August 27, 2025 • 29 mins
Ever wondered why some people seem to navigate life's challenges with grace while others constantly bounce from one crisis to another? The difference might be a virtue we rarely discuss in modern times: prudence.
This episode explores how the ancient virtue of prudence—acting with care and thought for the future—creates a foundation for exceptional quality of life. While our culture celebrates instant gratification and quick fixes, prudent living offers something deeper: true freedom from constant worry and the ability to build a life aligned with your highest values.
From financial stability to physical health, from meaningful relationships to career fulfillment, and from emotional regulation to mental well-being, we examine how prudent choices in each domain compound over time to create lives of stability and genuine satisfaction. Through practical examples and honest self-reflection, I share both the challenges of cultivating this "unglamorous superpower" and the tremendous rewards it offers.
You'll discover that being prudent isn't about being boring or restrictive—it's about being strategic and intentional with your one precious life. It's about developing the foresight to make decisions that serve your long-term happiness rather than momentary pleasure. Whether you're struggling with impulsive spending, relationship boundaries, career direction, or emotional regulation, this episode offers guidance on developing this essential life skill.
The good news? Prudence is a muscle you can strengthen through consistent practice. Learn how to pause before significant decisions, reflect on past experiences, seek wise counsel, and start small with changes in one area of your life. Your future self will thank you for the prudent choices you make today.
Ready to swim against the current of impulsive living? Listen now to begin transforming your approach to life's most important decisions and build a future defined by stability, peace, and fulfillment.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Wes (00:00):
Welcome to the According to Wes podcast, where prudence and
action enhances your quality oflife.
I'm your host, wes, and todaywe're going to kind of explore
the concrete ways being prudentor having prudence can enhance
(00:22):
your quality of life acrossdifferent domains.
And before we start, you mightsay, hey, what is the meaning of
prudence, or what does it meanto be prudent?
And when you do your Googles,the first definition that pops
up is acting with or showingcare and thought for the future.
(00:48):
Now, before I kind of made mytalking points and research for
this podcast, I had a totaldifferent.
I had a total differentdefinition of what I thought
prudence or prudent.
Being prudent meant, and I guessI gathered that my own
(01:10):
definition from one word or howthis one part of this word was
being used when it comes to,like, uh, your thoughts and
stuff like that.
It was always used like, oh,she's a she or he's a prude,
he's not into certain things, uh, uh, sexually.
(01:31):
So I've always heard it usedthat way.
So I just thought it was.
That was just the one.
I thought that was just themeaning.
For some reason I made up myown meaning, which is not very
uh, intelligent of me, but uh,but for years I've had my own
meaning and thought prude wasjust like yo, not willing to try
(01:53):
different things, and ittotally doesn't even mean that.
And this is why I thought itwas a good thing for me to kind
of research and, you know, getmy thoughts out loud and, you
know, maybe foster a greaterconversation about being prudent
and having prudence in yourlife, to enhance your life, to
(02:16):
be a better you, because I'malways trying to be a better me,
I'm always trying to be abetter me, I'm always trying to
be a better west.
You know what I mean.
So financial well-being is themost obvious one, but it's, it's
foundational for any strivingamateur adult.
(02:38):
Uh, financial stress is a, ahuge detractor from quality of
life and you know, currentlywe're all, we're all living this
hyperinflation life, so this issomething that we can't, this
(03:00):
is something that we cannot,cannot deter from.
You know, having prudence inyour finances and being prudent
or having prudence in yourfinances means things like
actually budgeting and saving,not just living paycheck to
paycheck, but setting asidemoney for future goals and
(03:23):
emergencies, avoidingunnecessary debt, understanding
the true cost of borrowing andmaking mindful decisions about
credit, investing wisely, whichsome of us do not do.
Taking a long-term view, uh,understanding risk and
(03:47):
diversifying, which means notonly investing in the stock
market and your 401k and yourIRA, taking money to invest in
yourself whether that's earningnew skills, you know, going back
(04:09):
, you know paying to go back toschool, things like that I can't
really see outside of.
