Real‑world examples of life wheel assessment in action

Everyday examples of life wheel assessment in action

Let’s start exactly where most people get stuck: “What does this look like in real life?” Here are everyday examples of life wheel assessment in action so you can see how the tool works outside of a workbook.

Imagine the Life Wheel as a snapshot of your life, divided into slices like career, health, relationships, finances, personal growth, fun, and environment. You rate each slice from 1–10. The magic isn’t the numbers themselves; it’s the story they tell when you connect the dots.

When you look at real examples, patterns pop out: people overinvested in work and underinvested in health, or thriving socially but quietly drowning in debt. These examples of examples of life wheel assessment in action show you how to move from vague dissatisfaction to clear, targeted changes.

Case study 1: The burned‑out tech manager

Profile: 38-year-old engineering manager at a fast-growing startup, working 55–60 hours a week, constantly “on.”

Her Life Wheel scores looked like this:

• Career: 9
• Finances: 8
• Health: 4
• Family & relationships: 5
• Friends & social life: 3
• Personal growth: 6
• Fun & recreation: 2
• Physical environment (home/office): 7

When she connected the dots, her wheel looked more like a jagged star than a circle. This is one of the best examples of life wheel assessment in action because the imbalance was impossible to ignore.

What she noticed:
She said, “No wonder I feel off. I’ve basically built my life around work and a paycheck.” Her low health score matched what the research has been shouting for years: long work hours and chronic stress are linked to higher risks of anxiety, depression, and physical health problems (NIH, Mayo Clinic).

How she used the Life Wheel:
She didn’t blow up her life. She picked two slices to focus on for 90 days: health, and fun & recreation.

She set micro-goals:

• Health: Walk 20 minutes, 5 days a week; schedule a physical with her doctor; set a 10:30 p.m. “screens off” rule.
• Fun: One non-work activity per week (a pottery class, then later a hiking group).

At her 3‑month check-in, her updated scores were:

• Health: 4 → 6
• Fun & recreation: 2 → 5

Career stayed high, but now her life felt less like it was teetering on one overdeveloped pillar. This example of life wheel assessment in action shows how small, consistent changes can smooth out an imbalanced wheel without quitting your job or moving to a cabin in the woods.

Case study 2: The new parent trying to find themselves again

Profile: 32-year-old new parent, recently returned to work after parental leave. Feels guilty no matter what they’re doing—at home or at work.

Their first Life Wheel scores:

• Family: 9
• Career: 6
• Health: 3
• Finances: 5
• Friends & social: 4
• Personal growth: 2
• Fun & recreation: 1
• Home environment: 7

This is one of those real examples where love is high, but so is depletion. The wheel was heavily weighted toward family, with everything else squeezed to the edges.

Key insight:
They realized, “I keep telling myself I’ll focus on me ‘when things calm down.’ But that might be years.” The Life Wheel turned a vague sense of burnout into a visible pattern.

Action steps based on the wheel:

• Health: Prep simple, realistic meals instead of ordering takeout every night; schedule a 15‑minute walk during lunch breaks.
• Personal growth: One audiobook or podcast a week during commute time.
• Fun: A 30‑minute “no chores, no work” block once a week after the baby is asleep.

According to research on parental well-being, even short, regular self-care moments can reduce stress and improve mood (CDC, Mayo Clinic). This is one of the best examples of life wheel assessment in action because it shows how tiny, realistic shifts can fit into a very full life.

At the 6‑month mark, their scores nudged upward:

• Health: 3 → 5
• Personal growth: 2 → 5
• Fun & recreation: 1 → 4

Still a busy season, but no longer a total self-erasure.

Case study 3: The midlife career pivot

Profile: 45-year-old professional who has been in the same industry for 20 years. Well-paid, respected, and quietly miserable.

Initial Life Wheel scores:

• Career: 4
• Finances: 8
• Health: 6
• Family & relationships: 7
• Friends & social: 6
• Personal growth: 3
• Fun & recreation: 4
• Contribution/impact: 3

Here, finances and relationships were solid. The problem was meaning. This is a classic example of life wheel assessment in action when success on paper doesn’t match internal satisfaction.

