3 powerful examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth

Why examples of using a Life Wheel matter more than theory

Most people first see the Life Wheel as a neat little circle divided into slices: career, health, finances, relationships, fun, personal growth, and so on. They fill in a few numbers, shrug, and move on.

The real magic happens when you look at examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth in real life. Stories make it easier to see yourself in the process. You stop thinking, “This is a self-help gimmick,” and start thinking, “Oh, that’s exactly what I’m going through.”

In 2024 and 2025, more therapists, coaches, and even workplace wellness programs are using tools like the Life Wheel as a quick, visual check-in for burnout, balance, and goal clarity. Research on well-being and goal-setting consistently shows that writing down specific goals and tracking progress increases the likelihood of follow-through. For example, a well-known study from Harvard Business School highlights how clear, written goals can significantly boost performance over time.

So instead of abstract theory, let’s walk through three grounded, realistic scenarios—each with multiple concrete moves you can copy.

Example of using a Life Wheel: the burned-out professional

Let’s start with one of the most common examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth: the high-achiever who feels completely drained.

The situation

Meet Jordan, 36, a project manager in tech. On paper, life looks good: solid salary, promotions, a decent apartment. But Jordan is waking up at 3 a.m. worrying about deadlines, skipping workouts, and feeling disconnected from friends.

Jordan completes a Life Wheel with these self-ratings (out of 10):

• Career: 8
• Finances: 7
• Health: 3
• Relationships: 4
• Fun & Recreation: 2
• Personal Growth: 5
• Physical Environment (home/office): 6
• Mental/Emotional Well-being: 4

Visually, the wheel looks lopsided—career and money are high, but health, fun, and relationships are scraping the bottom.

How the Life Wheel sparks insight

Here’s where this becomes one of the best examples of using the Life Wheel, not just filling it out:

Jordan realizes:

• Work has been treated as the only priority for years.
• The low “Fun & Recreation” score explains the constant feeling of dullness and resentment.
• The gap between “Career 8” and “Health 3” feels unsustainable.

This is a textbook example of how seeing your life as a wheel exposes imbalance in a way a to-do list never will.

Turning the insight into action (concrete steps)

Jordan picks two slices to focus on for the next 90 days: Health and Fun & Recreation.

Specific actions (real, doable examples include):

• Health:

  • Schedule two 30-minute walks per week during lunch breaks.
  • Swap late-night scrolling for a 10:30 p.m. lights-out rule on weeknights.
  • Book a physical with a primary care doctor to check fatigue and sleep issues (sites like Mayo Clinic have great information on sleep and stress).

• Fun & Recreation:

  • Block one weeknight as a no-work evening: dinner with a friend, a movie, or a hobby.
  • Rejoin a local recreational soccer league (something Jordan loved in college).
  • Add one “micro-fun” ritual per day: a 10-minute coffee walk, a favorite podcast, or a short creative activity.

Jordan redoes the Life Wheel every month. After three months, Health moves from 3 to 5, Fun from 2 to 5, and Mental Well-being from 4 to 6. Career stays at 8, but feels less like a monster and more like one part of life.

This is one of the clearest examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth: you spot imbalance, choose just a couple of slices, and build small, repeatable habits to round out the wheel.

Another example of using Life Wheel: the midlife “Is this it?” moment

Next up in our series of examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth: the quiet midlife crisis. No sports car, just a nagging sense that life is on autopilot.

The situation

Alex, 48, has a stable job in education, two teenagers, and a long-term partner. On the outside, everything looks steady. On the inside, Alex feels stuck and uninspired.

Alex’s Life Wheel ratings:

• Career: 6
• Finances: 6
• Health: 6
• Relationships (family & partner): 7
• Social Life/Friends: 4
• Fun & Recreation: 3
• Personal Growth/Learning: 3
• Contribution/Community: 4

Nothing is disastrously low, but nothing lights Alex up either. This is a real example of a flat, “meh” wheel.

The insight: not broken, just underfed

Looking at the wheel, Alex notices:

• Life is stable but under-stimulating.
• Personal Growth and Fun are the lowest, which matches the internal sense of boredom.
• Contribution is lower than Alex would like, especially as the kids become more independent.

Alex doesn’t need to blow up their life. They just need more meaning and energy.

Turning the Life Wheel into a midlife reset

Alex chooses to focus on Personal Growth, Fun, and Contribution over the next 6–12 months.

Specific, realistic moves (these are some of the best examples of concrete actions your own Life Wheel might inspire):

• Personal Growth:

  • Enroll in an online course about educational leadership or a topic Alex has always been curious about. Platforms like community colleges or university extension programs (see Harvard Extension School) are great for this.
  • Commit to reading one book a month—half fiction, half nonfiction.
  • Start a simple morning reflection: three lines in a journal about intentions for the day.

• Fun & Recreation:

  • Try one new activity per month: a cooking class, a hiking group, a local art workshop.
  • Bring back a forgotten hobby from their 20s—playing guitar for 15 minutes a day.
  • Plan a weekend day trip every other month with no work allowed.

• Contribution/Community:

  • Volunteer twice a month with a local literacy program or food pantry (you can search via .org sites like VolunteerMatch.org).
  • Offer to mentor a younger teacher at work.
  • Join a community board or committee that aligns with Alex’s values.

Alex revisits the Life Wheel every quarter. After a year, the scores shift:

• Personal Growth: 3 → 7
• Fun: 3 → 6
• Contribution: 4 → 7

Career and finances stay relatively stable, but Alex feels dramatically different—more alive, more engaged, and less like life is just happening to them.

This is another strong example of using life wheel assessment for personal growth: not to fix a crisis, but to upgrade a life that’s “fine” on the outside and quietly empty on the inside.

