Where it comes from
A coaching classic from the 1960s
The wheel is credited to Paul J. Meyer, an American pioneer of the coaching industry who founded the Success Motivation Institute in 1960. The name echoes the Buddhist wheel of life, but the tool itself is a coaching exercise. Coaches still use it today to open a first session.
Why it helps
It shows what to work on before you decide how
Most people chase one goal and neglect the rest without noticing. Rating eight areas side by side shows where life is out of balance. A wheel with a dent does not roll well. The picture makes it easy to choose the one area where a change would matter most.
How to fill it in
Rate by gut feeling, then pick one area
Rate how satisfied you are today, not how things should look. Go fast and be honest. Then pick one low area, not all of them, and build a Mandala chart for it. Repeat the wheel every few months and compare the shapes.