Living a balanced life is the key to personal goal setting success and your career success in sales. What does it mean to live a balanced life? Balanced living starts by setting goals in all areas of your life. Goal setting has implications far beyond your career goals. In fact, people who set only business related goals decrease their odds of having a well balanced, happy life and achieving their business goals.

Let's start by measuring your life satisfaction and to identify areas that might benefit from personal goal setting.

On a piece of paper, draw a large circle. In the center of the circle, draw a very small circle. Next, draw 6 straight lines from the small circle to the large circle, like spokes on a bicycle wheel.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 is the lowest and 10 the highest) ask yourself how satisfied you are with your current position in regards to; financial and career, social and cultural, spiritual and ethical, family and home, mental and educational and physical and health.

Take into account the following personal goal setting issues:

Financial and Career

Do you enjoy your work? Do you feel you are making a contribution to society? Are you living up to your potential? Have you achieved a satisfactory standard of living?

Social and Cultural

Does your circle of friends enhance your life and contribute to your sense of contentment and well-being? Is there at least one other person you can discuss important life issues with? Do you have interests outside of your career and family (sports, theater, outdoor events)?

Spiritual and Ethical

Have you identified your specific personal values? Are you living up to those personal values? Is religion important to you? If so, are you happy with the way you are practicing your religion? If its not, what is your relationship with a higher power or with the universe in general?

Family and Home

Have you realized your dream in terms of your home and family relationships?

Mental and Educational

Did you accomplish the educational goals you set for yourself? Are you still growing and learning? Do you invest in your continuing education on a regular basis?

Physical and Health

Are you satisfied with your current level of physical health? Are you living up to your own standards in terms of diet and exercise? Are you fit enough to do the things you want to do?

Next record your answers by putting a mark on each spoke under the respective categories. Assign the innermost notch on the wheel a value of one, and the outer ring a value of ten. After you have marked all of the spokes, connect your marks, creating your own "wheel." Congratulations to those whose wheel is round and hugs the outer edge of the figure. Chances are that you are reasonably happy and are living a fairly balanced life. However, any other shaped/configured wheel suggests room for growth.

For example, if your circle is lopsided, the low score(s) identify the area(s) in which you need to focus your personal goal-setting efforts. If your wheel is round but small, that's okay. Your life is in balance you just need to set goals in all areas of your life in order to expand your wheel and achieve greater general satisfaction.

Repeat this process on a regular basis until your wheel meets your own standard of success. However, don't stop there. Life doesn't stand still. If you not moving forward then you're loosing ground. Stretch your personal goal setting. Get out of your comfort zone and set new and challenging goals.