Wheel of Life

Monday, January 10, 2011

The Wheel of Life gives you a vivid representation of the way your life is currently, compared to the way you'd ideally like it to be. It is called the "wheel of life" because each area of your life is mapped in a circle, like the spoke of a wheel. The Wheel of Life helps you consider each area of your life in turn and assess what's off balance. Each "spoke" is important because it represents one of the core aspects of every human being: mind, body, and spirit. When we find balance in all areas of life, then we can truly experience the peace of God.

Now may the peace of God make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. I Thessalonians 5:23

View and print the Wheel of Life by clicking on the following link:
https://acrobat.com/#d=rK08lJ7SEd5VGZO6U9dasA

Do the following exercise to determine how balanced your life is. Find a starting place and ask yourself these questions.
How satisfied am I in this area of my life?
Are my activities in this area fulfilling?
Rank the aspect on a scale between 1 and 10.
"1" means you are not at all satisfied or fulfilled in this aspect.
"10" means you are satisfied or fulfilled in this aspect.
Place a dot on the line corresponding to each aspect. "1" is at the center of the circle. "10" is on the outer fringe of the circle.

Follow the same procedure for each "spoke." When you have marked each "spoke," draw a circle by connecting each dot.

How does your wheel look? Is it a balanced wheel? If your wheel were on a bike, how would it ride? Would it be wobbly or smooth?

The goal is to bring all the areas to about the same level, so it is in balance.

Which "spoke" needs some attention to reduce wobbling?

There are a lot of considerations when we start to balance our lives.

• figure out what is NOT working.
• determine how it got that way.
• work on how to fix it.

Developing a balanced life is a process that takes PLANING and INTENTIONAL living. Learn the power of one. To get started, select one area that is out of balance and decide on one intentional act to move your toward your goal of balanced living. For example, if you're out of balance in the "contribution" aspect, select one act of kindness to perform this week. If you're out of balance in the "friends" aspect, invite someone special to lunch next week.

God wants us to live a balanced life and will show us how to live abundantly if we let him be our guide!

Let you moderation be known to all men. Philippians 4:5a.

Balanced Wheels

Monday, January 3, 2011

Have you ever driven a car when the wheels were out of balance? A clue that you have a balance problem is vibration. In fact, when my wheels were out of balance, the car vibrated so much, I thought the tires were going to fall off! It was hard to steer the car and keep it going toward my destination. It’s good to know some symptoms of a wheel that is out of balance:
• Vibration in the steering wheel when the car reaches certain speeds.
• Vibrations in the seat or floorboard at certain speeds.
• Wear patterns on the tires.

When wheels are balanced, the tires and wheels spin without causing any vibrations. To balance the wheels, mechanics check for heavy spots on the tire and place measured lead weight on the opposite (balanced) side of the heavy spot.

Do you ever feel so out of balance that your wheels are going to fall off? We experience vibrations of another sort. If a "spoke" of your wheel of life is out of balance, you'll have a hard time reaching your God-given destination. What are the symptoms of a life out of balance?

Are you too busy?
Have you put off planning for your future?
Do you struggle with time management?
Are you battling stress?
Do you suffer from low self-esteem?
Do you have a sense of hopelessness or despair?
Are your finances out of control?
Have you given up on developing your mind or intellect?
Are you living without the benefit of friends and community?
Is your health affected by bad choices?
Is your prayer or devotional life shallow?
Are you suffering from lack of intimacy in any of your relationships?
Have you gone for an extended time without a vacation?
Have you forgotten to take time to “smell the roses?”
Are you underutilizing your potential?
Are you overindulging in any area (eating, spending, etc.)?
Are you ignoring good nutritional or fitness practices?
Have you given in to worry?
Have you failed to contribute to others through service, volunteering, or financial donations?
Are you more consumed with self than others?
Have you left prayer, meditation, and Bible reading out of your daily practice?

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, your have a "spoke" out of balance.
Developing a balanced life is a process that takes planning and intentional living. To get started, use the power of one. Select one area that is out of balance and decide on one intentional action to move you toward your goal of balanced living. If you’re out of balance in the area of “contribution,” select one act of kindness to perform this week. If you’ve neglected your devotional life, make a plan to read one meditation each day.

God wants us to live a balanced life and will show us how to live abundantly if we let him be our guide.

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
I Thessalonians 5:23