What stood out:
The gap between finances (8) and career satisfaction (4) plus contribution (3) jumped off the page. They weren’t “failing at life”—they were misaligned.

How they used the insight:
Instead of quitting overnight, they treated the Life Wheel as a career experiment planner:

• Short term (3–6 months): Informational interviews in fields they were curious about; an online course from a university extension program (Harvard Extension School and other .edu programs are great for this).
• Medium term (6–18 months): Build a savings cushion to handle a potential income dip; update resume and LinkedIn; take on volunteer or freelance work in the new field.

A year later, their scores looked more balanced:

• Career: 4 → 7
• Personal growth: 3 → 7
• Contribution/impact: 3 → 6

They hadn’t just changed jobs; they’d changed the story about what work was for.

Case study 4: The college student trying to juggle everything

Profile: 20-year-old university student, double major, part-time job, active social life, and a growing sense that something is going to give.

First Life Wheel scores:

• Education/academics: 7
• Career prep (internships, skills): 5
• Health (sleep, exercise, food): 3
• Friends & social: 8
• Family: 6
• Finances: 4
• Personal growth: 6
• Fun & recreation (outside of parties): 2

This is one of the more relatable examples of examples of life wheel assessment in action for younger adults. Life looked fun on the outside, but the health and finances slices were under pressure.

Realization:
They said, “I’m scoring high in social life, but low in the stuff that will matter in five years.” The Life Wheel helped them see that they didn’t need to give up social time entirely—but they did need to rebalance.

Changes they made:

• Health: Set a minimum sleep target of 7 hours on weeknights (backed by strong sleep research from places like NIH and CDC).
• Career prep: Commit to one career-related action per week (attend a campus workshop, update portfolio, reach out to alumni).
• Finances: Track spending for 30 days; cap eating out to a set amount.

Three months in, their wheel wasn’t perfect, but it was safer:

• Health: 3 → 5
• Career prep: 5 → 7
• Finances: 4 → 6

This real example of life wheel assessment in action shows how the tool can prevent burnout before everything crashes.

Case study 5: The empty nester rebuilding identity

Profile: 54-year-old whose last child has just moved out. Decent marriage, stable job, and a quiet, nagging question: “Now what?”

Life Wheel scores:

• Family: 6
• Marriage/partner: 7
• Friends & social: 4
• Career: 6
• Health: 5
• Finances: 7
• Personal growth: 3
• Fun & recreation: 2

Here, nothing was on fire—but nothing felt particularly alive either. This is one of the best examples of life wheel assessment in action when life is “fine” but flat.

Insight from the wheel:
They realized they’d spent decades pouring energy into parenting and had let friendship, fun, and growth quietly atrophy.

Actions inspired by the wheel:

• Personal growth: Join a local writing group and sign up for an online course in something purely interesting (history, photography, creative writing).
• Fun & recreation: Plan one mini-adventure a month—day trips, concerts, new hiking spots.
• Friends & social: Reconnect with two old friends over coffee or video chat.

Over the next year, their scores shifted:

• Personal growth: 3 → 7
• Fun & recreation: 2 → 6
• Friends & social: 4 → 7

This real example of life wheel assessment in action shows how the tool can guide reinvention in midlife without a dramatic external crisis.

Case study 6: The small business owner stuck in “hustle mode”

Profile: 41-year-old small business owner whose identity is fused with their company. Revenue is growing, but so are stress, irritability, and late-night scrolling.

Initial Life Wheel scores:

• Business/career: 8
• Finances: 7
• Health: 3
• Family & relationships: 4
• Friends & social: 3
• Personal growth: 5
• Fun & recreation: 1
• Environment (workspace/home): 4

This is one of the clearest examples of examples of life wheel assessment in action where hustle culture has taken over.

What hit hardest:
They noticed that the slices most connected to being a human (health, relationships, fun) were the lowest. The wheel gave them permission to treat non-business areas as legitimate priorities.

