The Wheel of Life – So, how well do you drive?
We all have such days, some of us more than others…when life is so busy, and all of our energy focused on a special project, it’s all too easy to ignore the important areas of your life. And this can lead to frustration and intense stress.
Our life pyramid is made up of three points: Health, Wealth and Relationships. And if any one area is out of sync, this pyramid falls down. You do agree, right, that all these areas affect one another…if health is not okay, the wealth and relationship is affected. If relationship is not okay, our health suffers and so also our wealth.
So that’s when its time to take a helicopter view of your life, so that you can bring things back into balance.
This is really easy tool to use. Use the template to download a blank template which you can then fill in.
Career/work – relates to your satisfaction about your current job status
Money/Finances – your satisfaction with the money in your life
Relationship with significant other – rates your romantic relationships
Health –your current level of fitness
Fun & Friends- this is your relationship with your parents, siblings, children , relatives
Family –House/environment – do you like where you stay and work…this could be your house, office, even the city or country you live in
Personal Growth- what have you done towards educating yourself? A new skill, a new course?
Now if the mid=point is zero and the circumference is 10, rate each area of your life where 10 is “Absolutely Awesome” and 1 is “Gawd, kill me now”.
Let me show you by example:
Here is The Wheel of life of a client of mine. And here are his ratings
Career/work 2
Money/Finances 2.5
Relationship with significant other 6
Fun 4
Family 6
House/environment 4
Friends 7
Personal Growth 3.5
Color it in so that you get a visual feel of your wheel of life. Now you will see that if this is the tyre for your life, it is going to be a real bumpy ride, if it moves at all!
Think About Your Ideal Level
Next it’s time to consider your ideal level in each area of your life. A balanced life does not mean getting 5 in each life area: some areas need more attention and focus than others at any time. And inevitably you will need to make choices and compromises, as your time and energy are not in unlimited supply!
So the question is, what would the ideal level of attention be for you in each life area?
Plot the “ideal” scores around your life wheel too.
Take Action
Now you have a visual representation of your current life balance and your ideal life balance. What are the gaps? These are the areas of your life that need attention.
And remember that gaps can go both ways. There are almost certainly areas that are not getting as much attention as you’d like. However there may also be areas where you’re putting in more effort than you’d ideally like. These areas are sapping energy and enthusiasm that may better be directed elsewhere.
So whats the next step?
This is the Baby Step Challenge.
Once you have identified the areas that need attention, it’s time to plan the actions needed to work on regaining balance. Starting with the neglected areas, what things do you need to start doing to regain balance? In the areas that currently sap your energy and time, what can you stop doing or reprioritize or delegate to someone else?
Take the area that you want to change and write down all the action steps needed to bring that area in to the ideal range. And take one step today!
