There have been a lot of questions swirling through my mind lately. It’s been a time of some big decisions and transitions. I’ve wondered whether I’ve made the right choices and regretted what I didn’t know sooner. I’ve been caught up in imagining all the possible outcomes of a future I just can’t predict.
All the what ifs can be overwhelming. What if I’m making the wrong decision and I’ll regret it? What if I’d known then what I know now? What if what I’m hoping for never happens? What if it does and it turns out to not be what I wanted after all?
You know what’s bringing me back to solid ground? Taking a good hard look at where I am right now.
We can get caught up in the past. Maybe it’s nostalgia for the way things were or regret when hindsight shows us where we could have chosen a different path.
It’s also tempting to look ahead to where we wish we were—to put our hope in all the possibilities someday holds.
Oddly enough, it can be hard to pay attention to where we are at this moment.
But no matter how much time we spend mentally dwelling in the past we can’t change it. Even if we shift our perspective on the way things were, we’re still wherever that past has gotten us today.
There’s value in having hope the future will be better, but daydreaming about how things will be different when that future we long for finally gets here isn’t the same as taking steps to move from where we are to where we want to be.
The reality is, we are where we are.
Pretending our life is something different than it is or ignoring parts that make us uncomfortable doesn’t change anything. It is only when we see and accept the current state of our lives that we can move toward the next right thing.
In the midst of my agitation I remembered a coaching tool that does just that. The Wheel of Life is designed to walk us through identifying where we are in each key area of life right now. It can help us see how certain areas of our lives might be impacting others. It also provides an opportunity to clearly visualize our ideal future and determine steps to take to make our vision a reality.
It had been a couple years since I last completed this exercise. A lot has changed since then—both in the reality of where I am right now and in my vision of where I ideally want to be.
The Wheel of Life isn’t a one and done exercise, but is an effective tool for periodically reorienting ourselves. When we take the time to ask where we are in all areas of our life, we can anchor ourselves with a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not in our current situation.
To get from one place to another we need to know both where we’re starting from and where we’re going. Only when we can confidently say I am here can we see to start taking steps to get from where we are to where we eventually want to be.
Where am I? is a question to keep asking. Where we are changes, due to our own actions as well as changing circumstances around us. In order to keep heading in the direction we want to go, we need to periodically assess our current location and verify our goal.
I’ve found the Wheel of Life to be very helpful choosing my own course and I want to share it with you. Click here to get access to the entire self-trust resource library.
Get clear on where you are and your satisfaction level in each area of your life right now. Think about how struggles in one area of life impact other areas. Create a vision of where you want your life to be headed and start taking steps to get there.
I’d love to know…Are you more likely to focus on where you are right now or where you wish you were? How does that impact the way you live from day to day? What do you think is the biggest obstacle to living your ideal life?