You know your real estate andyour stocks and your bonds and
investing in yourself.
What else you can see as aninvestment?
But thinking about the overallgoal and the one tried and true
(04:30):
when it comes to finances isdelayed gratification, resisting
the urge for immediate spendingto achieve greater future
security and freedom, and I feellike that's something that most
of us Americans have an issuewith.
Now, I'm not going to say Igrew up poor or anything like
(04:52):
that.
I definitely had what I neededand not really had what I wanted
, but I was always aroundexamples of people that kind of
balled out of control orwhenever they get the money,
they spend it and they reallydon't have nothing to show for
it.
So I never really wanted to bethose individuals.
(05:15):
I learned through theirmistakes, so I got delayed
gratification a lot, so so muchso that uh sometimes it does
become a bad thing for mebecause I forget to to treat
myself.
You know, usually with west it'sall work and and no play, but
(05:37):
um definitely getting better atthat.
You know, the shoes are alwaysgoing to be there, the clothes
are always going to be there.
The clothes are always going tobe there.
The cars are always going to bethere.
It's not scarce, it's the youknow, growing up in America,
you're being taught to be aconsumer, whether you know it or
not, but we're moving on.
(05:59):
But yeah, the finance you'rebeing having prudence in your
financial life or in yourfinancial wellbeing um, you know
it.
It reduces the anxiety.
It it it allows for moreopportunities like home
ownership or starting a business.
It also creates a.
(06:23):
It also creates freedom topursue passions and and a sense
of security and control, likeyou sleep better at night
knowing you got that shit onlock and you don't have to wake
up fighting your bills.
(06:46):
Another domain where prudence isneeded is your health and
wellness.
With your health and wellness,prudence or being prudent
extends deeply into how we careabout, how we care for our
(07:08):
bodies and our and our minds.
Of course, with everything.
It starts with having abalanced diet and exercise,
making conscious choices aboutwhat you eat and how you move,
understanding the long termimpact on your health.
It's not about crash diets, butsustainable habits.
Cold turkey rarely works foranybody.
(07:31):
It's all about the gradualprogress or the gradual, gradual
process Getting adequate sleep,prioritizing rest, recognizing
it's vital in your physical andmental performance, stress
management, proactivelyidentifying stressors and
(07:54):
developing healthy quote unquotehealthy coping mechanisms,
rather than letting stressoverwhelm you.
Coping mechanisms rather thanletting stress overwhelm you.
I'm still working on that nowthat I do anything unhealthy,
but I don't do enough of thehealthy, and healthy thing for
me has always been, uh, exerciseand doing things to turn my
(08:19):
brain off you know, video gamesand whatnot, but also, um, in
health and wellness.
You got preventative care, likeregular checkups, addressing
small issues before they becomebig problems and avoiding
harmful habits, thinking aboutthe long, long term consequences
(08:43):
of excessive drinking, smokingor other detrimental behaviors.
Those are all things that, no,if you have prudence and if, if
you're striving to be moreprudent or striving to have more
prudence in your, in your life,like these are things you can
(09:03):
get.
You can get control of.
These are things if youexercise it or if you practice
it, it's gonna improve and whenyou start to incorporate that,
you'll have increased energy,you'll have a better mood,
reduced risk of illnesses andgreater longevity and the
(09:25):
ability to enjoy activities allthe way up until you're old or
your old age, because old issubjective nowadays, but a
healthy body and mind are alwaysgoing to be fundamental to
having a higher quality of life.
(09:52):
Now, prudence isn't just aboutIndividual well-being and it
profoundly impacts ourconnections with others.
For example, thoughtfulcommunication, thinking before
you speak, choosing your wordscarefully, especially in
(10:12):
emotional situations, to avoidunnecessary conflict or hurt.
Choosing your circle wisely.
We all should definitely bepracticing Choosing your circle.
I'm going to say it againChoosing your circle wisely,
being prudent about who youspend your time with,
recognizing that your socialenvironment significantly
(10:35):
influences your well-being, yourempathy and perspective taking
Considering the other person'sviewpoint before reacting or
making judgments.
