Goals and Wellness

When it comes to Goal Setting, first and foremost we must know where we are starting.  Too often we set goals that are the same goals we have always set, such as starting a new workout schedule or planning to eat better.  It seems like nutrition or working out is at the forefront of most New Year’s resolutions, and although these may be at the front of our minds, there is something deeper that throws our goals off course. What if we determined what was actually throwing us off course from the beginning and work on those issues, making our goals easier to reach? Life is about learning lessons, but if we don’t know what we need to learn and head off the self-sabotage, guilt, shame, or time constraints we will continue to falter.

The exercise explained here will help us figure out in which areas we are truly lacking and create appropriate goals. Better awareness and goal setting will help keep us on course for what change we would like to see in our lives.  The wellness wheel is a great starting point to reflect on where we are right now.   

Using the image below, rate yourself in each category from 0 to 10 according to what your effort and input is into each category, with 0 meaning you are struggling and 10 meaning you are doing great. Once you have rated each category, connect your dots. 

Listed below are each of the categories and some examples of things to think of in every category.

Physical - chiropractic care, exercise, stretching, trauma/microtrauma

Chemical - smoke, pesticides, fragrance, alcohol

Emotional - angry, depressed, sad, anxious, happy ​

Financial - money, debt, bills, budgets, child support

Community - family, friends, acquaintances, workplace

Spiritual - inner peace, gratitude, sense of calm, grounded, love

Mental - self esteem, positive thinking, negative thinking, focus, brain fog

Nutrition - vitamins, balanced diet, processed foods, beverages

Look at your completed wheel. Is your wheel round or are there flat areas?  The areas that are flat are where you would begin to brainstorm. What is causing these areas of your life to be flat? What daily efforts could be put in place to improve your ratings in these areas? Your goal is to have a balanced wheel, rather than a wheel with flat spots.  Flat spots will always lower or plateau your success in life in general.  If you picture this as a bicycle tire, you will want to be riding on a wheel that is round, even if the tire is small.  Once you begin balancing your tire, you will notice it is easier to raise other categories, if not all the categories.  

First, your goal is to balance the wheel.  Second, your goal would be to grow the circumference of the tire.  

Now that you know what categories your wheel is flat in, it is time to begin planning how you are going to improve the balance in the wheel and create goals that will actually move you forward in the success of your life.  

Happy planning! 

In Health,  

Dr. Josi