Sometimes we may not feel completely satisfied with our lifestyle, but at the same time, we are unable to see what aspects are failing and blocking us. The first step for transformation is self-analysis and identification of those areas on which it is necessary to work to improve. For this, from coaching there is a technique called the wheel of life, which facilitates this task. If you want to know more about this tool, keep reading this Psychology-Online article: The wheel of life: what it is and what it is for.
The wheel of life: what is it
The wheel of life is a visual personal coaching tool that facilitates obtaining a graphic view of the aspects that make up our life and the degree of satisfaction and balance concerning them. This technique was originated by Paul J. Meyer, a pioneer in the area of personal and professional development and founder of the Success Motivation Institute.
The pillars of its philosophy are personal development and the achievement of objectives, proper time management, and the enjoyment of successes. However, the origin of the graphic representation of vital areas dates back to Buddhism, where there is the Tibetan Buddhist wheel of life or the wheel of karma.
The Wheel of Life: Book
It is important not to confuse this coaching technique with Elisabeth Kübler Ross’s Wheel of Life. Even though both have the same name, they are independent and refer to different areas. So they are not related to each other. The book of the wheel of life is the title of the book by this Swiss author and psychiatrist, who from a spiritual perspective addresses the issue of death through the story of her experience with terminally ill people. However, no reference to this personal analysis exercise appears in this book.
The wheel of life: what is it for
The wheel of life is a self-analysis technique of the various areas that make up our life, favoring an awareness of the vital moment in which we find ourselves and the aspects in which we must work and improve to achieve greater satisfaction. This tool is useful and serves to:
- Obtain a greater perception and perspective regarding the spheres that make up our day to day.
- Identification of the importance that we give to the different areas of life and which ones require more work since they are not as satisfactory as we would like.
- Evaluation of the level of satisfaction both global and partial or by aspects.
- It facilitates the decision-making process regarding which areas to improve due to mental clarity.
- It stimulates action because it clarifies the direction in which we should focus our energies and effort.
- Promotes motivation by providing focus and by encouraging goal setting and planning.
- It allows the visualization of the progress made over time if it is prepared regularly.
- It can be applied in different contexts, such as business or school.
How to make the wheel of life
Here are the steps to make the wheel of life:
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Represent the areas in a circle
First of all, it is necessary to draw a circle and divide it into different segments or portions, which represent the different vital spheres. The name of the areas is written outside the circle. There is no established and fixed number regarding the divisions that it must have, you can modify it and add and remove it at your discretion. Keep reading How to strengthen your immune system, following these recommendations
Still, eight areas are typically analyzed:
- Personal growth
- Family
- Health
- Friendship
- Work or studies
- Economy
- Couple relationships
- Leisure
There are mobile applications such as The Wheel of Life APK and Life Wheel that allow you to do it from the app itself. Also, several models of Wheel of Life templates are available for download on the internet.
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Score each area
How to score on the wheel of life? A score is chosen for each of the traced aspects according to the degree of satisfaction we feel with them. Ranges from number 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest score. The lower the score is located further towards the center and the higher the closer to the border, the name of the area, or directly on the border if it gets the highest rating.
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Connect the dots
The next phase involves joining the points or scores and observing the shape our wheel of life has taken.
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Analyze
How to use the wheel of life? Regarding the analysis of this tool, if the drawing or resulting shape of the lines is harmonious and resembles a circle, it means that there is a level of balance in our life. On the other hand, the irregular shape, with various peaks and valleys, reveals those areas that need to be worked on to increase satisfaction levels. The normal or usual thing is to obtain a wheel with uneven aspects and with an irregular shape that indicates that the effort and time invested in these so far are not being entirely effective.
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Reflect
Once you have identified those areas with which you are not completely satisfied, it is advisable to ask yourself if it is really important to improve satisfaction in this specific area or you are being too demanding and perfectionist. If the answer is yes, it really does matter to you. Then it is necessary to change the approach adopted so far.
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Decide where to start
After this, you must decide in which area, of all those to improve, you are going to start working. It is not always necessary to start with the one that has a lower score. Since depending on the vital moment you are in, it is more advisable to give priority to one that does not have the lowest score. It is also important that you analyze the relationships or links between the different areas. This can also help you decide.
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Make a plan
The last step is to establish an improvement and work plan for those areas that require it. To do this, reflect on the methodology used so far, which one you have used in those areas in which you obtain satisfaction, and what aspects could be applied or transferred to these other aspects. Brainstorm possible strategies to follow, establish specific and short-term objectives to reach the goal or final objective. Based on these steps, he develops a plan using lists, schedules, and visual diagrams. Finally, it performs a weekly review of the objectives and their achievement to make adjustments if necessary.
The Wheel of Life: Summary
The wheel of life is a technique that comes from coaching. Whose objectives are self-diagnosis and reflection on the different spheres that make up our life? This tool, devised by Paul J. Meyer, allows an evaluation of the degree of global and partial satisfaction in different areas of operation, promoting the identification of what we must improve, the decision-making process, the direction, and the establishment of a work plan by some objectives about our own development. Likewise, it can be and is recommended, carried out at different vital moments to analyze specific needs and observe the evolution over time of the aspects that make up life.
This visual method is made using a circle that must be divided into as many areas as we want and consider significant for us. Once the parts that we are going to evaluate have been selected, it is necessary to rate each of the aspects according to the degree of satisfaction we feel with them and join the different points to obtain a form, which informs about the balance or lack of it, In our life. Subsequently, we select the area on which we will begin to work and establish objectives and a plan that guide our action. It is important to emphasize that the wheel of life is not merely informative. And analytical tool, but that its mission is oriented towards motivation, direction, and action in the achievement of goals.