It helps you foster a strongerbond with them.
Setting boundaries Wisely,deciding what you can commit to
(10:59):
and what you need to say no to,and protecting your time and
energy Setting boundaries.
Setting boundaries is my thing.
I feel like I don't setboundaries enough and I feel
(11:19):
like I I set boundaries and letpeople break them and then I
don't do anything about it.
That's my whole thing.
This is why I'm.
You know, these podcasts arejust you know they're always
going to be me getting mythoughts out loud.
So this is always something.
(11:40):
This is something I've beenthinking about, you know, over
the last couple of days, anddefinitely the boundary setting
Forgiveness and reconciliation,being having prudence is knowing
(12:02):
when to hold a grudge and whento let it go for the sake of
peace and healing, both foryourself and the relationship.
I ain't gonna say I got that onlock, but I'm yeah, I forgive
easily.
Reconciliation maybe not.
(12:23):
I'm working on it.
This is, this is what this isabout Me talking out loud and me
hearing it, so I can actually,you know, put it.
And out loud and me hearing it,so I can actually, you know,
put it.
Make the subconscious conscious,you know, Make the subconscious
conscious.
But prudence and relationshipsand our social life create
(12:52):
deeper and more meaningfulrelationships.
It reduces interpersonalconflict.
It gives us a strong supportsystem and a greater sense of
belonging and happiness.
Prudence can also improve yourcareer and personal development.
(13:17):
For an example, strategiccareer planning, not just
drifting from job to job, butthoughtfully considering your
long-term goals, your skilldevelopment and career path.
I do that every effing day.
(13:38):
Every day, not every day,whatever.
Maybe once a month I'm like allright, is this the same path?
Do I still want to do this,always doing that because you
know you gotta gotta earn, gottaearn as a man, you gotta earn.
That's what they say, you knowum, continuous learning, wisely
(14:00):
investing in new skills and andknowledge that will serve you in
the future.
Time management, prioritizingtasks, avoiding procrastination
and wisely allocating your mostvaluable resource time.
I suck at that badly and I doprocrastinate, and sometimes I
(14:20):
procrastinate with other fuckingtasks and I don't know why I do
it, but I do it.
If there's a smaller task, lessimportant task, I'll do that,
knowing that I should probablybe taking care of the big task
and the most important task, andI'm still trying to figure that
(14:42):
out.
Once again, thoughts out loud,working on myself, you know,
working on myself, you know Riskassessment, thoughtfully
evaluating opportunities andchallenges, taking calculated
risks rather than reckless ones.
(15:03):
I'm all for a calculated riskhey, that's what the world is
made out of the risk takers andthe non-risk takers and I'd
rather take a calculated riskthan a reckless one.
Knowing when to say no,protecting your focus and energy
by prudently decliningcommitments that don't align
(15:25):
with your priorities.
And, for an example, all moneyain't good money.
Like you know, you leave a job,go to another job because it's
paying more money, but yourquality of life is shit because
the job is so stressful and noone there seems to do their work
(15:46):
or know what they're doing.
That's what I saw from it froma career and a personal
development side.
But you know, ultimatelygreater job satisfaction and
career advancement and reducedburnout and you know, having a
(16:14):
sense of accomplishment andcontinuous personal growth are
all achievable through havingprudence or being prudent now
(16:42):
one of the last uh um ways thathave been uh uh.
Prudence can uh create a astrong, a good strong adult, and
of course we're talking aboutquality of life.
But just all around wellrounded person is having it for
(17:08):
your emotional and mentalwell-being, like emotional
regulation, you know the theability to pause between
stimulus and responses and to tobanish impulses and to to
choose how you react rather thanbeing swept away by emotions.
(17:29):
Self-reflection, which I amcurrently doing now, regularly
taking the time to assess yourthoughts, your actions, your
motivations, your learning andyour experiences.
And what's crazy is that myself-reflection comes from the
(17:51):
exercise that we just discussedpreviously.
It's just like when you're.
