The new year is always an ideal time for me to refresh my vision, not only for the next 12 months, but also for the good life I envision. This year’s visioning included a 2-night stay in a hotel by myself – a wonderful luxury to be sure – so I could have the rest and space to really explore who I am, what I want, and where I’m going. It was a time of reflection and re-connection to my core self, my essential values, and the vision that engages my passion and pulls me toward a bright future.

During my retreat, I spent a chunk of time answering 7 essential questions about my version of the “good life.” To be clear, the good life is not a fixed definition – each person’s vision of what the good life entails is unique to them. The good life is also not perpetually stranded in the future – I live out the good life everyday while also moving toward a version of the good life that is still on the horizon. The good life for me is characterized by the beliefs and behaviors that matter to me; the activities and outcomes that are meaningful and align with my sense of purpose and calling.

As I embark on a new year, I find it energizing to review how far I’ve come and which facets of the good life have been realized while also dreaming about the fresh ways I can enact the good life in the future. The 7 essential questions serve as my guide to creating the good life I imagine.

7 Essential Questions

1. What is your vision of the good life?

Invite yourself to dream about what makes you engaged and satisfied. Answer this question with a big picture view of the types of work, relationships, and experiences that make you come alive. Then get more specific with descriptions of what the good life would look like in an ideal year, month, week, and even day. If you were living the good life to the fullest, consider how you would spend your time, money, energy, and other resources. Make sure to describe what the good life looks like in each major facet of your life.

2. How will it feel to live the good life?

Step into the vision you’ve imagined and described for question 1 to experience how it feels to live there. Do you feel freedom? A buzz of excitement? A sense of greater peace? Allow yourself to feel all the feelings that you associate with living the fully engaged good life you envision. Write down your discoveries.

3. What is currently getting in the way of the good life?

While you’re probably living some aspects of the good life right now, there are other facets that are still on the horizon of the future. In this step, it’s time to think about the gap between where you are and where you want to be. What fears are keeping your stuck? How is your mindset limiting your ability to embrace the good life? The first step is to identify the obstacles, then acknowledge their influence so you can finally set a path forward.

4. What consistent practices or activities will contribute to the good life?

The good life doesn’t happen by osmosis and it’s not unlocked with three wishes from a genie. Creating the good life you imagine involves a series of consistent steps in the direction of your dreams. Too often we tend to stop short of our destination because, like a kid on a road trip, we want to know why we aren’t there yet. Choose 1-3 practices or activities that will move you toward your dreams if you implement them consistently over time. These should be baby steps that can be done daily (or nearly daily). For example, if one of your good life experiences is to run marathons, don’t try to run 26 miles a day. Instead, commit to a practice of shorter runs every day that train you for the longer runs in the future.

5. What resources are needed to implement these practices?

Great ideas are guaranteed to fail when they aren’t properly resourced – that is, we haven’t adequately assessed needs and allocated the time, money, energy, tools, and other resources to the project’s success. For the marathon runner, simply making a resolution to run is not enough. You must also invest in the right equipment (good quality running shoes to start with) and carve out time in your daily schedule. You’ll also need to find the right settings (sidewalks, trails, etc.) and connect with a community for expertise and social support.

6. How and when will progress be measured?

It’s important to know that your efforts are paying off, but if you measure too soon or the wrong things, you’re more likely to get discouraged and give up. Plan your milestones at the outset and make sure they are realistic representations of the pace of progress. You won’t lose 100 pounds in a month or pay off your mortgage in a year. Be specific about what (units) should be measured, how you will measure it, and what a reasonable timeframe is for tracking progress.

7. How will living the good life optimize or enhance your contributions to your community and the world?

Ultimately, living the good life is about more than achieving self-centered ambitions or satisfying selfish desires. Inhabiting your vision for the good life makes you a better person by aligning your unique personality and purpose with the practices and pursuits that will have the biggest impact for others within your sphere of influence. When you bring forward the gifts that reside uniquely within you, then you release the most significant amount of good into the world.