The Wheel of Life
Your New Best Friend for Achieving Balance and Fulfilment.
Life is a journey, a constant ebb and flow of experiences, challenges, and triumphs. As millennials, we often find ourselves juggling multiple aspects of our lives, seeking balance in the midst of a fast-paced and ever-changing world. In this pursuit, I've discovered a valuable companion on this journey – the Wheel of Life.
Why should millennials use the Wheel of Life?
Millennials face numerous challenges and stressors in their daily lives, like:
Economic uncertainty: Many millennials entered the workforce during a time of economic turmoil, including the 2008 financial crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to job insecurity, high levels of debt, and a lack of financial stability.
Social media and comparison culture: Social media has created a culture of constant comparison, where millennials are bombarded with images of their peers' seemingly perfect lives. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression.
Pressure to succeed: Millennials are often described as an ambitious and achievement-oriented generation. However, this can also lead to pressure to succeed at all costs, which can be exhausting and unfulfilling.
Lack of work-life balance: The demands of work, increasing technological advancements, and pressure to succeed can make it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
To reduce these feelings of overwhelm and increase fulfilment, it's essential for millennials to work on achieving balance in our lives – This is where The Wheel of Life comes in.
What is the Wheel of Life?
The concept of the Wheel of Life is not new, and has been used by coaches and therapists for many years to help clients gain clarity and focus in their lives. The tool can be used in different ways, but the basic idea is to take a step back and evaluate different aspects of our lives to gain a more holistic view of our situation.
The Wheel of Life is a visual representation of different areas of our lives. It typically includes categories such as health, career, finances, relationships, personal development, and more. Each category is represented as a "slice" of the wheel, and the size of the slice indicates the level of satisfaction or fulfilment we currently feel in that area of our life.
How to use the Wheel of Life?
To use the Wheel of Life, you need to start by identifying the categories that are important to you. You can use the pre-defined categories or add your own. Once you have identified the categories, you need to score each one on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest level of satisfaction and 10 being the highest.
After you have scored each category, you can connect the dots to create a visual representation of your life wheel. This will help you see which areas of your life are balanced and which ones need attention.
If there is a life domain that needs your attention, it’s helpful to reflect on the outcome of your Wheel of Life.
Ask yourself:
Why does this domain need attention?
What can I do to raise my satisfaction in this domain?
Set your goals
Once you have identified the areas that need attention, you can set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. By setting goals and creating action plans, you'll be more likely to achieve the changes you desire.
You can identify your goals by looking at the shape and check-in on yourself by asking the following questions:
How does the shape of the wheel make me feel?
How would I like to change the shape of the inner wheel?
What surprises me the most?
Which category would I most like to improve?
Which category would I like to start with?
When I look at the current rating, what would a score of ten look and feel like?
How do I currently spend time in this area?
What do I need to do to improve the score in this area?
What small steps would have the most significant impact on my satisfaction?
Could a single action improve more areas than this one? If so, which?
Motivation to change
Once we have a better understanding of the small steps that would have the most significant impact on your satisfaction, it's wise to dive deeper in the motivation behind your need to change this area.
Why does this area need attention?
What would it take to increase my satisfaction by one score?
How balanced do I feel in this area of my life?
Why did I give this score?
Is there anything missing from this area of my life that may affect my score?
Is there anything that might add value to this area of my life and change the score?
As you may have come to an understanding of the power of this tool, working with the Wheel of Life can truly lead to transformative changes - But not overnight. For instance, if our health segment has a lower rating, we may set goals for regular exercise and better nutrition. If our work-life balance is lacking, we could focus on time management or pursuing a passion project. The possibilities are endless, and you may have to try out a few before you have found your flow.
Re-evaluate regularly
Therefore, it’s important to regularly re-evaluate your progress and make adjustments as needed. This will help you stay on track and continue to make progress towards your goals.
Benefits of the Wheel of Life:
There is a growing body of evidence that supports the benefits of using the Wheel of Life to assess and balance different areas of our lives. Here are some of the key benefits:
Balanced life: Research has shown that balancing different areas of your life can lead to greater levels of well-being and life satisfaction (Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999; Ryff & Keyes, 1995). As a millennial, I have found this to be true as well. By identifying areas where you may be neglecting or overemphasizing certain aspects of your life, you can make adjustments and achieve a more fulfilling and satisfying life.
Reduced stress: Having a clear understanding of your life and your priorities can help reduce stress and anxiety. The Wheel of Life can help you identify the areas of your life that are causing stress and taking steps to improve them, which can reduce the impact of stress on your mental and physical health.
Increased self-awareness: The Wheel of Life allows individuals to gain increased self-awareness by identifying their strengths and weaknesses in different areas of their lives (Harrell & Bradley, 2009). This increased sense of control can be empowering and motivating, leading to greater overall well-being.
Improved relationships: When you're more self-aware and have a better understanding of your priorities, it can lead to improved relationships with others. By focusing on the areas of your life that are most important to you, you can create deeper, more meaningful connections with the people in your life.
Greater sense of purpose: Creating a more balanced and fulfilling life can lead to a greater sense of purpose and meaning. This can increase motivation and create a more positive outlook on life.
Increased productivity: Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals can help you become more focused and productive in your daily life. Once you've identified the areas of your life that need attention, creating action plans and setting goals can help you achieve the changes you desire. This can lead to a greater sense of accomplishment and productivity.
As millennials, we face a wide range of stressors and challenges in our daily lives. The Wheel of Life is a powerful tool that can help us achieve balance and fulfilment in different areas of our lives. By using the Wheel of Life to assess our current situation, set goals, and create action plans, we can achieve our goals and improve our overall well-being. So why not give the Wheel of Life a try and see how it can help you achieve your goals and live a more balanced and fulfilling life?