For me personally, when I'm,when I'm doing something
physical, it can actually becutting the grass and doesn't
necessarily have to beexercising, but it is a moment,
I guess, because my brain isworking on OK, push this or lift
(18:12):
this, or walk this way or runthis way that the repetitiveness
of that pushing my body or, youknow, doing a physical task, my
brain is a able to quiet thenoise and have the normal
conversations of uh like, for anexample, yo did, I like that
interaction I had with my mom,or what does she mean by this
(18:34):
not necessarily overthinking,but I believe that sometimes
people kind of just go throughtheir day-to-day and go through
life like on, um, like on Idon't want to say cruise control
.
Yeah, cruise control like, um,like a word is said to you or a
(18:57):
sentence is said to you and yougot four options to choose from
and you're just choosing thetree of responses and actions
and stuff like that, based offof what was given to you before.
And I found myself like that.
So I know I can't be the onlyone, because I know I'm not an
anomaly.
So it's one of those thingswhere it's like, you know, it
(19:20):
becomes overbearingaring, justkind of doing things and not
really know why you're doing itor saying it, or you feel like
you're saying and doing for noreason.
I hope I'm making sense withthat.
But you know, managingexpectations prudently, setting
(19:44):
realistic expectations foryourself and others, reduces
disappointment and frustration.
Yes, it does.
Unfortunately, sometimes I gointo situations where I'm like
have no expectations.
You can't be let down, butsometimes you have to have it.
It's tricky because it's like,especially for people that you
(20:08):
care about and love and stufflike that, there are
expectations.
I don't even know if it'shealthy not to have expectations
of people.
I don't know how healthy it isto say you can't, you shouldn't
have no expectations in life.
That's, I don't know.
I digress, I flip-flop inbetween like having expectations
and not wanting to be let downby people, because I feel like
(20:29):
it'll crush me, especiallypeople, so I go on to it with a
pessimistic.
So basically, I guess what Ishould be doing be realistic.
Now, if the person always letsme down, just know that they
might let me down, but if theydon't, if they don't always let
me down, I don't always come,they don't always let me down
(20:52):
and actually come through.
Don't treat this, don't treatthe situation like they'll let
me down.
I don't know, it's tricky.
I'm gonna have a hard time withthat gratitude and mindfulness,
choosing wisely to focus on thepositive and and be present in
(21:15):
the moment, fostering content,contentment, ding, ding, ding.
Need to work on that, allthings I need to work on.
It sounded like for me.
The emotional and mentalwell-being is what I personally
need to work on more, beingprudent in that way and being
(21:38):
resilient, developing theforesight and emotional tools to
navigate setbacks, challenges,without being completely
derailed.
I'm good.
I'm good on that.
What I'm learning about myselftoday is that, um, yeah, these
are just things that ain'treally taught.
Like I wasn't taught or, Iguess, in a way, like I had some
(22:04):
lessons or I was learningthrough other people when it
comes to this, but wasn't reallytaught.
Uh, just this, this way ofthinking, like I don't know, and
maybe I was and as a dumb kid Ijust wasn't paying attention.
It's making me think.
(22:27):
But prudence can Prudence inyour emotional and mental
well-being can lead to a greaterinner peace and reduce anxiety
(22:48):
and improve decision makingunder pressure and increase
self-awareness and a moreresilient spirit.
You gain an agency, or a senseof agency Over your, over your
life, over your world.
You have some direction.
(23:09):
I guess you are, and I guess ina sense centered, because you
know what you want out of life.
You know what you're strivingTo be to do.
(23:32):
So, if prudence is so beneficial, how do we become more prudent?
It's not a switch you can flipon and off.
It's a muscle you develop.
It's a way of being, a way ofdoing it's habits.
I guess the best ways are topause and reflect before making
(24:11):
a significant decision orreacting in a charged situation.
You know, taking your momentsand asking yourself what are the
potential consequences, whatare my options, what is the
wisest course of action here,not just for now, but for later?
Another way we could becomemore prudent is, you know,
learning from experience, yoursand others, which is something I
(24:35):
touched on before Payingattention to the outcomes of
your past decisions.
