Wheel of Life, Introduction to Coaching

Coaching topics can vary. People bring all kinds of topics to coaches. However, at the heart of every coaching session is about understanding the ultimate purpose of life. I believe coaching is to bring balance to coachees’ life by aligning their actions and decisions with what they value. When coachees can see their purpose of life clearly, they can determine what to focus on and what to give up to achieve the balance they desire.

When I meet my coachees for the first time, I usually start with the coaching tool called “Wheel of Life”. It is an exercise where coachees measure their level of satisfaction in eight different sections of life with a range of 1 to 10. As coachees and I go through each section, we talk about how satisfied they are with the current situation and what could be improved. The eight sections include:

1. Career: Are you where you want to be in your career or education?
2. Family and Friends: How is your relationship with family and friends?
3. Significant Other/Romance: How does love play a role in your life at the moment?
4. Fun and recreation: How satisfied are you with the activities that you do for fun?
5. Health: How is your physical and mental health?
6. Money: How satisfied are you with your financial situation?
7. Personal Growth: How are you working towards your ideal self?
8. Physical Environment: How satisfied are you with your physical environment?

This exercise provides a “meta-view” of life. A lot of times, the level of satisfaction in each section is not at the same level, so the wheel looks imbalanced. When the wheel becomes closer to the full circle, coachees will gain more clarity and the desired balance in their life.

This is also a good opportunity to identify relationships between each section. Is one area affecting another? Often times, each section is closely interrelated. Career might be affecting the relationship with the family. Or, health might be affecting the career. This “meta-view” of life helps to analyze the root cause of whatever issues coachees might have.

Merely doing this exercise won’t do much, but powerful questions will bring life-changing discovery. A coach needs to help coachees see what they cannot see and help them connect the dots. At the same time, a coach should not assume or judge. The conversation should be honest in both ways.