Square Wheels

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Square wheels. 

Seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn't it? 

Is it possible for a vehicle to run on square wheels? 

The Mythbusters tried it out with little success. It was a very bumpy ride and the wheels disintegrated along the way. The truck couldn't pick up much speed and it didn't go very far either.

Maybe you’re trying to go through life on square wheels, and are wondering why things aren't working out for you. You have goals and ambitions, but somehow they remain out of reach. You can’t seem to pick up speed and in some areas things are starting to fall apart along the way. Your life is one continuous bumpy ride.

In my previous post I introduced the concept of Life Areas.

The ‘Wheel of Life’ is one of the basic tools that I use as a coach to help my clients evaluate their lives.

This is a very simple yet powerful tool to help you identify the areas of your life that you have neglected and need to prioritize more in future. It helps you think about where you are now and where you want to be in the future.

Give yourself a score of 0 to 10 depending on how satisfied you currently are in relation to each area on the wheel. 0 is pretty much as unhappy as you can be, whereas 10 is the perfect score. Take the centre of the wheel as 0 and the outer edge as 10. As you score each area, it is vital to be honest so that you can identify the areas for change and set goals to improve the key areas of your life.

I have left two blanks in the wheel for you to fill in any other categories that may be more relevant to your life.

When you have scored all areas, join the points on each section to draw a wheel. This will show you how balanced your life is overall and the areas you really need to focus on and set goals for improvement.

Below is an example of what your completed wheel could look like.

After you have completed the wheel put a date on it and then review it at least every 6 months. Hopefully you will have made significant improvements in your key areas but may find that another area now requires your focus instead.

Get a printable copy of the wheel of Life from the resources page on my website http://www.drmary-livingonpurpose.com

Learn more tools for empowered living in the next post.

Prof Stan Wagon on his square wheel bike at Macalester College