What worked, what didn't, whydidn't it work?
Also, learn from the successand failures of others.
The best thing you can do islearn from the failures of
others so you don't have to gothrough it, and learn from the
success of others so you have apath or some type of path.
(24:57):
You see it, it's possible.
Seek counsel.
Don't be afraid to ask foradvice from trusted, wise
individuals.
Prudence doesn't mean knowingeverything.
It just means that when youneed help and input, when you
(25:25):
need help and input, it justmeans knowing when you need help
and input.
Practicing foresight Make it ahabit to think a few steps ahead
when planning and consider bestcase, worst case and most
likely scenarios.
Developing self-awareness,understanding your own biases,
(25:50):
your weaknesses, your emotionaltriggers, knowing where you tend
to be impulsive allows you toput safeguards in place.
Where you tend to be impulsiveallows you to put safeguards in
place.
You can embrace discipline.
(26:13):
Prudence often requires doingwhat's difficult in the short
term for a greater long-termgain and, as we know, it
requires discipline.
And there's a lot ofundisciplined folks out here,
myself included.
I've gotten more disciplinedover the years, but I see where
I can improve.
I know where I can improve and,as always, uh, being more
(26:35):
prudent, or when trying to bemore prudent, start small.
You don't have to overhaul yourentire life at once.
Pick one area finances, healthor specific relationship and
practice being more prudentthere.
The positive results willmotivate you.
That's kind of why I'm talkingwith you guys today on that.
(26:58):
Like I didn't choose one area,I chose all areas, which is kind
of like a crash course not evena crash course, but just like I
just I jump right in feet firstand it's been working out.
I I need to, in some ways, paymore attention to other aspects
(27:20):
of my life and others when itcomes to being prudent, but I'm
getting there.
So, in a world that oftencelebrates instant gratification
and quick fixes and impulsiveliving, cultivating prudence can
(27:40):
feel like swimming up againstthe current, but the best
rewards are immense.
It's the quiet, oftenunglamorous virtue that provides
a solid foundation for a trulyhigh quality of life.
It's the ability to navigatecomplexities with grace, to make
(28:04):
decisions that serve our, toserve, that serve your highest
good, and to build a life ofstability, peace and genuine
fulfillment.
Being prudent isn't about beingboring.
(28:26):
It's about being strategic,intentional and ultimately free
Free from constant worry, freefrom avoidable crises and free
to pursue what truly matters toyou.
Crisis is and free to pursuewhat truly matters to you.
So I encourage you to embraceprudence in your daily life
(28:48):
Observe, reflect, plan and actwisely.
Your future self will thank you.
Thank you for joining me todayand until next time, may your
(29:12):
choices be wise in your journeyfulfilling.
Welcome to the According to Wes podcast, where prudence and
action enhances your quality oflife.
I'm your host, wes, and todaywe're going to kind of explore
the concrete ways being prudentor having prudence can enhance
(00:22):
your quality of life acrossdifferent domains.
And before we start, you mightsay, hey, what is the meaning of
prudence, or what does it meanto be prudent?
And when you do your Googles,the first definition that pops
up is acting with or showingcare and thought for the future.
(00:48):
Now, before I kind of made mytalking points and research for
this podcast, I had a totaldifferent.
I had a total differentdefinition of what I thought
prudence or prudent.
Being prudent meant, and I guessI gathered that my own
(01:10):
definition from one word or howthis one part of this word was
being used when it comes to,like, uh, your thoughts and
stuff like that.
It was always used like, oh,she's a she or he's a prude,
he's not into certain things, uh, uh, sexually.
(01:31):
So I've always heard it usedthat way.
So I just thought it was.
That was just the one.
I thought that was just themeaning.
For some reason I made up myown meaning, which is not very
uh, intelligent of me, but uh,but for years I've had my own
meaning and thought prude wasjust like yo, not willing to try
(01:53):
different things, and ittotally doesn't even mean that.
