 The Wheel of Life - A Balanced Connection
By Sherri Olsen of Sherri Olsen Coaching Services
Life is an interesting ride, but whether it’s smooth or bumpy is up to you.
Choice. Responsibility. Feeling good. Want. Should. What words do you
use when you think of maintaining all areas of your life? We all decide consciously (or
not) how we choose to spend our time juggling work, self, family, health and fitness. Are
these areas something you want to maintain or think you should? Are you saying to
yourself, “I want to feel good and be healthy, but it’s so hard to fit
everything in?” Read on as I illustrate one way of to manage all areas of our lives.
To begin, draw out a chuckwagon wheel that has eight spokes. Label the
spokes: “peace of mind”; “health and energy”; “loving
relationships”; “financial freedom”; “worthy goals and ideals”;
“self-knowledge”; and “career”. There is an eighth spoke available if
you would like to personally add another area.
Consider how you define each of these areas of your life. What does
health and energy mean to you? Is it exercising twice a week? Eating a salad at lunch?
What about worthy goals? Choose something that is meaningful to you.
Now, let’s see how these areas affect your life. Consider the
center of the wheel to be 0, and the outside edge to be 10. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0
being no progress at all and 10 being the absolute best you could be with no room for
improvement, how would you rate yourself in each category right now? Plot your wheel and
connect the dots. What kind of wheel did you get? Life is a journey, but how is the ride?
Is it smooth or bumpy?
If you are like most people, your wheel will be a bit bumpy. Some of us
tend to be close to the edge of the wheel in some areas of our life, but not so much in
other areas. Could each of our wheels become a bit rounder? Could you be happier,
healthier, with a zest for life? Would you gain satisfaction by balancing the areas of
your life that are important to you? By being responsible for your choices in life, you
are choosing to feel good! And when you start to feel good, the weight of
“should” in our lives is lifted, as we maintain our well-being.
How do you feel when you say “no”? Does the word
“should” weigh heavily on your shoulders? Have courage to extend your
boundaries. Boundaries help you to define who you are, and how you want to be. Most people
respect another’s boundaries when communicated in a respectful way.
Let yourself be free to contribute in ways you want to, and choose to.
Consider your time. Many of us have the best intentions to round out
our wheel. And if you are like me, some days are better than others. Often it is our
nature to be on either extreme - doing nothing at all, or committing to something beyond
reason. We wind up frustrated and not willing to try. Find the middle ground! Get a
glimpse of what you CAN do and focus on that! Remember a moment when you enjoyed an
achievement or success in your life. Write it down! Know that you DO have what it takes to
grow your wheel of life! And when you have a day that doesn’t play out the way you
intended, decide that tomorrow you’ll be back on the right track and continuing on!
How can you begin to round out your wheel of life? First, begin by
knowing what your rounded life will look like. Image always precedes reality. Improve one
area by 10%. Take one step. Maybe you will start walking after dinner, eat a nutritious
breakfast, or come home two nights a week by 5:00 pm. Focus on one area of your life
first. Then, decide to take another 10% improvement in another area. Each of these 10%
improvements will make your wheel rounder. And, like compound interest, it will just keep
on growing!
Continue working your way around your wheel of life taking one step at
a time towards the image you have created. Choose to give up reasons why you can’t,
and instead focus on why YOU CAN. Watch how it becomes easier to make choices that make
you feel good, vibrant, healthy, and alert. You’ll start having more energy to have
fun and enjoy life. And that is what life is all about.
Sherri Olsen is a Life Coach, Trainer and Speaker. She has
written an e-book on Life Transitions, specifically career transition & retirement.
Call 403.282.8467 for your complimentary coaching call, or visit www.sherriolsen.com . |
