Purpose
The model originates from Tibetan Budhism (Bhavachakra), where it represents the cycle of birth, rebirth and existence. Modified as a coaching tool it focuses on eight components, which are also called happiness factors in human life. It is intended to identify how an individual spends his time and how satisfied this person is about the different parts and areas that life has to offer.
Best suitable for
Diagnosis, whole coaching session, clients who cannot pinpoint what they want to work on, visuals, clients who value measurements, online preparation before the session, if you integrate it with a mind map it can be a planning tool.
Logistics/materials
Template with an already drawn Wheel of Life or blank sheet of paper any crayons or an online application.
Process
The idea is to write up to eight topics in life in a circle and grade each of the topics on a scale from one to ten, the highest number being the best. Zero is in the middle of the circle. The client then reflects on each topic and with a bit of verbal analysis or additional questioning, he gives a number and marks that spot on the scale. When you connect the dots, i.e. marks, you will get a circle. How round is the circle says a lot about the clients balance in life. This is a great visual way to detect what field the client needs to work so the circle is round. By looking at all aspects and ensuring that they are all connected, the balance can be found in life. It allows people to see what they are currently living in, forcing them to think ahead and find limits, which makes the wheel expand and grow. For example, if you spend all the time and energy on your career, that will undoubtedly also have a positive effect on the finances. But to what extent are you then satisfied with relationships with friends and family? What is the result of this for health, well-being and relaxation? Some awareness questions you can assist your client with here are:
- How come you gave yourself such a low score on this category?
- What do you need in order to give it a 10?
- What is the ideal score for each category?
- What score do you want to achieve after a month, after 3 months, after 6 months and after a year?
- Which categories score less?
- How much time to you spend in categories you scored high and how much in those you scored low?
As a diagnosis tool, this is it. You detected a crack, identify the need and create an agreement to work on it further. As a coaching tool, you can then create a new Wheel of Life with subcategories of the detected category. For example, career. This is then an opportunity for the client to think of areas that his carrier consist of, on itself an awareness booster. Then you can go through the process once more, but slower and in great detail. There are a lot of Wheel of life models on the market. I would say each of them is good, its up to you to find the one that suits you best.
Additional idea
it can be done as an embodied activity if you draw the Wheel and the scailing mecahnism on the floor.
Tihana Dragičević
coach, supervizorica, trenerica i autorica
