The best questions are the ones that go, as my Altus colleague Don DeVito likes to say, “to the heart of the matter.”
What is a good life?
That’s one of them.
Over the years, Altus mentor and friend Bob Dunham has invited our team into many questions like this. We stand on the shoulders of masters, engaging those rich conversations and remaining deeply grateful for them. Because being in a question like this is a gift in itself.
When you’re genuinely in the question, you stop drifting into a life that just happens. You begin generating a life that reflects what truly matters to you.
And living a good life doesn’t look the same for everyone. I don’t live the good life. I live my good life. That distinction matters.
For me, creating my good life began about fifteen years ago, when I got clear on what I care about, and how I take care of my cares. Since then, I’ve done a lot of work, but I haven’t felt like I’ve worked a single day. My work is part of my good life.
My good life, I’ve found, isn’t about doing more or getting more. It’s not a house, a title, or a number in the bank. It’s living in alignment with what I care about. And, I’m a big believer in living my good life now.
I often hear a different story: Work hard. Make good money. Push through. Suffer a bit. Enjoy life later, when you retire. That’s not my standard. My standard is simple: each year should be the best year it can be.
That doesn’t mean it has to be better than the year before. It doesn’t mean there won’t be sadness or loss. Life happens. But we do have choice, in what a good life looks like and in the actions we take to live it.
So, as we journey into 2026, I’ll leave you with these questions:
✨ What is a good life for you?
✨ How are you working toward it?
✨ What becomes possible when you live your good life?
✨ How might you extend your good life to others?
The real gift of these questions isn’t finding the “right” answers. It’s staying in them. Playing with them. Making them your own. And allowing your answers to evolve as what you care about becomes clearer.