A More Beautiful Life: A Simple Five-Step Approach to Living Balanced Goals with HEART

by Whitney English

A More Beautiful Life walks readers through setting HEART Goals, a proven framework that starts with helping you better understand yourself not by tracking and measuring everything to death but by meeting you right where you are. Traditional goal setting sets us up for failure. Starting from a place of desired outcomes, we attempt to answer the question, “Where do I want to end up in life?” Then we attempt to follow a plan that tells us to run in this direction and track our progress with journals, spreadsheets, and complicated tools. Often the plan is too long, too hard, and too elaborate. It’s not flexible, fluid, or dynamic­–in other words, nothing like real life. We focus too much on outcomes, letting the end justify the means, and often forget who we are in the process, missing the point of goal setting altogether. We need a system that allows us to embrace who we are and let that understanding guide us toward a better life. In A More Beautiful Life, Whitney English shares HEART Goals–a system that starts with what matters most to you, never forcing you to adopt arbitrary goals and rules. The process matters, not just the outcomes. This system frees you from comparison and allows you to be authentically yourself. It helps you gain confidence as you make the progress that comes from having done your best instead of the depressing discouragement that comes from comparing yourself to the performances of others. You won’t have to become someone else to get what you want. This is an integrative approach to help you create a more meaningful life that is all yours. You won’t feel imbalanced or off-center as you pursue one area of success, fearing it will cost you somewhere else. Without any striving, your goals will be aligned with where you want to go in life. You won’t need to completely change who you are to follow the system. No more deadlines. No more tracking. No more nonsense.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Audiobook, How To

208 pages, Hardcover

Published May 3, 2022

Reviews

[Connie Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of A More Beautiful Life is absolutely gorgeous and just looking at it makes me happy, but what's inside is the true blessing. Author Whitney English shares H-E-A-R-T and it can forever change your life. She encourages us to step away from setting goals that seem impossible to reach. Instead, we should decide what is really important to us and then work for it. The end results will leave us happier and we won't constantly be comparing ourselves to everyone else!

English relates her own experiences as she shares her expert advice and I also like that each chapter ends with Write It Down, Make It Beautiful. These questions encourage us to record our thoughts and track our progress. A More Beautiful Life is a book to read, savor, re-read, and apply to our daily lives. It would also be a wonderful gift for all of the graduates in your life.

I received a copy of this book from FrontGate Media. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

setting goals/managing life with the acronym HEART many good ideas, and beautiful cover :)
now if I could actually follow through!

[Elizabeth Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God’s fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts.” CHARLES SPURGEON

Are we making plans that achieve the actual goals that are good for us and our families? This is the perfect book to help remind us that our homes are where we serve God first and are our number one ministry for Christ.

This is a wonderful book with a great message! If you are looking for a book to help you set Godly goals for your life, this is the perfect one. His plans are always different than our own, and I love how this book allows you to self-reflect and align your wants with his will for lives! A more beautiful life!


I received a copy of this book from FrontGate. The review is my own opinion.

[Emma M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! I've spent the past couple of months not only reading A More Beautiful Life, but also interacting with it by completing the prompts found with each chapter. I really love Whitney's view on goals. It's a gentle approach that allows you to push aside all of the productivity nonsense that leaves you stressed out of your mind to focus on taking care of yourself and what is truly important to you. I highlighted so many nuggets of wisdom and I know that this is a book that I will return to quarter after quarter, maybe even day after day, as I review my goals and intentions. I think if you take your time with this book, then it has the potential to change your life.

[Kimberly Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A More Beautiful Life is a manual of how to set HEART goals and live a meaningful life. The acronym HEART stands for: help yourself, empower yourself, all your people, resources and responsibilities, and trade. This goal setting approach focuses on the process, and not just the outcome. This book and approach can be utilized in more than one area of your life: personal development, career development, or social development. This can help you to become more productive than before, and make lasting changes. Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Laura Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for any woman who is trying to balance all the the things life asks of you. Whitney’s approach is refreshing and life-giving; it’s a permission slip for taking care of yourself and a roadmap for creating systems and habits that free you from the chaos of always feeling overwhelmed and behind. The book walks you through the steps of HEART, breaking it down to make it easy and encouraging to start applying the principles to your life, and includes thoughtful journaling prompts and helpful questions throughout.

