My Life Zodiac Wheel (and How You Can Make Your Own)

Over the weekend, I worked on this small fun project to help me achieve two things: enjoy my passions to the fullest and celebrate life through focus and accomplishment. 

I created this to address and eventually silence a crucial personal issue.

For so long I’ve felt like a lost hummingbird darting to and fro, dabbling in my interests and activities, never really taking hold of what I have and what I can accomplish.

Everyday I see people on social media holding up their big ass megaphones, blathering about plans and promises, but never really accomplishing anything significant. I look down at my own megaphone and realize I’m still part of this mob—stuck at the same spot, but doing things silently.

There are holes and dark corners that hinder me from truly celebrating life. I continue to hold on to the past, letting trauma and anger block true love and generosity. I’d allow my heart to wander and yearn for places and things that I can never have anymore. It gets ugly when all this negativity I channel to the people I love.

Introducing Stef’s Zodiac Wheel

These things sadden and hurt, blinding me from the simple and beautiful things that already surround me. I forget to see the piles and piles of literature I’ve collected over the years, films and games I can enjoy from the comfort of my home, opportunities to learn new skills, and the love and service I can give to my husband and children.

I forget and have forgotten, yet time doesn’t wait for me to wake up.

So I created my personal zodiac wheel—an homage to Chinese astrology and tradition. I made twelve “zodiac signs” representing twelve of my passions and goals, where I’d devote each year to celebrating/learning these interests from January to December.

Below each zodiac are activities I’d be doing for that particular year. They’re given sheer focus and priority in that no other passion can take its place. They’re not so much resolutions but ways of living that I’d abide to for 365 days.

To chronicle each year’s stories and experiences, I’m recording everything on the blog. It’ll be a fun way to share what I know, what I’ve learned, and what I’ve gained with the world.

The Twelve Signs

My twelve-part zodiac wheel includes the following (updated January 14, 2018):

1. Year of the Book – I’m finishing my personal library, articles and essays, and any reading material I get my hands on. The blog will be filled with reactions and reflections to each piece of text.
2. Year of the Word – This year’s all about creative writing done by hand using either a pencil or pen, and eventually published on my chosen platform. It’s going to be a year of learning and creating pieces of poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. The blog will feature writing experiences and fragments of work, while I publish pen and pencil reviews on my other blog, pagerie.co.
3. Year of the Game – I’ll be playing and featuring games of old and new, talking about each game’s story and characters, the good and the bad on the blog.
4. Year of the Film – I’m dedicating this year to watching and writing about short and full-length films, animation and selected television series, whether old or new, indie or mainstream, local or foreign.
5. Year of the Local – This year’s all about featuring products made by Filipinos. I’ll be highlighting events that celebrate the Filipino artisan, products and brands of quality, and their stories.
6. Year of the Home – I’m dedicating this year to changing and making the most out of the physical space we call ‘home.’ This can involve learning interior design, letting go of old furniture, reducing waste, etc.
7. Year of the Child – This year’s focus is all about my kids, their development, experiences, and my journey to being a better mom. This isn’t to say that I’m going to ignore my kids outside of this year, but to commit majority of my time to raising them without distractions, and to carry these experiences over as they grow up. I’ll be writing what I’ve learned and discovered, stories of my kids and how they’re exploring the world around them. This is a huge year for me as it will test my resilience, patience, and ability to fully understand my role as a mother.
8. Year of the Travel – This year is focused on the act of traveling or  moving. It’s all about visiting new places, whether that’s within the city or beyond. I’ll be writing about restaurants, bookstores, tourist spots, and the like. Two major trips will be arranged during this year.
9. Year of the Fortune – I’ll focus this year to making my fortune, whether that involves career improvement, working 10x as hard on my side businesses, or trying out new ways to increase wealth (e.g. stocks). The year ends with either achieving or failing at hitting my target money goal.
10. Year of the Skill – This year’s focus is on (re)learning knowledge and mastering skills, whether this be art, technology, or language. I’ll be taking courses, lessons, and creating out of these opportunities.
11. Year of the Self – As the wheel comes in full circle, this year will be about the self where I’d be living each day improving myself, challenging myself, and doing things I’ve never done before. This can include exercise, increasing my income, and just getting out of my comfort zone.
12. Year of Catharsis – The final zodiac I dubbed as “catharsis,” which is from the Greek word kathairein ‘cleanse’ or katharos ‘pure.’ The year’s gonna be about releasing, letting go of the old, and removing to make more room. This is cleansing both in the physical and emotional sense.

Here’s where things get interesting:

Anyone can make their own zodiac wheel and customize it to fit their purposes.

Your zodiac wheel can be made of six, eight, or ten parts. Each year can be about one single thing or a multitude of things related to a central them. Each zodiac can have a culminating activity you’d do by Dec 31st.

Whatever rule or limitation you decide, it has to be fun and purposeful. More importantly, it has to be something you’d commit to.

How to Make Your Own Zodiac Wheel

1. Make a list of your top 12 passions or interests. Think of things or activities that get you riled up, excited, and eager to do. (e.g. Year of the ____)
2. Under each item, write down how you will spend the year celebrating or devoting to this passion or activity.
3. Create a wheel and fill each part with the zodiac.

That’s all it takes. ?