Changes they made:

• Health: Two non-negotiable workouts per week; regular health checkups based on guidance from sources like Mayo Clinic.
• Family: A weekly device-free dinner.
• Environment: Organize the office, add better lighting, and create a “no work” zone at home.

Six months later, their updated wheel showed:

• Health: 3 → 6
• Family & relationships: 4 → 6
• Fun & recreation: 1 → 4

Revenue didn’t suffer; in fact, they reported clearer thinking and better decision-making. This is a strong example of life wheel assessment in action for entrepreneurs who want sustainable success.

How to create your own “before and after” life wheel example

Seeing these real examples of life wheel assessment in action is helpful, but the real power comes when you create your own.

Here’s a simple way to do it without turning it into a giant project:

• Choose 8 life areas that matter to you. Common ones: career, finances, health, family, friends, personal growth, fun, environment, spirituality, contribution.
• Rate each from 1–10 based on how satisfied you feel right now, not how you think you “should” feel.
• Connect the dots. Notice where the wheel is jagged, lopsided, or surprisingly strong.
• Pick one or two slices to focus on for the next 30–90 days.
• Set small, specific actions instead of vague intentions.

The goal isn’t to score a perfect 10 in every area. Realistic examples include people whose wheels are still imperfect but clearly smoother than before. That’s progress.

Why the Life Wheel still matters in 2024–2025

In the last few years, more people have been rethinking work, health, and priorities. Remote work, hybrid schedules, and rising burnout rates have made tools like the Life Wheel more relevant, not less.

Here’s how current trends show up in modern examples of life wheel assessment in action:

• Burnout and mental health: Many people score high in career effort but low in health and fun. This lines up with growing awareness of burnout and mental health challenges, highlighted by organizations like the CDC and NIH.
• Flexible work: Some people now score higher in family and environment because remote or hybrid work allows more time at home—but their social or personal growth scores drop because they feel isolated.
• Financial stress: With inflation and economic uncertainty, finances often show up as a low or wobbly slice. The Life Wheel helps you see that financial well-being is connected to stress, health, and relationships, not just numbers in a bank account.

Modern, real examples of life wheel assessment in action reflect this complexity: people are not just chasing promotions; they’re trying to build lives that actually feel livable.

FAQ: Common questions about examples of life wheel assessment in action

Q: Can you give a quick example of using the Life Wheel in a single coaching session?

Yes. A client might come in saying, “I just feel stuck.” You ask them to rate 8 life areas, then sketch the wheel. You both notice that everything is around 6–7 except health, which is a 2. Instead of talking abstractly about “feeling stuck,” you focus the session on health: sleep habits, movement, stress. They leave with one or two concrete actions. That single conversation becomes one of their personal examples of life wheel assessment in action.

Q: Do my scores need to be high in every area for my life to work?

No. Many of the best examples include people whose scores are moderate but balanced. A wheel with mostly 6s and 7s that feels stable can be a lot more satisfying than a wheel with a few 9s and several 2s.

Q: How often should I redo my Life Wheel?

Most people benefit from revisiting it every 3–6 months, or after big life changes (a move, new job, breakup, baby, retirement). That way, you build your own timeline of real examples of life wheel assessment in action and can literally see how your life shape changes over time.

Q: Is the Life Wheel backed by research, or is it just a feel-good tool?

The Life Wheel itself is a practical coaching tool, but it lines up with evidence-based ideas from positive psychology and goal-setting research—especially the idea that clarity plus small, consistent actions improves well-being. Many universities and coaching programs teach variations of it because it helps people organize their thinking and prioritize.

Q: What if my wheel looks terrible?

That’s more common than you think. Some of the most powerful examples of life wheel assessment in action start with very low scores. The point isn’t to judge yourself; it’s to get honest data so you can choose where to start. Even improving one slice by one point over a month is a win.

The Life Wheel is not a magic wand, but these real examples of life wheel assessment in action show how it can become a reliable check-in tool. You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a snapshot of where you are, a clear sense of what matters most right now, and a few small steps that fit the life you’re actually living.