Welcome to the Happiness Wheel!
This is frequently called the Wheel of Life or Wheels of life. Below you can download two free template versions of the Happiness Wheel. These are completely free for you to use and share, as you wish.
One template for everyone and the second Wheel of Life template is specifically for therapists or life coaches to use with their clients. Of course download both if you wish to. Use the templates to action SMART goals with examples from your daily life goals.
Download Your Wheel of Happiness Using the Two Links Below
Let’s begin by giving you two completely FREE downloadable templates of the Wheel of Life. There’s no copyright, so use these as you wish. Share them and feel free to share this page too.
The links below are safe and you will be able to download the Wheel of Happiness templates as Microsoft Word documents. Click on the images to download a template and get started. The first is a template for all. The second is aimed at life coaches or therapists.
The template below was created with life coaches or therapists in mind, but all can benefit too.
More about the Happiness Wheel
In this article I’ll explain exactly how to use the Happiness Wheel. My aim is to provide a practical explanation of the Wheel of Life, making it easy for you to use and then help you formulate SMART goals. I will also add that, as a coach myself, I support people through online coaching. We talk together about their Happiness Wheel, filling it in, checking progress, and discuss how to set goals and overcome barriers to change. Indeed the wheel of life coaching industry has been steadily growing. You will easily find the wheel of life coaching approach being used by many life coaches today. Enough talk! Right now let’s get talking instead about how to use the Happiness Wheel.
What is the Happiness Wheel?
The Happiness Wheel, or Wheel of Life, creates a wonderful snapshot of where your life is right now. It points to where you may need some more balance or highlight where you may wish to set some goals. The Wheel of Life points out those areas in which you might want something to be different or want some more happiness, success or change. This life coaching tool originates from Tibetan Buddhist thought and has been around for centuries.
It contains eight core components, which are sometimes referred to as the main ‘happiness factors’ in human life. Please though, avoid confusing the Happiness Wheel with the original Buddhist version. The first Tibetan Wheel of Life really was more focussed on the inner spiritual life whereas the modern one, downloadable here, is about goals and measuring your current balance or satisfaction with daily life.
Once you have watched the short video below and read this article, you will have the basics of the Happiness Wheel ‘under your belt’! The downloadable templates are yours to use many times over in the future.
The Wheel of Life is a favorite tool of life coaches. People who love helping you make SMART goals! This is why we have a separate ‘coaches’ version to download. This can be used by other therapists too, of course. It can be a great way to establish goals and then used to check-in about the progress of those agreed goals. The Happiness Wheel is used to identify how you use your time, where you focus should be and how satisfied you feel right now. This tool facilitates self-reflection and so promotes the setting of good SMART goals, in order to get life moving in the right direction.
The Happiness Wheel’s core categories
The Wheel of Life is really a pie chart, in which sections represent the various parts of life that you consider important. Use it to create smart goals with examples which can be from these most common subdivisions:
- Business & career
- Finance
- Health
- Family & friends
- Romance
- Personal development
- Fun & recreation
- Contribution to society
As you will see from the downloadable templates, you can subdivide these categories or add your own categories to the Happiness Wheel.
How does the Happiness Wheel of Life work?
Since each sector the pie represents a category, then every sector is then given its own value. The lowest value is 1 (very bad), with the highest being to 10 (very good).
You simply place a dot or mark for the value of 1 nearer the centre of your pie circle. The highest value of 10 is therefore placed at the most outer edge of your circle. Once you have filled your Wheel of Life chart completely, you will see a kind of spider’s web has formed. It is possible to see immediately, at a glance, which areas have scored less and where your life satisfaction is to be found at the present moment.
The message of the Happiness Wheel is really that all sectors influence each other and no sector can be seen to truly remain on its own. For example if you feel dissatisfied with your financial situation, that may also place pressure on your relationships too. Be honest with your answers to the Happiness Wheel. Only by being completely honest will you see what’s working and what’s not. Create wonderful smart goals from what you discover. Smart goals will help you zero in on changing what you are unhappy with, The lower the numbers you assign to different sectors, the more attention that category could use.
When filling in the Wheel of Life, don’t worry about which category you start with. Perhaps just start where feels the most comfortable.
The template below was created with life coaches or therapists in mind, but all can benefit too.
The Steps to creating your Happiness Wheel
Use our Wheel of Life templates. However, if you love a craft project, follow these steps and create your very own personalised Wheel of Life.
Step 1. Start
Create your template with a circle containing the 8 sectors representing the different categories. Make a subdivision of 1 (close to the centre) to 10 (outside of circle) so you can note your values.
Step 2. Fill-in your Happiness Wheel
Fill in your scores. Give yourself a snapshot of your sense of happiness and fulfilment right now in the various categories. Take your time and think carefully about this stage. Don’t rush and ensure you can do this when you won’t be distracted. Better still fill in your Wheel of Life with a trusted friend or coach.
Happiness Wheel Questions to ask as you fill in your Pie Chart
Use the following helpful prompts to ask some important questions about how you are doing in each area. Use these questions listed to ensure your wheel of life balance of values is filled in correct an accurately for you right now. If you are a life coach using the wheel of life coaching approach, I hope these questions are helpful. Feel free to download our free wheel of life template.
