My first "wheel of life" comprised 10 spokes. Originally designed by Paul J Meyer, founder of Success Motivation Institute and pioneer of the personal development industry, the wheel is a popular coaching tool to assess life balance.
Depending who presents this happiness exercise, your wheel may contain more or less than 10 spokes! Confused? Everything hangs on the approach. I suggest starting with a blank template, followed by a brainstorming session to decide those dimensions of life which are most important to you.
Will you choose to evaluate key priorities, such as career, family, health, intimate relationship, finances, personal growth? You may prefer to contrast the life roles you hold, like spouse, parent, manager, colleague, friend, sports player, community leader. Alternatively, it could pay to assess those aspects of existence you consider critical, for example artistic expression, positive attitude, financial freedom, physical challenge, public service, spiritual connection.
As you map out your choices around the wheel, score each from 0(low) to 10(high), to reflect the attention you devote to that area. For a visual representation of your current balance (or lack!), simply join the dots within the circle. Next, reflect on your ideal score for each dimension. This helps determine where you must reprioritize, either to fill a gap or to halt an energy sap....an informative exercise!
