Karl George: It may be time to say ‘Yes’ to the idea of ‘No’ on Life’s Wheel
Jul 3 2008 By Karl George
The Wheel of Life may be a concept familiar to many of you, and it’s one which plays large in my mind at this time of year.
We’re exactly half way through the calendar year – a time to reflect on what we have achieved but also to look forward to what we need to accomplish.
For those of you not familiar with the Wheel of Life concept, it’s where you simply look at aspects of your life such as spiritual, family, business, career and social activities and score them to see how happy you are.
Interestingly enough, if one area of your life is not going at all well it will usually impact on the other parts.
A personal issue will evidence itself at work eventually and vice versa. Getting the balance right is critical to personal and business success. I think part of the problem is that we try to fit more and more into life.
We take photographs and videos to capture those special moments, but how often do we really engage with our families. We are so busy dealing with the urgent things that are not necessarily important that all too often we abuse our health, bodies or minds because we put off the day where a healthy regime will eventually rule our life.
We hit our latest targets at work or business, gain a new position, obtain a new client and so on, but then we look at the next target without taking the time to enjoy where we are.
The pressure of the current economic climate often means that now more than ever we cannot take time out to reflect on life. In short, all too often we don’t get our priorities in the right order.
And so, as I go through my Wheel of Life, I can’t help but feel that our happiness is linked to the environment in which we find ourselves.
The harbingers of doom are speaking about the great depression, oil prices surging above $140 per barrel, renewed fears with the banking system and the sharp drop in mortgage availability making for a distinctly shaky housing market.
And this whole scenario reminds me of a book I recall reading many years ago – Do Less, Achieve More. It encapsulates everything about the other end of the spectrum to that of western life.
The philosophy of really living in the moment can seem fantastical – even dreamy – with all the modern pressures that we face.
Perhaps it’s time to reflect on where we are and what this rat race is all about.
And my reflections will therefore be looking forward rather than retrospective.
I will identify the really important things that I need to stay focused on for the rest of the year, which will in turn help me look at what gives me the greatest pleasure in life and how I can actually make the most of what I enjoy doing.
And occasionally that may mean saying no to people so I don’t jeopardise the things that I genuinely need to say yes to.
After all, that Wheel of Life just keeps on turning…
