What would you say are the primary ingredients of a good life? Can you list four or five? Around the time my son Jacob graduated from college, I made up a list for him of what in my opinion were the five primary ingredients of a good life. I meant it to be a sort of checklist, to check for balance in his life, but now I realize it is a blessing: May you be blessed with a life that includes all five of these ingredients. Jacob and I reviewed the list recently, and it occurred to me that perhaps I should share it. So here are the Five Ingredients of a Good Life. Note that there are inevitable overlaps among the five ingredients. And also note that they are not listed in order of importance: The whole point of the list is that all five are valuable! Meaningful Work . Whether it is what you are getting paid to do or not, may you work on something which brings you deep satisfaction and is of service to the world. (If you also happen to get paid for doing it, that’s a bonus.) Close