When I graduated from college, I had a relatively clear picture of the goals I wanted to achieve in my life and they seemed to be similar to many other graduates. My goals included getting married, getting a job, climbing the corporate ladder, buying a house and having kids. So I set off with vigor to start checking boxes! By my early 30s, I'd checked off all of the big boxes, but something was beginning not to feel quite right. As my corporate responsibilities and stress grew and my time seemed to shrink, I began to have doubts about whether I was on the right path.
Around this time that my soul wasn't feeling quite settled, I was partnered with an executive coach who had me do an exercise where I looked at, reflected on and rated a full spectrum of areas in my life. This was very different for me as most coaches focused on work life, not whole life.
The first time I reflected on the full spectrum of my life, I ended up in tears. I cried because I realized that I'd been so focused on a few pieces of my life that I hadn't really enjoyed much of it. Seriously. It was a huge wake up call for me.
Let me explain more for the other workaholics reading this post.
The my work section? Easy. I'd been promoted over a dozen times in a decade and was running teams, P&L's and creating products that people loved.
The my finances section? Growing up under two accountants and having read and followed Suzy Orman's steps to financial freedom, I was well on my way to freedom!
My freetime, my tribe and my health took more took a back seat. Other than my honeymoon, I'm not sure if I took more than one vacation in my 20s. Seriously.
Having done my first assessment years ago, I now do this two times a year. It's been a wonderful tool to help me continue to learn about myself and work toward building a life I want. It's a big part of the reason I made such a big shift in my career and followed my passion.
When you take the time to really reflect on the areas of My Desired Life wheel, you are answering to your heart and soul what kind of life you want. And when you know what kind of life you want, you can take the action steps needed to bring that vision to life.
So how exactly do fill out the My Desired Life worksheet? Let me share my top 5 tips:
Carve out time
Choose a place without distractions
Bring your favorite pens, colored pencils or even crayons!
Be honest with yourself
Be kind to yourself - don't judge your work
If you'd like to start the journey toward the life you desire, then downloading the My Desired Life worksheet might be just the simple start to kick off 2019 with a bang!