Managing and Creating Change
24 November, 2016
The Wheel of Life appears to be a simple coaching tool, and then its complexity is revealed when it is explored fully as a strategy to facilitate change. The Wheel tool invites you to take a deep look at your life segments, understand them better, and then make a conscious choice to do something new or differently, that makes you happier. Here’s how it works, or see the diagram below for some examples:
Draw a circle and divide it into 8 segments. You can name these segments as follows (or use your own words or tags):
Work. Personal Development. Environment. Spirituality. Friends and Family. Significant Other. Fun and Recreation. Finances.
If zero is the centre of the circle, this value indicates that you rate your sense of satisfaction poorly in this area, or that it is lacking in some way, or maybe that you desire a deep shift in this area in order to improve something here. A 10 at the outer limit of the circle indicates your satisfaction with this area. Shade each area to the degree to which you are happy with it: smaller areas if you are not so happy with that segment of your life; larger areas are shaded where you are most happy with it.
Do the exercise when you are free from other distractions, and give yourself time to consider fully your responses. Ask yourself some questions:
- Which area stands out for me (the large and the small)?
- Which area demands some attention (and I may have been neglecting)?
- What area/s would I like to change?
- What is a small change I can make to increase this shaded segment?
- What do I need to do that, and how would I do that?
- Who can help me?
- When can I make this change, and by when?
- How will I know things are different once I’ve made this change/decision/action?
The most important part of this exercise is to remain curious, open, and kind to yourself. Avoid any internal criticisms. These segments in our life shift and change all the time, as we are in constant flow with ourselves and our environment.
You can also change the names of the segments to reflect areas of your life that you want to explore, for example, you can adapt it to the workplace situation. Contact me and I can give you a list of suggestions that apply to your specific situation.
The aim of doing the assessment is to build a deeper inner awareness of what is most important to you.
The Life Wheel is a super simple tool for making courageous changes – and you don’t have to do this alone. It is one thing to do the exercise in privacy, but there’s a real energy shift that happens when you explore the possibilities with someone you trust and have them hold you accountable for making these changes.
Allow yourself the freedom to incrementally transform particular segments of your life, so that new possibilities are pursued with ease and clarity, and solutions flow in. Give it a go, and let me know in the comments, or by emailing me, if there are any areas that you would like me to clarify for you.