2017 is only a baby step away from us. Most people are preparing for the best New Year’s Eve party of their lives, while others are busy writing down their “I am gonna achieve all of these even if I die” resolutions. It’s the same story all over again: everyone is tired, fed up (not just with food) and dissatisfied with their lives in December and they promise themselves that it will be different from next year on. But then what happens? The gyms are packed in January but becoming almost empty from the next month on. Everyone works overtime, doesn’t read, exercises less, eats junk food and spends less time with their friends and family from February again. There are only a handful of people who are able to keep their resolutions. How is that? Probably because they went deeper in analyzing their current situations than just scratching the surface.
I would suggest using a great self-assessment tool this time, the wheel of life. It is mostly used in (life or business) coaching as a foundation exercise for goal setting. It helps you to visualize all areas of your life at once and discover how balanced your life is and which areas need more attention. Further on you can delve into the details and analyze: why your wheel of life looks the way it is, how it should look like and how you can make it happen.
The categories on the wheel are only suggestions as the most general ways of life. Before you would start rating them, as which one of them is the most important to you and how satisfied you are with it, think it through. Is there any other way of life that you would like to add? Such as contribution to the society (volunteer work), specific areas of a bigger category, like racing in a sport etc. Or you might want to separate family and friends, spirituality from personal development, etc. Feel free to create your own wheel of life the way suits you better. Once you’ve done with it, you can start rating your current situation on a 1 to 10 scale or weigh it from 0 to 100%. Once you’ve done with the scaling it will look like a spider web-like diagram and shows you clearly the gap between where you are right now and where you want to be. You might ask yourself the following questions in regards to each area:
Career and work: Is your work in alignment with the career path you dreamt of? Are you heading in the right direction?
Money and finances: Do you earn enough income to satisfy your current needs? Do you have any pending debts? Can you put enough money aside for unforeseen situations?
Health and physical well-being: How physically healthy are you? Are you satisfied with your level of stamina? Is your diet healthy enough? Are you satisfied with your physical appearance?
Family and friends: Are you engaging friends and socializing to your satisfaction levels? Do you have a close and supportive relationship with your family members and friends?
Relationship/significant other: Do you feel loved? Do you know each-others language of love? Are you spending enough time together? Is the relationship up to your standards?
Recreation, leisure and fun: Are you enjoying your life and making it fun? Are you satisfied with the level of activity that you do? Do you have enough time for relaxing and releasing stress?
Spiritual and personal growth: How connected are you to the inner and outer world? Are you trying new experiences and looking for new ways to learn? Do you know your strengths and abilities?
Physical environment: Do you live at a place where you feel safe and at home? Is there anything that you would like to change in your physical environment?
Once you’ve done with answering to all of the above or to any other questions and checked the gap between your current and wannabe situation, you can start setting up goals for the upcoming 3-6 months or a year.
Now, this is the point where your new year’s resolutions can kick in and you can start promising to yourself:
I am going to eat less, quit smoking, exercise more, sleep 8 hours every night, visit my family frequently, cherish my friendships, start learning something new or looking for new ways of learning (for example using FLIGBY – an online simulation that helps you to understand work relationships better and to know your managerial skills), drink considerably and visit a new country, etc.
All the rest is really up to you but never forget: don’t try to eat a whole cake with one bite.