[Kristin Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that Whitney focuses more on how the goals we set and the planners we use affect us. Not just how they can help us but how do they affect us? Are we making plans that achieve the real goals that are good for us and our families?

As someone who is learning to live by “my family/home is my first ministry “ this book is in perfect alignment to remember every goal I make and every plan on my calendar needs to first pass the HEART check.

[Elena M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book yesterday! Loved it. If I could use a word to define the approach of the author it would be holistical. It is focused on wellness, duties, family, learning and growth, healthy finances, work.

It places emphasis on progress (like try to drink more water, pick which conversations are meaningful and manageable in a day, meal plan once a week, schedule key activities in your planner, etc).

It is a book not only for overachievers but also for those who feel overwhelmed and unable to assign priorities.

[Jacquelyn Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago I heard about the HEART method:
H – Help Yourself

E – Empower Yourself

A – All Your People

R – Resources and Responsibilities

T – Trade
This book really put these concepts together in a way that was easy to follow and applicable to daily life. In a very polarized world, it is nice to have tools to use to get back to what really matters most in life--relationships and setting goals that help live a balanced, thoughtful life.

[Nicole Videla · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say certain books find their way to you when you need it the most. I have taught goal-setting for years and yet thr HEART method spoke to me in a different way. As a career woman with two young children it really spoke to my need to start with my health as the foundation. This resonated with me so much that bought four other copies to share with my girlfriends!

[Chrissy Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute must read ~ whether you are just starting out or many seasons into your life, this book is for you. Living a beautiful life, experiencing inner peace, and being present in the moment each day is real…and this beautiful book, life story, and doable methodology will gently guide you step by step back to the HEART of your life. Chrissy Conner - CEO, Conner International, LLC.

[LaShanda Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-Centered!!

I didn’t realize how much I needed this book until I read it!!! Lately I’ve felt overwhelmed because I have so much going on. This book has helped me recenter myself. I’ve already put several of her suggestions in place!!

[Kathy Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. We SMART goal all day long at work but HEART goals just make more sense to me. Our waking hours where we aren’t working are precious and this book helped me figure out what is important to me.

[Celeste Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Sometimes in life you need to write things down to view things different or break down things. I enjoy reading this book but I think you will get more out of it if you were to get the physical copy. The cover is also very adorable.

[Tina Fiet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just started reading this and am hooked, which is no surprise because I use Whitney’s weekly planner and it has already started to transform my life. Can’t wait to dive deeper into HEART goals!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good & relatable, but felt repetitive at times. Overall enjoyed it & beautiful cover

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish this book was written about 30 years ago! Now that I am in a new season, I don’t find it as helpful but it was good just to review.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this in bits and pieces in between other books as a sort of palate cleanser and morale booster.

[Kristen Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a time of busy schedules and obligations that cannot go ignored, A More Beautiful Life reminds us all that we cannot fully take care of all the things on our to-do list without first taking care of ourselves. Whitney shows us how to navigate the unbalanced and how to put helpful habits in place so that we may begin to live our goals - and in turn, our lives.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little cheesy! Very typical self-help book. I did enjoy the author’s writing style and I found some of the tips helpful. I don’t think I’ll follow the entire HEART system, but my big takeaway was to ensure my physical and emotional needs are met first, before I can help others! As a mom, this is vitally important to maintaining sanity and balance!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the look of this book. I love the blue and white and the floral.
I’m starting this 11 days postpartum from giving birth to my fourth baby. I wanted it to kind of jump start some goals for the year postpartum.

I wouldn’t say this book is ground breaking at all or even had any new ideas for keeping goals. It’s pretty much a book about staying on track. It’s a consistent book, and I think that’s just as important.