The Wheel of Life
It’s all well and good when people tell you that you should prioritise what is important in life, but for a great many of us, we’re not sure where to begin.
And even if we know that something (say, ‘learning’) is important, what does that actually mean? How do we know if we’re filling the learning ‘cup’? How do we know what that cup contains? How do we know when it’s full?
Enter the Wheel of Life
This is a brilliant tool that I use with almost everyone - small business clients, life coaching clients and in my corporate coaching. It’s useful because it answers the first few fundamental questions we need answering before we can get onto setting targets, working out strategies and achieving goals.
It really gets to the heart of why you do what you do.
It helps us to know that the goals we set are linked to what fulfils us in life.
It helps us to know the ladder you are climbing is against the right wall.
And I’m going to guide you through it.
How to complete the Wheel of Life
Download your Wheel of Life Template here. This is yours. Download it, print it.
Be inspired
Get some time and space where you won’t be disturbed. Head outside, find a nice spot. You’re going to need about an hour. I think a nice walk beforehand is always good to clear the mind before starting on this.
What are your priorities?
You’ll see there are six ‘slices’ on the wheel. Each slice represents a priority area in your life. It’s up to you to choose these. Maybe money is a priority. Maybe it is health? Maybe it is personal impact? A little tip: I would try to come up with ten here, and then choose the most important six - this means you’re more likely to include all the most important ones.
Common areas that people choose are:
Family
Health
Learning/Development/Growth
Impact
Money/Finance
Spouse/partner
Kids
Social life/friends
Spirituality
Work (though I often encourage people to break this down into other categories - for more on this, see my post on Breaking the Work/Life Balance Myth)
Creativity/Engagement
Adventures
Travel
Spirituality
Hobbies (be specific!)
Or you might have different ones. Remember, it is your life!
Don’t immediately assume that something isn’t a priority area for you - really give it some thought. I’ve hear countless times that ‘money isn’t important to me’, but ultimately the vast majority of people are looking for some baseline of financial growth or security. It’s totally fine to say ‘I’m not interested in making millions, but being able to pay my bills on time as a key priority’ (and it’s also totally fine to say ‘making millions is important to me’ - again, it is your life!)
