PURPOSE · REAL LIFE · 5 MIN READ

Live with Purpose: Take Stock and Set Your Direction.

Health, relationships, money, work and the things that make life worthwhile. A simple reflection exercise for your next chapter — no New Year’s resolution required.

Healthy Baseline · Updated 12 October 2026

You can work hard, keep things moving and still reach the end of a month wondering where it went. The jobs got done and the bills got paid. Did enough of the things that matter to you get a look-in?

That question can be useful in midlife, when responsibilities, work and the demands of other people often fill the available space. It can also be useful when life changes and you’re deciding what comes next.

A little reflection gives you a chance to notice what’s working and set a direction. You don’t need to wait for New Year, buy a special journal or announce a completely reinvented version of yourself.

Two questions, six areas of life

Take a quiet half-hour, a notebook or a blank document. For each area below, consider what you’ve noticed and one useful next step. This is a way to organise your thoughts, not a scorecard.

Your situation may include a partner, children, caring responsibilities or living on your own. Adapt the questions to your life. A plan that belongs to someone else won’t be much help.

1. Health: physical, mental and emotional

• Reflect: What has helped you feel well? Where have food, movement, sleep or your headspace been getting less attention?
• Set a direction: Choose one basic to support more consistently. For example: “I’ll take a short walk after lunch on two workdays.”

Our nine principles give you a starting point. Pick the one that needs attention now, rather than trying to rebuild every habit by Monday.

2. Relationships: friends, family and community

• Reflect: Who have you enjoyed spending time with? Which connections have faded simply because everyone has been busy?
• Set a direction: Arrange something specific — a walk, a meal, a phone call or a shared activity. Make the invitation rather than waiting for the perfect free weekend.

Leave room for ordinary conversation and laughter. Good company doesn’t always need a deep agenda; sometimes catching up is enough.

3. Finances: the everyday picture

• Reflect: Do you know what’s coming in and going out? Have costs changed or subscriptions accumulated? Is there something you keep avoiding opening?
• Set a direction: Gather the figures and review one manageable part. The MoneyHelper budget tool below can help organise the information.

Use your own circumstances as the starting point. A universal savings percentage means little if the essentials are already stretching your income.

4. Work: time, flexibility and energy

• Reflect: What does work give you, and what does it take? Think about income, interest, travel, time and the energy left afterwards.
• Set a direction: Choose one conversation or change to explore: clearer priorities, a realistic boundary or time to learn something useful.

Not everyone can dictate their schedule or change jobs. Begin with the room you have. A worthwhile next step can be small and still improve the week.

5. Purpose: interest, contribution and meaning

• Reflect: When have you felt interested, useful or part of something worthwhile? What do you miss making time for?
• Set a direction: Give one of those things a place — a hobby, helping someone, volunteering, learning or getting outdoors.

Purpose can come from family life, friendship, work or something entirely separate. It doesn’t have to arrive as a grand mission statement. Often it grows from doing something you care about.

6. Wealth: security and the longer view

• Reflect: Beyond this month’s bills, what future responsibilities or financial questions need attention? Are there documents or arrangements you’ve been putting off?
• Set a direction: Take one administrative step: gather pension information, understand a savings goal or organise relevant paperwork. Get qualified advice for decisions that need it.

Here, finances covers the everyday picture; wealth covers longer-term security. The point is to understand your position, not compare your net worth with the man down the road.

Turn the list into something you’ll actually do

You may now have more ideas than spare time. Keep the next step light:

1. Choose one or two priorities. Pick what matters most now. Keep the other ideas somewhere you can return to.

2. Make the action specific. “Ask Sam about a walk on Saturday” is easier to act on than “improve my relationships”.

3. Put it in the diary. Give the action a realistic place and revisit how it went after a few weeks.

The Huberman Lab conversation with Tim Ferriss in the further reading offers more ideas about learning and shaping your future. Explore it at your own pace; the exercise above is enough to get started.

A direction you can live with

Living with purpose sits alongside nourishment, movement, rest and the other basics. Those principles give you foundations; the people, interests and experiences you value give the weeks their character.

Keep what helps and adjust what doesn’t. Leave room for adventure, friendship and an ordinary enjoyable afternoon. The point of making a plan is to have a life worth looking forward to.