The eternal question. We know what Conan the Barbarian would say. “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.” All fine for a barbarian, but most of us would agree it’s not the way to run a modern life.

But what is? What’s best? What’s truly important in life?

Spending time with the people you love, doing work you’re proud of, and having time for hobbies you enjoy.

That’s it. Notice that nowhere do I mention material wealth. It’s nice, but past the point of poverty and financial insecurity, it’s not important. That’s been said to the point of cliché, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. When you’re on your death bed, you won’t be thinking about all the money you made.

Notice also that I didn’t mention doing work you’re passionate about. That’s my personal preference, but I don’t think it’s necessary. But doing work you’re proud of is. If you’re not doing work you’re proud of, you’ll slowly poison your soul.

Work gives meaning. Hobbies give stimulating enjoyment. Friends and family give love and camaraderie. And you can give back to others in each of these.

That’s it. I believe it’s that simple. The answers to the big questions don’t need to be complex. It’s just three points, and no more than three, to guide your priorities.

And perhaps those aren’t the right three. I’m not quite thirty years old as of this writing, and I would be a fool to think that the coming decades won’t change some of my opinions. But if you haven’t thought about what’s important in life, if you haven’t tried to boil it down, I submit that these three points are good places to start.

Spend time with the people you love. Do work you’re proud of. Save time for hobbies you enjoy. That’s it. It’s as simple as that.