“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get away?” — That’s the intro to the theme song of the television show “Cheers,” written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo.

Making our way through this world today seems like it will take everything we’ve got, doesn’t it? And although this show and song first came out in 1982, the advice in those lyrics is still relevant today, “Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.” Great advice, and I know for some of us, that is easier said than done.

And then the question comes at the end of the first set of lyrics, “Wouldn’t you like to get away?” For many of us, that answer is a resounding yes. We have been staying at home with limited travel anywhere. When I hear people talking about getting away, it ranges anywhere from getting on a plane and going somewhere tropical, or just being able to go see family and friends.

When we think about getting away, that typically includes some form of transportation. And not all forms of transportation have wheels or tires, but many of them do. Our bicycle, our car, and airplanes have wheels and tires. And if we want to get away, we will not get very far if any of these modes of transportation had a flat tire, would we?

So, I would love for you to draw a circle, or at least imagine a circle. And in that circle, there is a hub with seven spokes. Go ahead and draw them in your circle so they look like the spokes of a wheel. Label each of the seven spokes: Family, Personal, Mental, Spiritual, Physical, Financial, and Career. Now consider that the outside of your wheel, the farthest part from the hub, represents a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. And at the hub, that represents a 1 on the scale of 1 to 10. The 1 is low, and the 10 is high.

Next, draw a dot on each spoke based on where you believe that you are in each area of your life on a scale of 1 to 10. Now, connect the dots. If you are like most of us, your newly drawn wheel looks like a flat tire. Or maybe, your wheel still looks like a wheel, but it’s a small wheel with your ratings lower in each category. Either way, with a flat tire, or a very small wheel, we will not get very far very fast as we try and make our way in the world today. And remember, it’s going to take everything we’ve got.

What does that look like? How do we give it everything we’ve got? Well it starts with balance in all the key areas of our lives. If you played along with the circle exercise above, you probably recognized where you are strong and identified areas where you need to apply some intentional effort to improve. And if you only played along using your imagination, maybe consider going back and drawing out what Zig Ziglar refers to as the “Wheel of Life,” to clearly see what your tire looks like today.

The best way to make our way in the world today is to have a well-balanced wheel. Will it ever be perfect? Maybe not. But with an intentional effort can we try to improve in each area of our lives? Absolutely.

So how about you? Did you play along and draw or imagine your own “Wheel of Life?” Is it an odd-shaped wheel? Does it look like a flat tire? Is your wheel still round, but maybe leaning toward a smaller wheel? I would love to hear what your wheel looks like, and if you would like to know more about the “Wheel of Life,” send me an email at mnorton@tramazing.com. And if we can ride the wheels of balanced success, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.