The one thing I do on a monthly basis is to reflect and review my life. I have built a certain framework that is very useful to me to get deep insight in where I am in life and where I want to go.

It’s based upon existing frameworks like Tony Robbins / 365 Dagen Succesvol and so forth.

The Pillars of Life

To live a happy and fulfilling life there are certain categories that one can follow / review to live more mindful and aware of where you are in life.

What you do is you take a piece of paper and you start noting down the following categories. The next thing you do is give yourself a grade for each aspect of life and go deep into why you give that grade. Are you satisfied with where you are in life? What would you like it to be and where you improve most easily? What is the low-hanging fruit?

The 4 categories that I find most significant are for example:

• Health
• Relationships
• Career
• Finance

Health

Firstly,
In other words

Firstly/secondly, further, and, moreover, in addition`

Above all, most importantly, certainly
Above all, most importantly, certainly
Above all, most importantly, certainly
Above all, most importantly, certainly
Above all, most importantly, certainly

Food = fuel

Consider food as fuel and not as some short-term pleasur for your tongue.
However, a lot of people

Movement is medicine

Excercise is proven to be important for your body.
Above all,

Sleep is your superpower

Sleep 8 hours every night. Have a sleep schedule.
Rest + stress = Growth
Likewise,

Mental Health

How are you doing emotionally? How strong is your psyche to handle every day challenges? Do you meditate? Are taking the time to reflect and pause.

Relationships

Family

Friends

Romantic

5 Chimps Theory: You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

Career

Are you doing what you love doing? Does it fit your core values and belief systems?

Finance

Income

Are you happy with what you earn? Are you in debt?

Saving / Protecting

Investing

asd

Giving

The Chair Analogy

As you can see in image 1, it shows that some areas of your life may be lacking the quality that you are looking for. Often, when life is hectic it is caused because of a low grade in one or two of these areas.

The chair analogy is a great way to think about this mental model.
Imagine that each category represents a chair-leg. If one leg is missing, the chair is not stable anymore. For example if your health is lacking, but all other aspects are ‘good’ you will be able to manage it, but you will have to focus on improving your health first.

But in case in both finance and health are lacking (missing two legs of the chair) it will fall over! You will need external help to get you back on track.

Frequency and finding your focus to reflect

Personally, I do this on a monthly basis and I have it scheduled in my calendar once a month on a Sunday evening. This helps me to remind myself and built-in accountability.

I suggest you do the same and find a place and time to reflect in silence. No phone notifications, no other external impulses. Just you and your thoughts and a piece of paper to note down everything that passes your mind.

The power of mentors & accountability partners

You can do all of this on your own, which is already a big step forward in living a more satisfying life. However, I found that having someone to talk about makes it even more accountable. Find someone that you trust and resonates with your goals. It helps you internalize your goals and make them concrete / S.M.A.R.T.

A mentor, someone you look up to who did things in the past that you are trying to accomplish in the future can be a tremendous resource to step up your game and really conduct this process.

Everything is mindset

Raise your standards

Master your mindset

What would your most ideal year look like?
What is limiting you to accomplish those goals?

Closing words; a compass for your life

In conclusion, The Wheel of Life is a great tool to reflect on where you are in life and where you want to go. Like a vector in physics. Like the dashboard in a car shows the status of the fuel / speed, the wheel of life shows you an overview of your life quality. If you want to go somewhere or set clear goals you need a clear destination, but also a clear road map to get there. See this Wheel of Life like a compass to guide into the right direction.

Further reading

• Year Review – with Tim Ferris / Rick Pastoor – Grip
• Finding a mentor Ryan Holiday