Wheel of Life: Finding (and Keeping) the Balance
Teresa Palmer (Aussie Actress & my role model) has inspired me in countless ways. I love listening to Tez Talks and reading absolutely anything/everything she writes. One of the most impactful lessons I've learned from her was her explanation of the "Wheel of Life".
Tez approaches it in a more personal way, defining each of her categories by what is most important to her. In her case she lists home, family, spirituality, baby, Mark (significant other), and career. Everyone can have different wheels, but for the sake of this post, I am taking a general approach.
There are 8 categories to the Wheel of Life....think of it as a bicycle wheel and put yourself at the center. Always. The categories are the spokes, and each spoke balances the other to keep the wheel turning and functioning.
Here are the categories (in no particular order since all are of equal importance):
ENVIRONMENT (Physical Environment)
FUN (Recreation, Activities)
FAMILY AND FRIENDS (Old & New)
HEALTH (Mental & Physical)
FINANCES (Stability)
PERSONAL GROWTH (Goals, Dreams, Spirituality)
CAREER (Future, Passions)
ROMANCE (Significant Other, Dating Life, Spouse, etc.)
Most importantly, YOU are at the center. By putting yourself at the center, you are able to make sure all of the other aspects of your life are functioning in a healthy and balanced way. With your center gone, everything else just crumbles. A lot of times people will put their significant other at the center, neglecting the other areas of life and if the relationship ends, they are left feeling empty and alone.
Putting yourself at your center does not mean being selfish. It means you are allowing yourself to evolve and grow internally, so you are able to nourish and grow in the relationships around you. If you lose your job, but you are still at the center, the wheel will keep turning and life will continue. You do not need all of the spokes intact 100% of the time to keep functioning. As humans, we will have good days and bad days and even bad years, but as long as we continue to keep a balanced life we can survive it.
I have reached a point in my life where I feel fulfilled in every aspect of my life...Of course, I am still hungry for new adventures and I will always strive for growth and improvement, but there is nothing wrong with taking a look at your life and thinking....I am so happy and thankful.