Wheel of life (Wisefour-01-EN)

Wheel of life

Group work, discussion, trainer input

• A4 blank sheets
• Colour pencils, markers, painting colours
• (optional) attachment like hand out, film, photos, etc.

Tables must be arranged in such a way that a group of 10 has enough space to make their drawings.

Less than 30’.

What should trainers take in consideration (cracking points, working environment, implementation in lessons, practical recommendations, …)

Trainers should have practice in self-motivation and self-awareness.

Trainers do not need any previous artistic knowledge - the focus of this exercise is not on the artistic work but on the process of creating.

Trainers need to be open to engage in group processes.

Input about self-motivation and self-awareness  is ineffective - what is important is the experience.

Being overwhelmed – unable to connect and balance the essential dimensions of their life – can leave someone feeling out of control and unsatisfied.

According to Eakman (2016), your life moves out of balance “when the fulfilment of basic psychological needs has been thwarted within ongoing patterns of day-to-day occupations” and it causes harm to your wellbeing.

Your life is out of balance when your basic psychological needs, including autonomy, relatedness, and competence, are no longer being met (Ryan & Deci, 2018). Perhaps you are focusing too much on your family while your relationship with your partner slips away, or you are prioritising your finances over your spiritual growth.

And yet, this can cause real harm to both your body and mind, including high levels of stress.

To lead a more fulfilling existence and achieve your life goals, you must regain equilibrium.

An appropriate work–life balance will enhance your overall wellbeing by identifying and aligning the many facets – family, friends, health, work environment, and spirit – of your life (Byrne, 2005).

The original idea behind the Wheel of Life came from industry pioneer Paul J. Meyer in the 1960s to help people achieve their goals.

The Wheel of Life exercise supports this process by balancing factors that influence overall wellbeing while identifying areas of life where support, guidance, and additional focus are needed.

References

Byrne, U. (2005). Wheel of life. Business Information Review, 22(2), 123–130.

Eakman, A. M. (2016). A subjectively-based definition of life balance using personal meaning in occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, 23(1), 108–127.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2018). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.

Through this method/action, these benefits are achieved:

• Participants gain insight into whether or not their life is in balance
• Participants identify individual areas of their life that are either meeting their needs and making them happy or leaving them dissatisfied and discontented
• Participants identify areas that need support and improvement to reach individual and overall life goals
• Participants initiate a goal-setting process, but also gain insights into areas of their life that are causing them difficulty.

Step 1

Each participant takes a piece of paper, draws a circle and divides it into 8 slices, each of them representing an important sector of their lives. However, no life is exactly identical to someone else’s and as such, it’s possible that different categories of living will be included in the Wheel of Life for different individuals. What’s important is that the categories they choose to include provide an accurate representation of the important areas of their lives that will help them achieve an overall life balance. That being said, there are some common ones: personal growth, romance, family and friends, health, finances, business and career, life enjoyment, societal contribution.

Step 2

Taking the centre of the wheel as 0 and the outer edge as 10, each participant ranks their level of satisfaction with each area out of 10 (0 is worst/10 is best) by drawing a straight or curved line to create a new outer edge.

Step 3

The new perimeter of the circle represents their current ‘Wheel of Life.’

Does your wheel of life look and feel balanced or is it a bumpy ride?

The trainer asks the following questions to open a discussion:

• When you look at the shape of the wheel, how do you feel?
• How would you like to change the shape of the inner wheel?
• What surprises you the most?
• What would a score of ten look and feel like?
• Which category would you most like to improve?
• What category would you most like to start with?
• At present, how do you spend time in each area?
• What do you need to improve the score in each area?
• What small steps would have the most significant impact on your satisfaction?
• Could a single action improve more than one area?

Step 4

What would the ideal level of attention be for you in each life area out of 10?

Ideally everybody would want to have all segments scored evenly, above 7 and as near 10 as possible. However, some areas may need more attention and focus than others. Inevitably each participant will need to think carefully and make choices and compromises, as their time and energy are not in unlimited supply.

Step 5

Based on their current life balance and their ideal life balance, each participant needs to decide in which of the 8 areas they would like to make changes / improvements. They then pick 3 areas and use the table below to help them work through changes/improvements.

When identifying the actions that need to be done, it is very important to:

• Identify an activity for each category that when completed, will change the participant’s level of satisfaction
• When the action is over a more extended period or is relatively large and complex, define a goal – ideally one that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART)
• Each action, once completed, should add to the overall goal to improve their life balance.

Step 6

Each participant draws their future ideal self-portrait, including all those elements that they themselves feel that will make their life balanced and fulfilled. The purpose of this activity is not to create a perfect artwork, but to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions and visualize their targets and final destination.

Spyros Karras

https://www.artoopaspartoo.gr/

artsoot@gmail.com

Spyros Karras was born and lives in Athens. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Ioannina. He has worked for many years in private education as a philologist. He has a degree in music and a degree in piano solo. He has worked as a piano teacher while in collaboration with ensembles, and has given many concerts in Athens.

Puppetry has been his dream and goal since his childhood. He has been making handmade puppets and puppet shows since he was very young. He was taught puppet making and animation by professional puppetry teachers, as he participated in seminars and workshops on special puppet making techniques, face and figure painting, theatrical mask making, storytelling, while he received theoretical training in puppetry.

For over a decade, he has been exclusively and professionally involved in the creation and presentation of puppet shows, while since 2009 he is a founding member of the ArtooPaspartoo group, and together with Stavriana Kouskouvelakou, they create and present puppet shows in educational institutions, theatre, cultural events, etc.

The artist offers the workshop by request, and those who are interested please contact the artist.

Music, Performing Arts, Creative writing

Greek