Life Audit: How to Reset, Refocus, and Thrive.
- Aubrey Warrick
- Jan 28
- 5 min read
Life Audit: How to Reset, Refocus, and Thrive.
(including a very personal story)
New Year’s Day often carries a sense of renewal, a chance to set intentions and embrace new beginnings. But here’s the thing: you don’t need January 1st to hit the reset button. Life has a way of reminding us—sometimes gently, sometimes not—that we can start fresh anytime. For me, that reminder came unexpectedly and dramatically this year. Life Audit
The Perfect Start to 2025
Everything was going beautifully as we rang in 2025. New Year’s Eve was made up of the typical magical "stuff", filled with the 4 F’s: friends, family, food, and fun. The energy was perfect, a hopeful celebration of what the new year could bring. On New Year’s Day, I felt inspired and created a true heart-felt social media post about slowing down and savoring life’s tiny moments. Work burn-out and over the top holiday projects struck a chord, and I decided this year would be about living more intentionally. Life Audit
That morning, I started making a lovely holiday lunch to pair with the day’s football games, still riding the wave of optimism. That’s when everything changed.
A Life-Altering Moment
My very healthy husband who, in the 15 years I have known him, has not once been to a doctor, suffered a grand mal seizure. It was violent, terrifying, and left him not breathing. I watched the life leave his eyes, I thought I lost him. Amidst the chaos, we discovered he had fractured his back in six places. In an instant, our entire world flipped upside down. The next three days in the hospital were grueling, filled with uncertainty, questions, and a cascade of emotions. When we finally made it home, we had very few answers but a mountain of medical tasks and a completely altered perspective on our 30-something lives.
The goals and resolutions we had for the year—getting fit, working out, being “better”—suddenly felt typical and extremely trivial. Our focus shifted to survival, healing, and rediscovering stability. And yet, through the upheaval, something beautiful emerged: a forced life audit.
What Is a Life Audit?
A life audit is a reflective process that allows you to evaluate where you are, what you value, and where you’re headed. It’s about taking stock of your priorities and making adjustments to align your actions with your true desires and needs.
While we were forced into ours, you don’t have to wait for a life-altering event to do yours. Here’s what our experience taught me, and how you can implement these lessons in your own life:
1. Focus on What TRULY Matters
When life changes drastically, your priorities crystallize. For us, it became clear that basic health and time together mattered far more than any stereotypical fitness challenge or productivity goal. Of course, everyone wants to be more fit or more productive. But what does it take to really get to the bottom of creating effective habits? A REASON. Identify your reason to make changes, and that is what truly matters.
EXAMPLES
Health: Before my husband’s seizure, health meant structured workouts and meal planning. Afterward, it meant daily walks to aid his recovery, focusing on mobility exercises, and finding joy in simply being able to move together.
Time Together: We realized that family dinners and uninterrupted conversations mattered more than our constant topics of discussion being around professional milestones and finances. Even mundane moments, like drinking coffee together and reading our couples devotional in the morning, have become sacred.
Clarity of Purpose: During his recovery, I started asking deeper questions: What kind of life do we want to create moving forward? The answers weren’t about material success but about cultivating our faith, growth in our relationship, both giving and accepting support to and from others, and resilience as a team.
[ Check out the book my husband immediately picked
up after all of this happened:
by Joseph Nguyen ]
2. Re-evaluate Your Goals
Our original goals for 2025 no longer made sense in our new reality. And that’s okay. Sometimes, we need to adapt and set goals that align with our current circumstances. Be honest with yourself about what you can realistically achieve with a while staying true to what’s important.
EXAMPLES
Health Goals: Instead of committing to intense gym sessions, I focused on helping my husband regain strength by doing simple stretches and light yoga together in the evenings. It turned into a bonding moment rather than a fitness chore. The simplicity of intentional movement daily is far more than doing nothing at all for the day.
Work Goals: I’d planned to grow my business aggressively this year, but caregiving demanded a shift in priorities. I set a new goal: dedicate two focused hours to work daily, allowing the rest of the day to support recovery and family.
Personal Growth: Reading a book a month had been on my resolution list for years. I reimagined this goal by switching to audiobooks, which I could enjoy while cooking or driving to his doctors appointments.
The key is finding ways to adapt without feeling like I was giving up.
RESOURCES
SMART Goals is a simple framework to set goals within certain parameters towards reaching clear objectives.
The acronyme SMART, stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-Bound
My favorite FREE app to track progress is Habit Tracker
3. Embrace Flexibility
Life is unpredictable. When unexpected events happen, give yourself grace to shift and adapt. A rigid plan can become a source of frustration, while flexibility allows you to navigate change with resilience.
Example: Instead of a strict morning routine, create a menu of activities (e.g., journaling, stretching, reading) and choose what feels right each day.
Resources: Atomic Habits by James Clear provides strategies for building adaptable routines.
4. Appreciate the Present Moment
After my husband’s seizure, I realized how precious each moment is. Slowing down and being present helped us navigate the chaos with clarity and gratitude. Practice mindfulness by appreciating small joys: a good meal, a sunny day, or time with loved ones.
Example: Start a gratitude journal to document three things you’re thankful for each day.
Resources: Apps like Headspace or Calm offer guided mindfulness exercises to help cultivate presence.
5. Seek Support
We couldn’t navigate this experience alone. Friends, family, and professionals became our lifeline. Whether you’re tackling a crisis or conducting a life audit, don’t be afraid to lean on your support network.
Example: Schedule regular check-ins with close friends or join a community group aligned with your interests. Since I'm in aviation, i have come to love the FAST
community on facebook. Its closed to the public and a safe space to ask the hard questions or celebrate the big milestones. It has kept me connected with aviation while we heal at home.
Resources: For us, it was digging in deep to our faith; we found an amazing church close to home that keeps you connected whether you need to be virtual or you are able to physically attend. Do not be afraid to ask for prayer or even physical help from others'. You would be surpise just how much joy people get for themselves by helping others' in need.
Choose to Begin Today
You don’t need a seismic event to evaluate your life. Take it from me: you can choose to pause, reflect, and pivot right now. Ask yourself these questions to get started:
What are my top three priorities in life?
Are my daily actions aligning with those priorities?
What can I let go of to create space for what truly matters?
How can I better appreciate the present moment?
Life is full of unexpected twists, but every day is an opportunity to reset and realign. Whether you’re forced into a life audit like we were or you choose to conduct one on your own, the process can be transformative. Don’t wait for January 1st. to do a Life Audit: start today. Your future-self will thank you.
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