Become a Doula – Day 3 of Reorganize Your Doula Biz for ‘09 – How balanced are the various areas of your life? – Savvy Doula – Darlene MacAuley

Day 3 of Reorganize Your Doula Biz for ‘09 – How balanced are the various areas of your life?

Nov 10th, 2009 | By Darlene MacAuley | Category: Business Planning, Life Balance, Reorganize Your Doula Biz For 09

In order to have a successful business, it’s important to consider how successful you are in other areas of your life. Ask yourself the following questions:

Are your relationships satisfying?
Are you getting enough self-care time?
Is your health where you’d like it to be?
Is your home a peaceful, comfortable (or lively, if that fits your personality better) place to be?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, think about how these other areas of your life affect your ability to enjoy and focus on your business. If these areas were to improve, would you have more energy and be more productive in your work?

Exercise:

Here is a great way to get a visual perspective of how your balanced your life is.

1. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being least satisfied and 10 being very satisfied, how would you rate the following areas of your life:

Physical Environment
Career/Business
Money
Health
Fun & Recreation
Personal Growth
Significant Other/Romance
Friends and Family?

2. Print or draw the following pie chart, then draw a line in each pie piece that matches your level of satisfaction. Color it in for a more dramatic effect.

Examine your results. How do you feel when you look at your Wheel of Life? Are there some areas that could use some attention? If it looks and feels pretty balanced to you, congratulations! If not, don’t despair. Awareness is the first step in making changes in your life.

This is a great exercise to do at least once a year. "Balance" doesn’t necessarily mean that all areas in your life will be rated a "10". You will find that at different times in your life, some areas will be given more attention than others, and it is always in flux. If you notice that something is lacking, however, this wheel can give you a visual representation of your life at a certain point in time, and you can make a deliberate effort to make changes to help you move toward a more satisfying and joyful life.

Did you have any "aha" moments from doing this exercise? Add a comment below or send me a Tweet @savvydoula.

Now that you’ve done some reflection, taken a look at your values, and have created your wheel of life, you are at a good place to do some goal setting. Join me tomorrow for our first goal-setting session!