The Wheel of Life

One night back in 2015, I found myself completely hooked on a time-management video game called Life quest.

It’s a surprisingly addictive life simulation where you work toward achieving your goals across several areas – Career, Family & Friends, Fun, Love, Well-being, and more, all while competing with other players.

I actually recommend trying it. It’s so engaging that after about six hours of gameplay (!!), you might catch yourself wanting to keep “playing”, but in real life.

The game is based on the famous Wheel of Life, created by Paul J. Meyer in 1960 to help people identify and achieve their goals.

The concept is simple yet powerful: imagine a pie chart divided into sections – Health, Career, Love, Spirituality, Family, Money, Fun, and Friends. You then rate your satisfaction in each category on a scale from 1 to 10.

This gives you a visual snapshot of your life’s balance, or imbalance, and reveals exactly where you need to focus your energy to create real change.

Why Many People Don’t Reach Their Life Goals

So many people say, “I want to live my dream life!”

Yet day after day, they go to work, scroll on their phones, binge Netflix, play video games, and tell themselves they’ll “start tomorrow.” Then one day, they wake up in their 50s, staring at the ceiling, wondering what happened to all the dreams they once had.

The truth?
There are only two reasons most people never achieve their dreams:

1. They don’t know exactly what they want.
2. They don’t have a clear plan to get it.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Anything You Want

Reaching your dreams is one of the most important things in life.
And here’s the truth – you don’t have to be lucky, rich, or born special to make it happen.
All you need is a clear roadmap and the discipline to follow it.

There will always be people who tell you that your dreams are “too big,” “too unrealistic,” or “just not for you.”
Ignore them. Do it anyway.

At the end of the day, you miss 100% of the chances you don’t take.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the 4-day life-changing game to help you achieve anything you want.

Note: Do one step per day, and most importantly, have fun with it.

The 4 days game

DAY 1 – Make your dream list

Find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed.
Grab a pen and paper – yes, actual paper – and take your time to imagine your ideal future self.

Ask yourself:

• Do I want to have my dream body?
• Be well-known and surrounded by amazing people?
• Be rich enough to buy any gadget that hits the market?
• Travel the world and explore exotic places?
• Live in a beautiful home with a pool and a lush garden?
• Have the perfect romantic relationship?
• Turn my passion into my career?
• Work remotely, free from the 9-to-5 grind?

Don’t worry about what’s “realistic.”
Your only task today is to dream vividly and freely.

Picture it:
It’s late July. You’re in your dream house with large French windows overlooking your pool.
The sun glimmers off the water, reflecting the exotic plants in your garden.
Your friends are laughing by the pool, champagne glasses in hand, and you feel at peace – exactly where you’re meant to be.

Write it all down.
When you’re done, fold the paper and put it in a box, you won’t need it just yet.

Congratulations.
You’ve just completed Day 1.

DAY 2 – Create a path

It’s time to turn your dreams into a plan.

Grab a whiteboard, open an Excel sheet, or download a goal-tracking app, whatever works best for you.
Now, write down your SMART goals.

SMART stands for:

• Specific – clear and detailed
• Measurable – something you can track
• Achievable – realistic but challenging
• Relevant – aligned with your dream
• Time-bound – has a clear deadline

For every dream you wrote down on Day 1, think: How exactly can I make this happen?

Then, break each dream into SMART goals.

Example 1: You’re an introvert who dreams of becoming more social and well-connected.

Your SMART goals could look like this:

• Make 24 new personal connections by December 31st (work contacts don’t count).
• Host a birthday party on November 8th with at least 20 guests.

Example 2: You dream of becoming the kind of person who turns heads.

SMART goals could be:

• Lose 44 lb within the next 3 months.
• Reduce body cellulite by June 30th.
• Fit into a dress two sizes smaller by May 30th.
• Get braces by December 21st.
• Refresh your summer wardrobe within the next month.

This is where most people fail.
If you ask them whether they want to be successful, they’ll say “Of course!”
But when you ask how they plan to do it – they just stare blankly.

Without a path, how can you possibly reach your destination?

So, take your SMART goal list and, unlike your Day 1 dream list, keep it visible.
Put it somewhere you’ll see every day as a reminder of what you’re working toward.

Congratulations, you’ve just completed Day 2!

DAY 3 – Create weekly tasks

Now that you’ve set your SMART goals, it’s time to turn them into action.
Break each goal down into weekly, easy-to-achieve tasks – small wins that keep you moving forward.

One of my favorite tools for this is Notion.
What’s great about Notion is that you can organize tasks into categories like “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done”, and assign deadlines.

It makes it painfully obvious when you’re procrastinating, and ridiculously satisfying when you’re on track.
(If you haven’t yet, check out my post about how unfinished business affects your brain and productivity.)

Example:
If your SMART goal is “Make 24 new connections by December 31st,”
your weekly tasks might look like this:

• Go out with at least one new person every week – NO excuses.
• Say yes to social invites unless there’s a truly good reason not to.
• Attend one networking event this Friday.
• Volunteer for the community tree-planting event on Sunday.
• Join a hobby club – book, movie, or sports, by the end of this week.

Here’s the magic: every small task you conquer builds a winner’s mindset.
Each success boosts your confidence, making it easier to tackle the next.

It’s far easier to stay motivated when your brain sees life as a game rather than a boring checklist.

The truth about motivation

When you start something new, progress feels fast and exciting.
Then reality kicks in – the task is harder, more complex, and takes longer than you expected.
That’s when most people lose motivation and quit.

Don’t fall into that trap.
Focus on small, doable tasks instead of the entire mountain.
This keeps you from feeling overwhelmed and helps you build unstoppable momentum.

Pro tip: keep your task list on your phone, somewhere you can check it daily.

Congratulations, you’ve just completed Day 3!
You’re officially building your dream life, one smart task at a time.

DAY 4 – Act, keep going and reflect

This is the day you stop planning and start doing.

You’ve dreamed it, mapped it, and broken it down, now it’s time to take action.

When you set a big goal, say, “Have my dream body by June 19th”, it’s tempting to go overboard and start ten things at once:
“20-day yoga challenge,” “30 days of no sugar,” “meal prep every day,” “quit smoking,” and so on.

But here’s the thing: trying to do everything at once usually leads to burnout and quitting.
So keep it simple.

Focus on no more than 2–3 tasks at a time and commit to finishing them before you move to the next.
This keeps your mental space clear and your momentum strong.

Keep Moving Forward

Here’s a truth you can tattoo on your brain:

There is no such thing as standing still.

The entire universe is in motion, and if you’re not moving forward, you’re slowly drifting backward.

Every small, consistent action keeps you aligned with your dreams.
Even on slow days, even when motivation fades – keep going.

Because the only real ingredients you need to succeed are:

Motivation – to start.
Persistence – to finish.

Reflect and Adjust

At the end of each week, take a few minutes to reflect:

• What went well?
• What didn’t?
• What did you learn about yourself?

Reflection keeps your goals aligned with your values and your progress steady.

Did this help?

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TheThinkAbout is a website based on psychology in practice and experience.

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