Think about it: does your life and work truly represent you, or does it portray someone else's plan for you? If you are not certain, you might ask yourself how you feel about your life in general. Is it consistent with your personality, values and desires? Just to put this question into perspective, it can take a lifetime to sort this out.

If you are like most, you've spent the first part of your life figuring out what others expected of you and trying to follow suit. At some point, it occurred to you that your decisions were not all a good fit. This realization may be most evident in your career.

Perhaps your work is something you do well and meets people's expectations of you, but is not engaging. Perhaps your work is a way to meet your obligations, but it does not call on talents or abilities you find satisfying. Perhaps your work is more about someone else's dream than your own.

If any of these ideas rings true, you've probably been aware of it for some time, but have not figured out how or if you want to change.

It's often easier to continue with the familiar aspects of life, rather than face into the unknown. However, you can experience great satisfaction when you align who you are with what you do. Anticipation of a more desirable outcome can make the initial questions and confusion manageable.

Begin with four questions:

1. What aspects of my life and work truly represent me?
2. What parts do not and in what ways?
3. What are three aspects of myself (values, skills, or interests) that I'd like to see more of in my life and/or work?
4. What is one step I could take that would bring this aspect of myself more fully into my life and/or work?

Make a commitment to yourself to move forward with this step in the next month and see what happens as a result. Whatever you choose to do does not have to directly relate to the area of your life in which you desire change. You know what they say about taking small steps: they can often have a significant ripple effect.

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