The good life must be understood as the life in which there is happiness, and by happiness meaning a life in which a person flourishes.
The dominant goal of the good life is two-fold. A person striving for the good life must try to lead a life of both virtue and contemplation, so that both are present at some level. While living a virtuous life of is essential to both flourishing and helping others to flourish, a life of contemplation is complementary to this end in that it will help a person perpetuate an ever evolving perspective, which will aid in increasing and maintaining a level of understanding about what it means to be a good person.
Living the Good Life: Virtue and Contemplation 