Are you living a balanced life?
Are you putting enough focus on all the areas of your life, or are you too focused on one part that you neglect all the others?
There’s a saying that most people believe in: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
And while this proves true that you can’t be perfect in all areas of your life, it doesn’t mean that you should just leave the other parts uncared for.
Just because you want to have a thriving career and financial status, doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your physical and mental well-being to achieve them.
Being happy and healthy is just as important as being financially stable. A balanced life is the best indicator of wholeness.
The Wheel of Life
The best way to gauge how well you are able to live a balanced life is by drawing a wheel and dividing it into 8 parts, then marking points from 1 to 10 from the center of the wheel. Each division you would label:
1. Career (this would refer to your business/work)
2. Social (this would refer to your acquaintances, how you relate to people)
3. Community (this pertains to your non-work-related activities such as charity work, etc…)
4. Financial (this covers how much you earn and how you spend it)
5. Physical (this covers your physical health and well-being)
6. Spiritual (everything that is related to your spiritual growth)
7. Relational (your close relationships like family, as well as your love life)
8. Mental (this covers everything about your mental and emotional well-being)
Once you have each section marked according to the level of care you think you are giving them, look at how circular the wheel is.
Interestingly, it seems that there is a correlation to how bumpy your life can get if you neglect certain areas of your life.
Like having a flat tire, it is difficult to gain momentum in life when certain parts of the wheel are flat or if the wheel is in an odd shape.
I’ve known a great many friends who’ve traded their physical health so they can earn as much money as they can during the first half of their life, only to throw that money away so they can regain the health they lost later on.
You should always look at every part of your life as equally necessary if you want to truly live.
The Secret to a Balanced Life
Of course, you shouldn’t stress about keeping every part of the wheel of life at a 10 – that is impossible to do.
What is important is that you are able to keep the wheel as round as possible by making sure that all areas of your life are properly taken care of, even if right now you can’t reach a 10 yet.
Living a balanced life is all about perspective and value – what’s really important to you?
If you have to give up sleep or time with your family in order to boost your career, then you better think twice about giving your career more importance than your health or your family.
Your life is more than just your work or your career – your wholeness is the sum of all of your relationships, your experiences with family and friends, and your physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Keeping Tabs on the Wheel of Life
One of the best ways to maintain a balanced life is by checking your wheel of life quarterly. You should take the time to assess how well you are giving focus to each part of the wheel, so you can plan out what you need to do for the next quarter.
Keep a journal of how well you did on a certain part of your wheel of life this quarter, then list down the things you need to do to improve.
Documentation is key to living a balanced life because you can visualize what’s going on and what needs to be done.
Need Help in Keeping a Balanced Life?
Of course, keeping tabs on your wheel of life isn’t something that you should be doing on your own.
With all that’s going on left and right, you need to partner with someone that can hold you accountable to your actions and decisions to keep your life balanced.
Pro Business and Life Coach is here to help you keep track of your life’s focus. Schedule a free consultation call with us to find out how to best live a balanced life.