Wheel of Life and Gratitude
Hello and welcome to the Liz Career Coaching podcast, if you are new to the show, my name is Liz Herrera and I am your host.
This episode is going to be a bit on the shorter side as I just wanted to do a check in and share a recent moment of reflection…
You know when you are in a deep day dream while washing dishes or going for a walk and you have an epiphany? I recently experienced that…and I thought I would share with you as you might relate…
I am facilitating a workshop for women’s history month and I will be talking about goal setting, strengths and life design and I always like to use the wheel of life as a compass and a starting point…self-reflection is always a foundation of my workshops and a great way to help people evaluate their current situation.
Just in case you haven’t done one… or it’s been a while I like to use the wheel of life as a coaching tool and as a personal check-in exercise.
Visual representation of areas in your life
If you are feeling unbalanced and looking to identify where you want and need to put more energy
Identify 8-10 dimensions of your life that are important to you… what do you value or would like to prioritize in this season of your life.
Some examples include:
Finance
Health
Career
Family
Relationships
Travel and adventure
Education
Spirituality
Now draw a wheel and around it you will want to place these categories along the entire circle.
Label each category a on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the least area you are putting time and energy and 10 being what is a high focal point for you.
You can plot dots within the circle for each category (for instance if your career is at high focal point and you determine it is at a 10 then the you would add a dot at the edge of the circle for that category, but if health is at a 2, then the dot would be closer to the center of the circle. The idea is to plot each category and connect the dots. So if you are at all 10’s then you would have a perfect circle…for many people that is the goal… In speaking with different professionals I often hear how people aim for perfection and want to be fully balanced… I honestly think that can be extremely challenging. I admit, I have strived for that and when
I am unable to achieve that, I feel like I have failed certain aspects of my life when I know that simply is not true. The idea is for you to determine and define where you want to be and what does balance look like for you realistically speaking… if fitness is a priority and it is at a 6 but the goal is to be at an 8 what will require of you to get there? So I am saying all areas do not always have to be 10’s.
I like to believe that there is a time and season for everything. Personally, Depending on my goals and areas of focus, I like to define what is ideal for me realistically and I can’t be everything all of the time. That is a lot of pressure. This is something that I have recently adopted and have been working on. I like to use this as a guide and do a check in when I am feeling unbalanced or unsteady if you will. This helps me find some clarity into what areas might need some attention… perhaps not my full attention but some attention. For instance, I love traveling and I aim for a 9-10 in this area but this past year it hasn’t been a focal point. I am focusing on different areas of my wheel that traveling has taken a back seat. While I love traveling during the holidays this past December I realized that I needed that time to focus on other areas of my life. And I was ok with that. But this past month, I was in need of a little adventure and so while I would have loved to take a week off to travel to a different country, I had to make the best of a weekend to travel to one of my favorite places, California… and that filled my cup. So what I am trying to share today is that we are all different and we define and measure what our wheel looks like, but give ourselves some grace.
As I was reflecting on the workshop and my person wheel, I was feeling a bit disappointed on some of the areas that rate lower on my wheel… and started to feel a bit overwhelmed in thinking about how I could add more to my plate to find more balance… and that is the opposite of what I am trying to achieve. As I was thinking about my personal experience and my wheel of life, I decided to look at areas where I have been recently focusing my attention and where I rate the highest….at this moment I experienced an abundance of gratitude. I was starting to feel like certain elements of my life, which I deeply value, finally have momentum where I am fully present… I had to take a moment to live in the present and recognize that certain aspects of my life are in a place that I have been working so hard for and I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor. I think we sometimes get so caught on the “what’s next” or the always striving for more or being better that we forget to pause and be in the present. I was catching up with a friend recently and was sharing how I have been focused on my work and have had consistent clients since early January. As I was sharing this my tone felt as if I were almost complaining about my demanding schedule…but later on it hit me, I have had the privilege and pleasure to work with amazing clients and that I am serving my purpose and that my private coaching business has had consistent momentum… . After all this is why I built my coaching business. And I feel grateful.
This mind shift allowed me to recognize that when we experience this, we need to appreciate the moment and what it took to get to that peak whether an 8,9, or 10 (however you personally measure your balance).... But this exercise is also a good reminder to check in on areas that do need some attention and identify ways to find a little more balance even if it isn’t as high as other dimensions. Just like in my traveling example… There is a time and season for everything and we have to practice self-compassion when we are not able to find that perfect balance - which I don’t believe exists (at least not for me)... but to also celebrate areas where we are thriving, which we tend to neglect.
If you haven’t done this exercise or are in need for a check-in, you can find templates online. I recently found a digital template on https://wheeloflife.io. I will add that link to the show notes.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to this very short episode as I had a moment of reflection that I really wanted to share with you. I am excited for the episodes I have coming up as I have a great lineup of guests and topics you will enjoy and find beneficial… stay tuned. In the meantime, find me on LinkedIn, I’d love to connect with you - send me a hello! Or find me on Instagram at Lizcareercoaching.. Until next time, this is Liz Herrera, your career coach and job search ally.