The Regret Test: A Stoic Approach to True Prosperity

I often come across articles like this one, which reaffirm my belief that true prosperity is more than money. It’s about how we spend our time, protect our energy, nurture our health, and manage our money wisely. While financial security is crucial, true prosperity is a holistic balance of all these assets.  Yes, our time, energy, and health should be seen as assets because they are foundational to growth.

A hospice nurse recently shared the biggest regrets of people on their deathbeds—wishing they had lived more authentically, spent more time with loved ones, and taken better care of their well-being. What stood out was that these regrets were not about money. They were about how resources like time, energy, and health were used (or misused) throughout life.

Memento Mori: A Stoic Perspective on True Prosperity

The Stoics had a practice called memento mori, which means “remember you must die.” This was not meant to create fear but rather to bring clarity to how we live. They encouraged imagining ourselves at the end of our lives, looking back and asking:

Would I be proud of how I spent my time?

Did I waste energy on things that didn’t matter?

Did I take care of my health so I could fully enjoy life?

Did I use money as a tool for meaningful experiences and security, or did it control me?

By reflecting on our lives from the perspective of our future selves, we can start making intentional choices today that align with the life we truly want—not one filled with regret, but one of true prosperity.

Applying the Regret Test to Prosperity Planning

What if we planned our prosperity the way we planned our finances? Instead of just thinking about how much money we need for retirement, we could ask:

Time: Am I spending time in ways that bring fulfillment and connection?

Energy: Am I using my energy wisely, avoiding unnecessary stress and distractions?

Health: Am I prioritizing my well-being so I can enjoy life fully?

Money: Am I using money as a tool for security and freedom rather than an endless chase for more?

Prosperity Planning: Making Every Resource Count

Prosperity is about using all of our resources—time, energy, health, and money—intentionally to create a life we won’t regret. It’s about recognizing that financial wealth means little if we lack the health to enjoy it, the time to be with those we love, or the energy to pursue our passions.

So I ask: Is regret the result of not using our resources wisely while we still can?

It’s time to make decisions today that our future selves will thank us for.

What’s one small shift you can make today to invest in your prosperity?