As we come to the close of what could easily be considered the worst year in history, it’s time to ask ourselves how we want to design the coming year.  I’m not talking about New Year’s Resolutions.  Resolutions are really no more than sophisticated party games we share when ringing in the New Year.  Most of us see them as “nice to have” when we look at what we would like to change or accomplish.  That’s why we set aside our resolutions in as little as ten days after that celebration on New Year’s Eve.  If you really want to see change and make 2021 the year you create that spectacular life you’ve always known you could have, then now is the time to create a well-being plan instead of pulling out that old list of repetitive resolutions. 

What is a well-being plan and how does it differ from a straight forward list of resolutions?  We make  resolutions because we want to change something–to move away from a current state of being.  We design a well-being strategy because we want to create a more optimal state of being.  Because we don’t want to simply survive.  Because we believe we should thrive in an existence that is meaningful and satisfying.  Resolutions exist at a granular level while a well-being plan encompasses our overarching satisfaction with our experience.  Of course, resolutions and well-being are related as each affects the other but a well-being plan prioritizes our overall quality of life whereas a focus on resolutions can keep us mired unhappily in detail. 

After the year we have all just experienced, it’s safe to say that most of us wouldn’t use the word thrive to describe our current situations.  However, if you feel your life is exactly where you want it to be or could use just a few tweaks, then by all means plan a few resolutions to share at midnight.  If you would like 2021 to be your best year so far,  consider designing a well-being plan.

What Is Well-being, Anyway?

Most of us tend to think of physical health when we think of well-being.  That is understandable because most wellness plans focus on biometric measurements and goals.  For example, most corporate wellness plans help employees lose weight, stop smoking, and control or prevent diabetes in order to benefit their bottom line.  After a while, we conflate wellness with physical health since that is how society normally associates the two.  However, well-being is about much more than just how much you weigh.  The concept of well-being takes into account all aspects, or domains, of your existence.  All of these domains are interrelated.  In an ideal world you would be functioning at optimal levels in all domains.  Unfortunately, that ideal is unrealistic.  A better way to achieve well-being involves functioning at levels that work for you in each domain.  After all, well-being is a personal construct and as such will look different to each individual. 

So just what are the different domains?  There are various models of wellbeing–or wellness, depending upon the construct. One of the most popular is known as the Six Dimensions of Wellness, by Bill Hetler, M.D.  He breaks wellness into six domains–Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual, Social, Emotional, and Occupational.  These are the different areas of existence that create wellbeing.  If you function well in each domain, the result is a happy, healthy, fulfilled life.  If you feel lacking in certain domains, chances are you will feel  something is missing in your life.  That feeling that things may be going okay, but could definitely be better. 

That is where designing a wellbeing plan comes in. 

Recreating the Wheel

Sometimes it is difficult to recognize what feels off in our lives.  In fact, we often grab onto an idea that if we fix one thing, then everything else will be better as well.  What we don’t realize is that the thing we are trying to fix may have absolutely nothing to do with the actual problem.  That is why I often ask my clients to create a wellbeing wheel when we start working together. 

Expanding on the concept of the Six Dimensions of Wellness, a wellbeing wheel goes a little bit deeper by breaking down certain domains into more specific areas.  There may be areas within these domains that are very important to you.  If that is the case, feel free to break them out and score them separately.  For instance, some of my clients create a domain for self-care or self-awareness because they see these concepts as crucial to their wellbeing.   

Physical:  Pretty much a no-brainer, this refers to your physical health.  It includes your weight, your energy levels, sleep patterns, hydration, levels of exercise.  Pretty much anything that affects your physical health can be included in this domain. 

Mental/Emotional:  One of my favorite domains.  We know behavior is regulated by emotions so this is a critical domain.  It includes stress management, resilience, negative self-talk, self-regulation, mindfulness, positive and negative emotions.  This domain has the most power to move us forward or keep us trapped in an endless loop and directly affects other domains. 

Relationships:  This area includes all relationships.  Family of origin, friends, life partners, work colleagues, children, communities.  

