hat do you value? What do you want from your career? What do you want in life? Could a stranger identify what's important to you by observing you throughout the day?

If you don't have clear answers to these questions, if you're unhappy with an aspect of your career or your personal life or if you've been disappointed lately, try this:

• Make a list of the major areas of your life. For many, it comes down to a division between professional and personal spheres. But don't forget that a personal life has many different facets including family, friends, hobbies, intellectual pursuits, spiritual interests and physical fitness.
• Rate each area in order of importance.
• Write down the percentage of time you invest in each one.
• Rank each area by how satisfied you are with it.

Now, review your results. If you're unhappy with certain areas, you'll probably find that your investment in them is not in line with their importance to you.

For example, if you rate physical fitness near the top of your list yet spend less than 5% of your time playing sports or visiting the gym, it would be no wonder if you're dissatisfied: Your intentions may be well meaning, but your choices are not honoring them, and that incongruity is making your life unbalanced.

An important note: Be honest. Is physical fitness really important to you, or did you rank it near the top because you believe it should be important to you? Upon reflection, you may find that what you thought was important and what actually is important to you are two very different things.

Find the perfect balance

An imbalance between your intentions and your actions can manifest in a variety of ways. You may experience stress, anxiety or forgetfulness. You may even have physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, frequent colds or insomnia. Couple these with the fact that you are not achieving success in the areas that are important to you, and the problem just gets worse.

If you feel that your life lacks balance, you may need to make changes and sacrifices. You can't have everything and you can't do everything ... and you don't have to. You just need to identify what you want and how much you are willing to invest to get it.

Make the tough choices

Life is about choices. You always have the power to choose, and you may have to make new decisions to realize what you want from your life and your career.

You may believe that your life is controlled by outside factors such as work or family obligations. But that is not true. Even when you have an obligation, for example, a mandatory meeting or financial commitment, you ultimately still have options. You can skip the meeting or not send a check and accept the consequences.

Even if you do nothing, that is still your choice. No matter what anyone tells you or what your obligations may lead you to believe, this is your life and you determine how you live. The minute you stop believing that, you have given up something invaluable: your power.

No right or wrong

The good news is there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to setting priorities. There is only what's right for each person. So, do some soul searching and identify what you want from your personal and professional lives. Remember to focus on the truth rather than on what you think you should want or what others tell you to strive for. Then, align your actions and investments with your newly clarified values.

Before long it will be apparent to everyone, including yourself, what you value and what you're willing to do to achieve balance.