Finding Balance: How the Wheel of Life Can Help You Set Meaningful Goals
On my past post, we explored how setting goals can bring a new sense of purpose and excitement to your life, helping you do more than simply "killing time." It's fine to relax and unwind, but when everything in your life feels like it's just filling time, it can lead to feelings of living without purpose. Goals can change that by giving intention to your everyday activities, boosting your overall satisfaction.
However, it’s not always easy to know which goal will bring the most fulfillment. That’s why today, I’m sharing a powerful exercise to help you explore different areas of your life, increase self-awareness, and define the most suitable goals for you: The Wheel of Life.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Draw a circle and divide it into 6 to 8 categories that represent a balanced life for you. Some examples include:
Family and Friends: You may want to split this into separate categories.
Significant Other: Rename it to Dating, Relationship, or Life Partner if that fits better.
Career: or Professional Career, Job or Business.
Finances: Or try Money, or Financial Wellbeing.
Health: Consider dividing this into Physical Health and Emotional/Mental Health.
Home Environment: or simply Home
Fun & Leisure: or just Recreation or Hobbies
Personal Growth: Or try Learning, Self-Development, or Spiritual Growth.
Step 2: Rate your satisfaction with each area on a scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 10 (fully satisfied). Don’t overthink your scores—do it quickly and connect with your feelings. There’s no need to justify them yet; that will come later.
Step 3: Reflect on your scores: If this were a car wheel, how bumpy would the ride be based on your scores? Were there any surprises? How do you feel about your life as you look at your Wheel? Which categories would you most like to improve? If you could take one key action to bring everything into balance, what would it be?
Finally, choose 2 or 3 categories to focus on improving, and identify at least one goal for each. Shortly in this blog, we'll explore how to transform your goals into SMART goals and why having clear, actionable steps increases your chances of success.