Oftentimes in life we are trying to treat the symptoms of our lives rather than the root cause. We are throwing bandages over infections to cover them up, rather than treating the root issue.
The Life Wheel is a simple assessment that allows us to see how interconnected every area of our lives are with the others. When we feel stuck in one part, it’s often a symptom of a different area we are neglecting.
If we focus too many of our resources on one area, the rest will suffer. The classic example is the workaholic who gives their all to their career at the expense of their family, health, and friends. They may have a fancy title and money in the bank, but the rest of their life is bankrupt. It’s vitally important that we focus on each core area of our lives with intention, so they all can thrive.
Think of a bike wheel. Each of these areas are like a spoke on the wheel. If one breaks or they are too different in length, the wheel cannot roll. Many people feel stuck in life. They can see where they want to go but cannot figure out why they aren’t moving closer. They have a flat tire. In order to repair the wheel, we must first discover where the problem is.
This simple assessment begins with assigning where you currently are on a scale of 1-10, but here’s the catch. YOU get to write the definition of a 10. Only you can define what you want each area to look like. When pursing your favorite self, only you can tell the world who that is.
After clarifying what your desire is for the area of your life, you can rate where you are on your scale in this moment.
Only then, can you work to fill the gaps.
Sophia teaches specific tools that are proven to be effective on understanding where to begin and going to work to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Understanding each spoke:
Family: Includes your chosen family, not exclusive to blood relatives. Some people define as immediate family, others their extended. I recommend listing the specific names so that as you measure, you are clear on which relationships you are reflecting on and can make a plan with intention.
Mental: Includes mental health, thought management, attitude and perspective
Physical: This spoke is a reflection of your relationship with your body.
Contribution: This is how you are leaving the world a better place. What are you doing to give back in some way? For those of you in a religious community, like a church, your time/energy/resources would apply to this spoke. The spiritual spoke refers only to the private, internal experience
Spiritual: Your inner world. How you connect to something bigger than yourself
Self- Care: For these purposes, the definition of self-care is energy management, not your pampering habits. The lower levels of this spoke who reflect when you feel like you are giving to everyone else from a place of exhaustion. The higher levels of this spoke would reflect your ability to give to others from a place of abundance. You have all your needs met and are therefore in a stronger position to take care of others.
1- You feel drained and exhausted every day. You pour into others constantly, but never pour into yourself.
Financial: This spoke not only reflects your income, debt and wealth building, but your entire relationships with money. Is your financial situation a reflection of your priorities and values?
Career: For some people, careers don’t involve an exchange in money. It’s what you’re waking up each day on purpose to create in this world. Example: a stay-at-home parent, caretaker or retiree turned volunteer. What are you waking up each morning to do with intention? Is what you’re doing now what you want to be doing? Have you achieved the level of success and impact you desire in this area?
Friendship: We all need our people. Our families and/or partners cannot fill every need in our lives. Having other people you feel safe with, can share life with and love each other intentionally is vital to a healthy life. I recommend specifically naming your core, inner circle by name in this spoke.
____________________: The last spoke is blank so that you can fill in an area of your life that you want to live with intention, but is not currently represented. Some examples could be your partner, distinguishing between immediate family and extended family, a hobby, their home, time management or anything else you want to measure with intention to live your favorite life.
If you would like help with your wheel and understanding how it’s all interconnected, schedule a call with Sophia to dive into your unique situation and see if coaching can benefit you.