Not an (admissible) heuristic per se. But I've begun asking people: Are you living the dream?

Not only is it a fantastic conversation starter. But I am truly shocked how few people get to live it! Maybe 1% if being generous.

It's a proxy for a more meaningful encounter than what "How are you?" can elicit. And opens a space to share the most intimate threads from their personal history. As well as reinforcing my own belief in staying true to one's vision ;)