And this is why I thought itwas a good thing for me to kind
of research and, you know, getmy thoughts out loud and, you
know, maybe foster a greaterconversation about being prudent
and having prudence in yourlife, to enhance your life, to
(02:16):
be a better you, because I'malways trying to be a better me,
I'm always trying to be abetter me, I'm always trying to
be a better west.
You know what I mean.
So financial well-being is themost obvious one, but it's, it's
foundational for any strivingamateur adult.
(02:38):
Uh, financial stress is a, ahuge detractor from quality of
life and you know, currentlywe're all, we're all living this
hyperinflation life, so this issomething that we can't, this
(03:00):
is something that we cannot,cannot deter from.
You know, having prudence inyour finances and being prudent
or having prudence in yourfinances means things like
actually budgeting and saving,not just living paycheck to
paycheck, but setting asidemoney for future goals and
(03:23):
emergencies, avoidingunnecessary debt, understanding
the true cost of borrowing andmaking mindful decisions about
credit, investing wisely, whichsome of us do not do.
Taking a long-term view, uh,understanding risk and
(03:47):
diversifying, which means notonly investing in the stock
market and your 401k and yourIRA, taking money to invest in
yourself whether that's earningnew skills, you know, going back
(04:09):
, you know paying to go back toschool, things like that I can't
really see outside of.
You know your real estate andyour stocks and your bonds and
investing in yourself.
What else you can see as aninvestment?
But thinking about the overallgoal and the one tried and true
(04:30):
when it comes to finances isdelayed gratification, resisting
the urge for immediate spendingto achieve greater future
security and freedom, and I feellike that's something that most
of us Americans have an issuewith.
Now, I'm not going to say Igrew up poor or anything like
(04:52):
that.
I definitely had what I neededand not really had what I wanted
, but I was always aroundexamples of people that kind of
balled out of control orwhenever they get the money,
they spend it and they reallydon't have nothing to show for
it.
So I never really wanted to bethose individuals.
(05:15):
I learned through theirmistakes, so I got delayed
gratification a lot, so so muchso that uh sometimes it does
become a bad thing for mebecause I forget to to treat
myself.
You know, usually with west it'sall work and and no play, but
(05:37):
um definitely getting better atthat.
You know, the shoes are alwaysgoing to be there, the clothes
are always going to be there.
The clothes are always going tobe there.
The cars are always going to bethere.
It's not scarce, it's the youknow, growing up in America,
you're being taught to be aconsumer, whether you know it or
not, but we're moving on.
(05:59):
But yeah, the finance you'rebeing having prudence in your
financial life or in yourfinancial wellbeing um, you know
it.
It reduces the anxiety.
It it it allows for moreopportunities like home
ownership or starting a business.
It also creates a.
(06:23):
It also creates freedom topursue passions and and a sense
of security and control, likeyou sleep better at night
knowing you got that shit onlock and you don't have to wake
up fighting your bills.
(06:46):
Another domain where prudence isneeded is your health and
wellness.
With your health and wellness,prudence or being prudent
extends deeply into how we careabout, how we care for our
(07:08):
bodies and our and our minds.
Of course, with everything.
It starts with having abalanced diet and exercise,
making conscious choices aboutwhat you eat and how you move,
understanding the long termimpact on your health.
It's not about crash diets, butsustainable habits.
Cold turkey rarely works foranybody.
(07:31):
It's all about the gradualprogress or the gradual, gradual
process Getting adequate sleep,prioritizing rest, recognizing
it's vital in your physical andmental performance, stress
management, proactivelyidentifying stressors and
(07:54):
developing healthy quote unquotehealthy coping mechanisms,
rather than letting stressoverwhelm you.
Coping mechanisms rather thanletting stress overwhelm you.
I'm still working on that nowthat I do anything unhealthy,
but I don't do enough of thehealthy, and healthy thing for
me has always been, uh, exerciseand doing things to turn my
(08:19):
brain off you know, video gamesand whatnot, but also, um, in
health and wellness.