1. Business success and career direction
How content would you say you are with your employment or career at present? Is your job giving you stimulation, satisfaction, and the development or promotion prospects you desire? Is it the right position for where your life is right now? At the end of the month, do you take home the amount of pay that you would truly like and reflects your value? Is this the job you had imagined it to be or would you rather be on the lookout for something else? Does your work day bring you happiness and satisfaction? Also go ahead and ask your own questions too.
2. Finance and money
Are all incomes which come in your home sufficient to cover all expenses and other needs? Are you in debt or financially dependent on others or on bank or other loans? Do you worry about money regularly? Are you in a position to be able to save or enjoy leisure activities? Do you sometimes make your happiness dependant on how much money you have in the bank? Money can really impact on happiness, which why a coaching template such as the wheel of happiness must include questions about it.
3. Health and wellbeing
How physically and mentally healthy are you at present? Are you happy with your physical appearance and weight? Do you have any aches or pains or current health concerns? Are you physically active? Do you get enough exercise? Is your diet balanced, eating healthy food, fruit and vegetables or do you regularly eat junk food?
4. Family & friends
Do you have many people, such as friends or family, who are supportive, good listeners and trustworthy? How is your social life? DO you take time for fun or hobbies? Do you have a good work-life balance? Do you do anything enjoyable or is your week only about work, work and more work? Do you ever feel isolated, lonely or alternatively find you have too many people around? What could you change for the better about relationships with family members? Would you like to be closer to the ones you love? Use your happiness wheel to think about your relationships.
5. Love or Romance
Have you found contentment or happiness in love? Do you have any close friendships? Are you happy with the level of closeness you have with those you live with or are close to? What about your relationships both romantically and with friends, would you like to be different? You may have suffered bereavement or a breakup. If you are looking for a romantic relationship, what can you do to help that happen? If you are in a relationship, what are positive steps you can take to change about yourself to help the relationship flourish more?
6. Personal development
Do you develop existing or new interests or hobbies? How are you nourishing your mind? Are you open to new experiences and eager to learn about topics that interest you? What would you like to discover more about? Are you spiritually connected to both the inner and outer world? Spirituality is very important to use your happiness wheel coaching to look more at.
7. Fun & recreation
Are you enjoying life? Do you practice regularly hobbies or sports? Do you enjoy your daily activities? How do you spend your free time? Do you need to find more free time, especially if you experience stress or feel that you are always too busy?
8. Contribution
Do you help others? Do you volunteer any of your time, money or resources in some way? To what extent are you active at (sports) clubs, in the neighbourhood, community, or take care of family members or loved ones?
Step 3. Reflection
After completing your questions about happiness and the Wheel of Life, you will notice the spider web shape of your personal wheel can take. Ask yourself, what you notice about the balance of your Happiness Wheel? Are there any surprises, peaks, troughs and lower numbers than you expected?
Your Happiness Wheel Scores
If you put a score of 8 to 10, this means you are very satisfied in a specific life area. The question will then be about how to maintain this. Also ask yourself about any further improvement you could still make in this area. What would get that score up to an 11!
If you scored in some categories 5, 6 or 7, this points to you being fairly satisfied within those areas. Your Wheel of Happiness is showing that there is definitely room for improvement, via some smart goals, in those categories.
If you put scores from 1 to 4, then it is clear that you do not feel happy or satisfied about those categories. Ask why and if you can do something about that? Which smart goals can you put in place to move those numbers higher?
The Happiness Wheel is about identifying possible areas for change and more balance. Don’t feel downhearted. Instead get creating some realistic smart goals. A ‘SMART’ goals is a goals which is: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bound. SMART goals are integral to the wheel of life coaching approach.
If you are unsure how to proceed, consult a coach, therapist or trusted friend for support. As mentioned, I have many online clients, who have short coaching sessions with me around their Happiness Wheel goals and challenges. Why not consider a session too? Get in touch for more details.
For now, ask yourself a few more questions about your lower than expected scores:
- Why did you give yourself this score in this particular category?
- What would be the ideal score for each category?
- Can you imagine a clear picture of how you would like that area of your life to be?
- Do you feel excited about the future, in terms of that category or do you feel down or a little sad about it?
- What steps can you take today, this week or in the next weeks to move that score higher?
The completed Wheel of Life is a great way to reflect on your life. Use it every few months to check how your are doing. Remember that it can be easy to be extremely satisfied with one category, but less so in other areas. For example, if you spend all your efforts and time at work, that may result in your income increasing. Alternatively it may result in lower scores for the ‘family and friends’ category, since you have less time for home life and friendships. Being a workaholic can also affect your health and wellbeing too.
See the connection and relationship of different sectors of your Happiness Wheel. Use your Wheels of Life to find balance. Engaging with the wheel of life coaching tool will allow your emotional wheels to balance and your life will feel more balanced too!
The template below was created with life coaches or therapists in mind, but all can benefit too.
Step 4. Action
Having now completed your Wheel of Life, you can now put your learnings into action and create those ‘SMART’ goals and start new exciting challenges. Expand your ideas and horizons. Use your Happiness Wheel to point you in new directions. Get a sheet of paper, maybe some post it notes and get brainstorming some new smart goals and plans.
Look at your Wheel of Happiness regularly. This will make it easier to notice where you are and regularly check with your goals too. This way it is possible to track your progress.
If you would like some online coaching with Jason Demant about your Wheel of Life and your goals and areas for improvement, simply email Jason today: Jason@jasondemant.com
Would you like to know more about how to formulate SMART goals? We recommend the following article from Mindtools.
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