“The only thing constant is change” is widely credited to Heraclitus of Ephesus, a Greek philosopher who lived about 100 years before Plato.
Most people, it seems, have at least one aspect of their life they want to change. It might not be a major overhaul… it may just be a tweak; but it is a change. Consider for a moment all the aspects of your life; relationships, health, career, family, spirituality, personal development, fun and recreation, physical environment, etc. And consider how interdependent they are upon each other. In other words, if you are very dissatisfied in your career, for example, how does that affect your family, your relationships, your fun and recreation, and all the other areas of life?
To clearly see the interrelation of all the areas of your life try this simple exercise. On a blank piece of paper draw a circle. Make it five or six inches in diameter so you have room to write in it and around it. Divide the circle into eight sections by drawing an “X” and a vertical and horizontal line thru it. Your circle should now be divided like a pizza. We call this exercise the “Wheel of Life”, you’ll understand why in just a few moments.
Label each of the eight sections to represent one area of your life. Use the list in the first paragraph as a guide (relationships, career, family, etc.) or create your own list of eight. Now, imagine the center of the circle where all the dividing lines cross to represent “0” or “completely dissatisfied” and the circle itself to represent “10” or “completely satisfied”. Looking at your circle now you can estimate half way between the center and the wheel would be a “5” – feeling “neutral”. As you move towards the center your satisfaction decreases and as you move toward the outside it increases.
Now go ahead and give a rating for each of the eight areas of your life – as you feel about them right now. Don’t rate them the way they used to be or the way you wish they were… rate them as they are right now. Be honest with yourself. Put a dot and a number for each rating. So, if you feel really good about your career you might call it a “9” and put a dot near the outer edge of the circle; and if your health is a problem area now, you might rate it a “3” and put a dot near the center of the circle. Make sense?
You should now have a dot and a number in each section of your circle. Next, connect all the dots o form a new shape inside the circle. You will notice it is not even…
The questions to ask yourself are: If this was a real wheel, how well would it roll? What area of your life is most satisfying? Which is least? Which area, if it were to improve would have the most impact on the others?
Sometimes improving the area with the lowest rating (most dissatisfied) is not the best place to start. Give some thought to the last question above, which area, if it were to improve would have the most impact on the others?
Now the question is - how ready are you to make a change in that area? You may be in the information gathering stage or you may be ready to jump in and take major action to change your life. Or, you may not have even realized this was a problem area until just now… and maybe you still don’t view it as a problem.
Well meaning friends, relatives, or coworkers may be encouraging you to take actions to change this aspect of you. Don’t be mad at them. It is easier to see things in others than it is to see them in yourself, isn’t it? So, remember their prodding is out of concern. What they probably don’t know is that taking action is the fourth of six steps to making a change. And you might still be deep in the first step.
Jumping into action before you are ready is a recipe for disaster. Making a change for the sake of someone else is a temporary modification of behaviors at best. Making a change for you, because you are ready and you have gone through all six stages is the way to make your change permanent.
What are the six stages? Where are you in the process? How do you identify them and what can you do to change? All these questions and more will be answered in this seven part series.
Next: “Pre-contemplation” the “I can’t” stage.
For a Free Coaching session to determine where you are now as well as give you guidance on how to move to the next step so you will succeed, contact George Gillas at George@ChangeForWellness.com.
