Creating H.E.A.R.T. Driven Goals

Creating H.E.A.R.T driven goals.
Christina Tangora Schlachter, PhD
All Content under Copyright ©2010 Dr. Christina Tangora Schlachter /Dr. Mommy ®

For years I coached organizations and leaders on how to create “S.M.A.R.T.” goals – or goals which were Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

How boring.

Living your perfect life is not going to be attained by writing down a specific goal in life which is clearly attainable and measureable on a scale.

If there is one key difference between successful women and those who are not, it is that successful women have passionate, heartfelt goals. Not everyone needs to get up and be cheerleaders, but goals in life need to be passionate – they need to come from the inside.

It is time to focus on a new type of goal – your H.E.A.R.T.© driven goal. HEART© driven goals are: Happy, Energized, Action oriented, Risk taking, and Time bound.
In corporations and organizations, this may be commonplace, but when trying to find passion and accomplish a passion in life, a heartfelt life is not going to be attained by writing down a specific goal which is clearly attainable and measureable on a scale.

I used to write out my goals in a format that sounded something like this: lose X amount of weight by X date…. make X amount of money by X date… have X title by X date….. Well, I achieved them and my life was fine. Just fine. But, when I started making H.E.A.R.T. goals my entire life changed – I smiled more, I woke up more energized, I lived. I did not change jobs (initially) nor did I take up high-risk sports. Instead, I just began to live with my heart, and that made a world of difference in creating the life I was meant to live. It is not as simple as cutting out 500 calories a day to lose one pound a week or asking your boss for another project so you can get a raise. Those are far from passionate, heart driven goals. Life is not about fitting into a size 6 or growing your bank account. Why not start finding your heart today?

How do you make HEART goals? Use the space below to answer the following questions and then revisit them often. You’ll be happy you did.

Happy: Are you going to be happy in the end? Have you thought about your lifeline and when you are most successful? Is your passionate goal tied to this?

Energize: What makes you excited and full of life? Does this goal bring a smile to your face instantly? What makes your heart race?

Action-oriented: What are you going to do AND change to accomplish your goal today? Tomorrow? This month? This year? You have to get off your seat to make things happen. No one is going to make it happen for you.

Risk-taking: Is your goal big enough to move mountains? While you do not need to jump out of planes or venture into a warzone, passionate goals are not just about taking a few baby steps. To change your life you need to take some risks.

Time-bound: When will you start seeing your goal become reality? Whether it is 5 years or 5 months, have a timeline in mind – it will make you move.

Creating H.E.A.R.T driven goals. Christina Tangora Schlachter, PhD

All Content under Copyright ©2010 Dr. Christina Tangora Schlachter, Dr. Mommy ®, Ask Dr. Christina ®