The Wheel of Life

A balanced lifestyle is an important aspect if a person wants to move forward in life. An unruly atmosphere or a feeling of impending chaos will bring with it a disturbing sense of insecurity for the person, leading to a possible desire to shrink into the shadows and back into the comfort zone.
The human mind is a goal-seeking mechanism; this (in some theories) comes from the evolutionary scale in which growth is a main issue. If a person were to feel confused from a lack of direction (almost like that of being in a smoke-filled room trying to find the exit) and the person were to begin to feel an increasing sense of disorientation, it is a possibility that the person would begin to panic (fight or flight) and start to thrash around in a desperate attempt to find a solution to the issue. Any methodology that uses a generalised approach rather than specific practices can be non-productive and often lead to a great energy demand, which in many cases drains the person with little or no benefit.


Turn on the light
Turning on the light is a metaphor which we will use today to relate to finding a path out of the danger zone.

Imagine the smoke-filled room (as above) and that the smoke is so dense it is beginning to thicken the air to the point where visibility is near to zero. In a blind panic, the person may frantically run round the room looking for the exit. In this state the person could use valuable energy and crash into other objects in the room that could cause serious injury, further restricting an escape. If, however, the room was fitted with a fire exit sign that the person could observe, they may not be able to see it crystal clearly but they may see a glow in the darkness indicating where the safe exit is.

The aim of the wheel of life is to allow the person to observe their life on paper
and to see where they are in relation to where they want to be. Please follow the step-by-step guide overleaf and then fill out your own wheel on the diagram.

Picture This

The Wheel of Life

Step 1
Draw a circle (about three inches in diameter) in the middle of the page and divide it into six equal sections.

Step 2
Title each section, with the following headings
1. Home/family 4. Health
2. Friends 5. Mind (confidence, self esteem)
3. Work/career 6. Hobbies (what you do in your spare time)

Step 3
The centre of the circle (where all the lines cross) is number 0 and the edge of the circle (outer edge) is number 10.

Step 4
Number each of the sections out of ten as to how happy you are with those areas in life. Ten is the highest score, so if you were in the perfect career and were truly happy, this section would score a ten. If you hated going to work, it would score a one. Then draw an arc line across the whole single section to signify the number. Repeat this for each section and then shade in the sections closest to the centre. A balanced life will be shown as a perfect circle. If the numbers do not line up, this will then form an odd shape. The question is, if there is an odd shape in front of you and this was a wheel on your car, how far would you get in life?

Step 5
Draw another circle (bigger than the first) around the outside of the first circle and extend all the sections to meet this new one. You should have six new empty sections now. In each of these ‘new’ sections, write in what you think a ten out of ten lifestyle would be to you; for example, a career could be: “I work as a freelance photographer and go to work for whom I choose and when I want, I earn £x each week and I’m truly happy.”

The following page has a pre-drawn wheel with both sections already created; all you need to do is fill in each section.

Self-Assessment

1. Were all the arcs in line with each other to form a balanced circle?

2. If there were any limited areas, which are they?

3. What effect do you think these limited areas will have on your overall life?

4. Are you happy with your life in this present state of balance?

5. If not, what three changes would you make to bring about a different balance?

CLICK HERE for a full list of other coaching exercises