. Set a realistic timeframe
Succeeding in your goals comes down to good planning and dedication. Be realistic about the time it will take to complete - a week may not be enough.By using our 30-day challenge you can give yourself a good length of time to keep track of your progress daily.
Start by writing down the habit you want to change or start developing. Next, write down why this is important to you - in other words, your heart reason.
But before throwing yourself into your challenge, take a moment to reflect over what your weaknesses may be in this area. Could having a challenge buddy to cheer you on help you complete what you set out to do?
You want to keep focused on the goal by remaining positive and acknowledging the small wins. Adding a sticker or coloring in the circles as you go helps you get a great overview of your progression!
You may not see immediate results but don't forget that every step counts. If youre quick to give up, you may need to remember the core feeling behind the goal to keep you motivated to push on.
You can find these pages, aptly named Goals & Mind, in step 6 when creating your own planner. But you could also fill a whole Notebook with them; here, youll find them all in step 2.
5. Whats in it for you?
Before you begin your own journey to Oz, try to work out whats in it for you - not your partner or children or colleagues, but you! It may not be monetary. It might be better self-image, a true connection with your kids or putting a creative idea into action. Check in with your heart. By doing this, you begin to see what you stand to lose.Imagine how lost Dorothy would truly be in Oz without her family in Kansas...
Imagine a world that sets real goals that matter. Instead of seeing success in monetary terms, you would feel rewarded for following your passion. In the wise words of Maya Angelou: Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
Have you been wanting to kick that bad habit? Start that creative project? Why does it matter to you? And how will it make you feel? Once you find what you need to make it happen, youre only steps away from achieving that goal!
Go for it!
/Kat at Personal Planner
Our blog: Tips & Tricks
Free Printable Wish List & Matching Stickers
Get ready for the most wonderful time of the year with our free printable wish list and adorable matching stickers!
Goal Setting 2025: Free Template
Set one specific goal every month with our free printable, and reach your goals and dreams in 2025!