Life coaching programs often include a life balance wheel as part of the initial assessment process. One reason so many life coaches include the life balance wheel in their coaching practices is because it provides a powerful visual image of life balance issues. Fortunately, it is not necessary to enroll in an expensive life coaching program to reap the benefits of this helpful tool. Creating and completing a life balance wheel is a simple process.
Drawing the Life Balance Wheel
While there are many life balance wheel templates available on the internet, it is easy to create one by hand in a matter of minutes. Simply draw a large circle on a blank sheet of paper, and divide the circle into eight wedges.
The life balance wheel will now resemble a tire with spokes. Put a "0" at the center of the wheel where the spokes connect, and number each spoke from 0-10, with 10 being located at the outer edge of each spoke.
Personalizing the Life Balance Wheel
Life coaches instruct their clients to label each wedge of the wheel to represent a different life area. There are no rules as to what constitutes a life area, so clients are instructed to choose things that best represent personal responsibilities, goals, and values.
Some common life areas include personal growth, health, finances, household tasks, fun and adventure, career, relationships, education, and spirituality. When personalizing a life balance wheel, use thoughtful consideration in selecting the life areas that are most relevant and meaningful.
Scoring the Life Balance Wheel
Carefully examining one life area at a time, assess the level of attention currently being directed towards that area. Record a score for each life area by marking a heavy dot on the appropriate number, with a low score indicating that the area receives little attention and a high score reflecting that a great deal of attention is directed towards that area on a regular basis. Continue working around the wheel until all life areas have been scored.
Completing and Evaluating the Life Balance Wheel
Connect the dots on the life balance wheel, working around the wheel until a connecting line runs through all sections. Now, take a moment to look at the wheel.
At this point, many people find their completed life balance wheel resembles a flattened tire or a deformed spider. The beauty of this exercise is that the results provide a strong visual image of life balance issues that may have been felt internally for a long while but have been difficult to pinpoint.
Learning From the Life Balance Wheel
While it is not realistic to achieve total balance in life, the goal is to achieve a level of balance that allows one to feel connected to and involved with all areas. Depending on invididual circumstances, there are many solutions for improving life balance, such as eliminating time-wasting activities, delegating tasks, or cutting back on work hours. While the life balance wheel will not provide the solutions, it does create an awareness of the present reality, which can serve as a springboard to life-changing behaviors.
Life coaches generally recommend clients repeat the life balance wheel exercise at regularly scheduled intervals as a progress monitoring tool. This can also be done as part of an ongoing self-coaching or personal development program if one does not have a life coach. Simply complete the above exercise every few weeks until the desired results are achieved. After that, complete and evaluate a life balance wheel at six-month or one-year intervals to stay on track.
Jean Sarauer - Jean Sarauer is a freelance writer living with one husband and two cats in beautiful northwestern Wisconsin. Her passions include writing, ...
