A tool I sometimes use with clients is called the wheel of life. It’s a process which allows for plenty of reflection on where you are in your life right now in various areas. It’s a really lovely way to step back and reflect on your levels of satisfaction, and can prompt you to think about actions you might like to take to improve that level.
The areas of focus are:
Career
Fun
Health
Money
Personal growth
Physical environment (your home/ work/ commute)
Friends and family
Significant other
The idea is to rate each area out of 10 in terms of satisfaction, and to think of actions that might take you up a notch. For example, my current rating for fun is a 4/10, but I have booked in a few trips in the coming months that I hope will raise the level. Some other areas are slightly less straight forward to increase for me right now, in which case I’ll look at the tiny, 1% shifts I can make in that area in order to feel more fulfilled.
Why is it called a ‘wheel’ I hear you ask, well it usually looks like this:
The wheel of life is a process that can be reflected upon regularly – it’s a way to check back in to see if things are moving in the right direction.
Taking five minutes to do the wheel of life process is calming. It’s also resilience building. When we’re consistently ‘doing’ rather than reflecting, our combat mode is switched on. Stepping back and taking stock is a way to turn on our inner ‘rest and repair’ system (aka our Parasympathetic nervous system). It’s a way to calm things down for a short period of time.
So I invite you to take the opportunity today to do the wheel of life, take some time on your own to reflect, or even go with a colleague or friend and share with each other where you’re at in all the different areas.
We’d love to hear what comes up for you.
With love, wellness and resilience, Hannah and Team Bird
PS. If you would like to enquire about 1:1 resilience coaching for yourself or a member of your team we are currently looking at working with new clients from September. Please get in touch to find out how we might work together.
*In honour of increasing my fun level I am going to New York City next week so I won’t be writing a blog post. The Bird blog will be back in your inbox in two weeks!