A third example of using Life Wheel: the post-burnout rebuild

The final scenario in these examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth is for anyone coming back from burnout, illness, or a major life change.

The situation

Taylor, 29, recently took medical leave after severe anxiety and burnout. According to resources from places like the National Institute of Mental Health, chronic stress and overload can lead to both mental and physical health issues, and recovery is rarely instant.

Taylor uses the Life Wheel to figure out where to start rebuilding.

Initial ratings:

• Career: 2
• Finances: 3
• Health: 2
• Relationships: 5
• Mental/Emotional Well-being: 2
• Fun & Recreation: 1
• Personal Growth: 4
• Physical Environment: 5

The wheel shows a life that’s been running in survival mode.

The insight: healing before hustling

Taylor notices:

• Health and Mental Well-being are bottomed out.
• Fun is almost nonexistent.
• Career and finances are shaky, but trying to “fix” those first feels overwhelming.

This is a powerful example of how the Life Wheel can gently remind you: you can’t rebuild everything at once. If you try, you’ll probably crash again.

Building a gentle rebuild plan

Taylor chooses Health, Mental/Emotional Well-being, and Fun as the first focus areas for the next 3–6 months.

Specific, healing-focused actions (very real examples include):

• Health:

  • Follow a treatment plan created with a healthcare provider (the CDC and Mayo Clinic both have evidence-based information on stress, sleep, and activity).
  • Start with low-intensity movement: 10-minute walks 3–4 times a week, gradually increasing as energy improves.
  • Set a consistent wake-up and bedtime to stabilize sleep.

• Mental/Emotional Well-being:

  • Continue therapy weekly and track mood and triggers in a simple app or notebook.
  • Practice a 5-minute breathing or grounding exercise daily.
  • Set a “maximum work hours” boundary when returning to work, negotiated with a supervisor.

• Fun & Recreation:

  • Reintroduce small joys: a favorite show, a craft, or baking once a week.
  • Schedule one low-pressure social hangout every two weeks with a supportive friend.
  • Keep a “tiny wins” list to celebrate progress, not perfection.

After three months, Taylor repeats the Life Wheel. Health and Mental Well-being move from 2 to 4 or 5, Fun from 1 to 4. Only then does Taylor start gently addressing Career and Finances—updating a resume, talking with HR about sustainable workload, or exploring roles with better boundaries.

This is one of the best examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth after a crisis: it helps you prioritize healing over hustling and stops you from trying to fix every slice at once.

How to create your own Life Wheel (and avoid common mistakes)

Now that you’ve seen examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth in real life, let’s talk about how you can actually do this for yourself.

You don’t need a fancy template. A blank sheet of paper works:

• Draw a circle and divide it into 6–8 slices. Common categories: Career, Finances, Health, Relationships, Fun & Recreation, Personal Growth, Mental/Emotional Well-being, Physical Environment, Contribution/Spirituality.
• Rate each area from 1–10 based on your current satisfaction, not where you think you “should” be.
• Connect the dots to see how smooth—or wobbly—your wheel looks.

Then use the patterns the same way our three examples did:

• Pick one to three slices to focus on for the next 1–3 months.
• Choose specific, tiny actions you can repeat, not heroic gestures you’ll abandon in a week.
• Revisit the wheel regularly (monthly or quarterly) to track your growth.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Trying to raise every slice to a 10 at once. That’s a fast track to frustration.
• Rating yourself based on other people’s expectations instead of your own reality.
• Treating the Life Wheel as a one-time exercise instead of a recurring check-in.

If you remember nothing else from these examples, remember this: the Life Wheel is not about perfection; it’s about awareness and direction.

FAQ: Real questions about Life Wheel examples

What are some real examples of using a Life Wheel for personal growth?

Real examples include using the Life Wheel to:

• Spot burnout from an overfocused career and intentionally rebuild health and fun.
• Refresh a “fine but flat” midlife by boosting personal growth, hobbies, and contribution.
• Guide a gentle comeback after burnout or illness by prioritizing health and emotional well-being before chasing big goals.

The three stories of Jordan, Alex, and Taylor above are examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth that you can model your own plan on.

Can I use fewer or different categories than in these examples?

Absolutely. Every example of a Life Wheel you see online is just a template. You can rename slices or add ones that fit your life better—like Parenting, Creativity, Spirituality, or Learning. The goal is to reflect the parts of life that matter to you, not to copy someone else’s wheel.

How often should I redo my Life Wheel?

Most people find that monthly or quarterly works well. In the best examples of long-term use, the Life Wheel becomes a regular check-in—like a quick health exam for your life. You look at what’s improved, what slipped, and what needs attention next.

Is the Life Wheel backed by any science?

The Life Wheel itself is a coaching tool, not a scientific instrument. But it lines up with a lot of what research says about well-being and goal-setting: that balance, social connection, health, and meaningful goals all matter. Organizations like the National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic emphasize the importance of physical activity, sleep, stress management, and social support—all of which can show up as slices on your wheel.

What if my Life Wheel looks terrible?

Then it’s doing its job. Many powerful examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth start with a very lopsided, messy wheel. The point is not to judge yourself; it’s to see clearly enough to choose your next small step. If your scores are very low, especially in health or mental well-being, consider sharing your wheel with a therapist, doctor, or trusted friend and using it as a starting point for support.

When you look back at these examples of 3 examples of using life wheel assessment for personal growth, notice the pattern: no one tried to fix everything. Each person picked a few slices, chose simple actions, and checked in regularly.

That’s all you need to do: draw your wheel, be honest with your scores, pick one or two areas, and start with the smallest steps you’re actually willing to take. The wheel doesn’t judge; it just reflects. You’re the one who gets to steer.