( CNN ) -- Here 's a New Year 's resolution that 's easy to keep , good for your health and beneficial for your relationships . And it wo n't cost you a penny . Sound too good to be true ? Read on . In recent months , I 've been working with a group of creative thinkers who are mining the meaning of a good life . Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi , Bill Damon and Howard Gardner are renowned psychologists who 've collaborated to create the Good Project , which explores the behaviors and mindsets that add up to good work , good play and good citizenship . Together , with Lynn Barendsen , we 've developed a simple set of questions for the New Year . They 're catalysts for reflection rather than formulas for imitation . Their purpose is to get us thinking about our purpose , in both private and community life . We originally developed these questions for young people , on the belief that the new generation does n't get enough structured opportunities to explore meaning and values . But the truth is , it 's not just millennials today who might lack purpose , feel uncertain about shared beliefs and goals or wish they could be part of something greater than themselves . It 's people of all ages . We Americans rarely get to make a truly mindful assessment of who we are , what 's shaped us and why we hope to change . If we did that first , we 'd probably be more capable of making wise resolutions and keeping them . We 'd become more conscious of the web of relationship and mutual obligation that holds us together and that makes our freedom truly worth cherishing . And we might just end up being better humans . So I invite you , whatever your stage of life , to explore these questions . Ask them of yourself . Talk with family and friends about them . Write and share your reflections . Feel free to adapt and revise the questions to suit your circumstances . And let us know on Twitter what the experience is like for you and those close to you . If you make it your first resolution to consider these questions well , your other resolutions will almost certainly end up being more honest , more meaningful to you and more useful to others . Enjoy reflecting , and may your new year be happy -- and deeply good . Who you are . 1 . Think of something ( an activity , a job ) to which you 're really committed and that takes up a lot of your time . Why do you do it ? Do you consider it time well spent ? Why or why not ? What would make you stop being involved ? 2. Who or what do you consider your community ? What do you do for the community ? What would you expect the community to do it for you ? 3 . To whom or what do you feel responsible ? What does that entail ? What happens when you do n't meet that responsibility ? 4 . Are you a good worker ? A good citizen ? A good person ? How do you distinguish among them ? Which is most important to you ? Influences . 5. Who 's influenced you , and how do you pass it on ? 6 . What individuals and institutions do you admire and why ( current or past ) ? 7 . What/whom do n't you admire and why ? 8 . What and whom do you love ? Aspirations . 9 . What would it mean for you to be successful ? How important is recognition , through money or esteem ? What about unheralded acts or contributions ? 10 . What would it mean for you fail ? Who or what will make that judgment for you and about you ? 11 . What kind of person do you want to be right now ? 12 . What should -- and should n't -- be written in your obituary ? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eric Liu .
Eric Liu : I ' ve been working with creative people who are exploring the possibilities of a good life . Liu : This New Year 's , resolve to reflect on your life . Here are a lot of questions to ask yourself , including who are your influences , aspirations . Liu : The questions were originally developed for young people , but they 're really for all .