There are many ways to use the Wheel of Life tool. For some people, seeing a visual representation of how balanced or unbalanced their life is in the moment can be a revelation in itself! Their first step might be simply to decide whether to focus on the low-scoring areas of life or the high-scoring ones. For instance, if they gave Money an “8”, what would it take to make it a “10”? Here is where Values Work comes in handy: For someone who values flexibility and free time, an “8” might be “enough” at this time. But for someone who really values material success, it might be helpful to explore questions like, “How much do I want to make each year? What action steps can I take to achieve that?” It might that adding one or two or even ten more clients might be necessary.
Once they have decided which area(s) to focus on first, they can then begin to explore each one more deeply, asking themselves the following questions:
1. What are my personal values and beliefs about this area of life?
2. What would be the benefits and rewards of achieving more balance in this area?
3. What are three goals I’d like to develop in this area of life?
4. What are three action steps I can take for each goal to raise my level of satisfaction in this area of life?
They can then create a timetable, declaring that they will do “what” by “when”.
For an interactive, printable Wheel of Life tool, log onto www.mindtools.com and scroll down to Career Skills.
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