Environment:  This domain refers to your living situation.  Are you satisfied with where you live?  Does it meet your needs?  Are you comfortable?  It also refers to your surrounding environments as well as your work environment. 

Financial:  This is an important domain as so much of our security in other domains depends upon it. It includes the ability to meet basic needs as well plan for future needs, retirement, projects, etc. 

Occupational:  Another important domain as it encompasses where we spend the majority of our time.  When you think of this domain, consider the amount of satisfaction you derive from what you do.  It doesn’t matter if you are a CEO of a Fortune 500 or a frontline worker in a mini-mart.  Do you feel what you do is important? Does it bring you satisfaction?  Do you feel like you make a difference because of what you do?

Values/Purpose:  What are your values?  What is important to you in the big picture?  Do your choices and behaviors align with those values?  Do you feel your life serves some purpose?  These are questions many of us shy away from because we get caught up in the need to make a living rather than design a life.  However, one of the most fundamental needs we have as humans is the need to feel that we somehow make a difference in the world.  That we have a purpose. If that purpose is clear there is a greater probability we will be able to find meaning in life.   Here’s a tip, though.  If your values and your actions don’t align, it will be almost impossible to fulfill your purpose and create an optimal sense of wellbeing. 

Life Satisfaction:  This is more or less a “big picture” domain and can feel a little daunting a first glance. However, it comes down to a pretty simple question.  What percentage of your life is positive versus the percentage you see as negative?  This is a crucial question because we often become so fixated on what we perceive as wrong in our lives that we forget to appreciate what we see as right.  This domain helps us remember that well-being, like all things, is all about balance. 

The following exercise allows you to analyze your satisfaction with the different domains of your life.  Plot these domains in a circle, like a wheel.  And, like a wheel, connect them to a center point in the wheel with spokes. Each spoke is a rating scale, with one being least and ten being optimal.  Mark each spoke with numbers one through ten.  Here comes the fun part.  It can also be surprising.  Consider each domain in the wheel and give yourself a score based on your feeling of satisfaction in that domain.  Remember, there are no right or wrong answers.  It is simply a question of how you feel about each domain in the current moment.  

Once you have scored each domain, place a mark along the corresponding spoke.  Then connect each mark on the spokes.  This is where the wheel concept comes into play.  If you see your life as well-balanced, you should see a circle that is more or less round.  This is the wheel of your life that merrily rolls along.  If the wheel is balanced, your ride should be pretty smooth, with only a few bumps along the way.  If, however, the wheel is not balanced–say with a three in one domain and an eight in another, or it comes out looking more like an egg than a circle– you might feel your life is caught in a continual pattern of turbulence.  

The goal is not to achieve a perfect ten score in each domain.  Rather, it is to create an existence that feels more balanced.  As you look at your wheel, you can see the domains which need your attention in order to create a better sense of well-being in 2021.  Sometimes the wheel will turn out just as you anticipated.  Other times, you might be really surprised to see one or two of the domains have a much greater impact on your overall well-being than you expected. 

Creating a well-being wheel allows you to evaluate your current situation in relation to your overall well-being.  Many of us are so caught up in our daily lives that we never step back to look at the whole picture.  Well-being is generally referred to as a state of being physically, mentally, and emotionally happy, healthy, and content.  Less often referred to, but possibly more critical to enhanced well-being, is the feeling that we are able to realize our true potential.  The well-being wheel helps you identify areas which need attention.  Armed with this information, you can decide where you would like to focus your energy to improve your well-being. 

If you are in a relationship, you may find it beneficial to plot your wellbeing wheel with your spouse or significant other.  Doing so will help you identify how you can better support each other in your quest for enhanced wellbeing.  It can also help you see similarities and differences that may affect your overall relationship. 

Using the wheel as a guide, you can develop specific goals or intentions within domains with an eye to improving your overall sense of well-being.  This becomes your well-being plan.  Write it out and review your scores on a regular basis.  Unlike conventional goal setting techniques, simply taking action may be enough to increase your score in a domain.  Like so many things in life, sometimes it is more about the journey than the destination.   After the year we have had, any help to improve our quality of life going forward should be a welcome addition to 2021.