The end of the year tells the truth.
What worked. What improved. What you built.

Before you plan 2026, take inventory of 2025.
Start with the wins. See where effort paid off. The progress you’ve made deserves recognition—it’s proof of what works when you stay consistent.

Then look at the gaps.
See what still needs attention and what could be finished before the year ends. Small adjustments here create momentum for what comes next.

The Wheel of Life is the perfect lens for this reflection. It forces you to step back, look across every part of your life, and see the full picture—your gains, your gaps, and the ground still to cover.

Audit before you advance.

The Wheel of Life is a structured reflection tool that helps you assess where you stand across the key areas that define a balanced, high-performing life.
You score each area on a scale from 1–10 to get a clear visual of your current state.
A balanced wheel rolls smoothly. A lopsided one creates friction and puts stress on other areas.

The core components:

Scoring each area helps you see both gains and gaps.
It’s a practical snapshot of how you’re living—where you’ve built momentum, where attention is needed, and what deserves to be finished before the year ends.

The Wheel of Life has been part of personal development for more than half a century. Early versions surfaced in the 1960s through the work of Paul J. Meyer, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, and others who taught people to step back and evaluate life as a whole instead of chasing one narrow goal.

We’ve adapted the framework for the man over 50 who values strength, purpose, and staying power. The Argent Alpha version includes eight spokes that reflect what drives long-term performance: Health, Fitness, Mindset, Sleep & Recovery, Relationships, Work & Contribution, Finances, Adventure/Growth/Purpose.

Most men charge ahead without taking stock of where they stand. This exercise slows you down long enough to see the truth—to measure your reality before you set new goals. The Wheel exposes both progress and imbalance. It shows you what’s strong enough to carry forward and what’s holding you back.

On a blank page, draw a circle and mark a small dot in the center—the hub.
Draw eight spokes from the hub to the edge of the circle and label them with the categories above.
For each spoke, rate yourself on a scale of 1–10 for your performance this year.
Place a dot on each spoke where that number lands—closer to the center for lower scores, closer to the rim for higher ones.
When all eight are marked, connect the dots.

Step back and look at the shape. That outline is your year. It shows where the wheel is strong, where it’s uneven, and where a single adjustment could smooth your path as you close the year.

Start with the areas that scored highest. These are your gains—proof that the habits, standards, and systems you built are working. Acknowledge them and keep them steady.

Then study the lower scores—the gaps. Each one points to a place that needs attention. Maybe recovery slipped. Maybe work expanded while relationships shrank. The scores reveal how energy and priorities were spent.

Use a simple color guide to read your results:

Once you’ve read the pattern, choose one spoke that matters most and take a focused action this week.
Two ways to decide the move:

Finish something meaningful, or simplify it to a winnable version before year-end. If a goal set earlier no longer fits the man you’re building, drop it and reclaim that energy.

This reflection is how you finish strong and prepare for the next cycle. Clear wins recorded. Gaps understood. A focused correction in motion. It also sets up the foundation for the AAA Framework—Awareness → Agency → Action.

Awareness gives you direction. Agency gives you control. Action gives you traction.

Editor’s Note:
I left something out that’s important to me—and it was obvious once I did my own audit. Faith.
However you define it—through religion, spirituality, or simply your connection to something greater—it deserves a place in this reflection.
If it resonates, add a ninth spoke for Faith / Spiritual Grounding, or fold it under Purpose.
Either way, it belongs. Awareness doesn’t just reveal what’s missing in your life; sometimes it shows what you’ve overlooked in yourself.

Set aside time this week to complete your Wheel of Life audit.
Score each spoke, connect the dots, and look at the shape of your year.
Study the greens to confirm what’s working. Acknowledge the systems and habits that delivered results.
Then shift to the yellows and reds—the areas that need closure or a quick course correction before year-end.

Pick one spoke that matters most.
Decide what you’ll do to improve it over the next six weeks.
Apply either the Minimum Effective Dose or the 80/20 principle to keep it simple and achievable.

The goal is momentum.
Finish one thing that still matters and carry that confidence into 2026.

When I ran my own audit, my first pass looked too perfect. It made sense—I’ve spent years designing and living the life I want—but if I don’t look deeper, what’s the point?
This exercise isn’t about manufacturing shortfalls; it’s about honest curiosity. Gratitude, but not complacency. Recognizing that there’s still more to learn, more to give, more to refine.
So I went back and did it again, slower this time, and found opportunities I’d missed. If your wheel looks flawless, take another pass. You might find what’s next hiding just beneath the surface.

We’ve used a version of this exercise since Argent Alpha began and continue to refine it every year. Each iteration sharpens the structure and deepens the insight. The Wheel of Life fits naturally within R.A.D. (Recurring Accountability Drivers)—our system for consistent reflection, planning, and course correction. Think of it as the same discipline viewed from higher altitude.

Weekly reflections give you a ground-level view: the habits, standards, and decisions that drive daily execution. The Wheel of Life pulls you higher to see the full terrain—the long arcs of progress, the patterns that repeat, and the areas that need attention before they become problems.

Reflection always leads to action when it’s done with intent. This version is being applied at the end of the year while there’s still time to close gaps, build on wins, and carry momentum into the next cycle.

Both views matter. The ground level keeps you consistent. The higher view keeps you aligned.
Used together, they turn reflection into a strategic advantage.

If this issue hit home, take it as your signal to act. The men who are stepping into the Foundational Community aren’t waiting for the perfect time—they’re building momentum now so 2026 starts at full speed.

We’re closing out the year with purpose. Reflection, action, and accountability are already in motion inside Argent Alpha. The Foundational Community is where that momentum compounds—where men who refuse to drift align their standards, tighten their systems, and execute together.

Founder’s pricing is open until the first 100 spots are filled. After that, it’s gone.

If you’ve been following these newsletters, you already know the philosophy. The only difference between reading and transforming is action.

👉 Join the Foundational Community and finish 2025 strong—so you enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and momentum.

I recently joined Erin Coupe on her podcast, I Can Fit That In, for a conversation about what it really means to thrive after 50. We dug into the mindset and physical shifts that make men harder to kill — and why midlife isn’t the beginning of decline, but the start of reinvention.

Erin’s work aligns deeply with that idea. Her new book, I Can Fit That In: How Rituals (Not Routines) Transform Your Life, challenges high achievers to redefine success by slowing the spin, realigning their energy, and creating rituals that fuel presence and purpose — not just productivity.

If you’re ready to challenge what you’ve been told about aging and step into your next chapter with strength and clarity, this conversation is a great place to start.

🎧 Listen to our conversation on Spotify
📘 Learn more about Erin’s work at erincoupe.com