You got preventative care, likeregular checkups, addressing
small issues before they becomebig problems and avoiding
harmful habits, thinking aboutthe long, long term consequences
(08:43):
of excessive drinking, smokingor other detrimental behaviors.
Those are all things that, no,if you have prudence and if, if
you're striving to be moreprudent or striving to have more
prudence in your, in your life,like these are things you can
(09:03):
get.
You can get control of.
These are things if youexercise it or if you practice
it, it's gonna improve and whenyou start to incorporate that,
you'll have increased energy,you'll have a better mood,
reduced risk of illnesses andgreater longevity and the
(09:25):
ability to enjoy activities allthe way up until you're old or
your old age, because old issubjective nowadays, but a
healthy body and mind are alwaysgoing to be fundamental to
having a higher quality of life.
(09:52):
Now, prudence isn't just aboutIndividual well-being and it
profoundly impacts ourconnections with others.
For example, thoughtfulcommunication, thinking before
you speak, choosing your wordscarefully, especially in
(10:12):
emotional situations, to avoidunnecessary conflict or hurt.
Choosing your circle wisely.
We all should definitely bepracticing Choosing your circle.
I'm going to say it againChoosing your circle wisely,
being prudent about who youspend your time with,
recognizing that your socialenvironment significantly
(10:35):
influences your well-being, yourempathy and perspective taking
Considering the other person'sviewpoint before reacting or
making judgments.
It helps you foster a strongerbond with them.
Setting boundaries Wisely,deciding what you can commit to
(10:59):
and what you need to say no to,and protecting your time and
energy Setting boundaries.
Setting boundaries is my thing.
I feel like I don't setboundaries enough and I feel
(11:19):
like I I set boundaries and letpeople break them and then I
don't do anything about it.
That's my whole thing.
This is why I'm.
You know, these podcasts arejust you know they're always
going to be me getting mythoughts out loud.
So this is always something.
(11:40):
This is something I've beenthinking about, you know, over
the last couple of days, anddefinitely the boundary setting
Forgiveness and reconciliation,being having prudence is knowing
(12:02):
when to hold a grudge and whento let it go for the sake of
peace and healing, both foryourself and the relationship.
I ain't gonna say I got that onlock, but I'm yeah, I forgive
easily.
Reconciliation maybe not.
(12:23):
I'm working on it.
This is, this is what this isabout Me talking out loud and me
hearing it, so I can actually,you know, put it.
And out loud and me hearing it,so I can actually, you know,
put it.
Make the subconscious conscious,you know, Make the subconscious
conscious.
But prudence and relationshipsand our social life create
(12:52):
deeper and more meaningfulrelationships.
It reduces interpersonalconflict.
It gives us a strong supportsystem and a greater sense of
belonging and happiness.
Prudence can also improve yourcareer and personal development.
(13:17):
For an example, strategiccareer planning, not just
drifting from job to job, butthoughtfully considering your
long-term goals, your skilldevelopment and career path.
I do that every effing day.
(13:38):
Every day, not every day,whatever.
Maybe once a month I'm like allright, is this the same path?
Do I still want to do this,always doing that because you
know you gotta gotta earn, gottaearn as a man, you gotta earn.
That's what they say, you knowum, continuous learning, wisely
(14:00):
investing in new skills and andknowledge that will serve you in
the future.
Time management, prioritizingtasks, avoiding procrastination
and wisely allocating your mostvaluable resource time.
I suck at that badly and I doprocrastinate, and sometimes I
(14:20):
procrastinate with other fuckingtasks and I don't know why I do
it, but I do it.
If there's a smaller task, lessimportant task, I'll do that,
knowing that I should probablybe taking care of the big task
and the most important task, andI'm still trying to figure that
(14:42):
out.
Once again, thoughts out loud,working on myself, you know,
working on myself, you know Riskassessment, thoughtfully
evaluating opportunities andchallenges, taking calculated
risks rather than reckless ones.
(15:03):
I'm all for a calculated riskhey, that's what the world is
made out of the risk takers andthe non-risk takers and I'd
rather take a calculated riskthan a reckless one.
Knowing when to say no,protecting your focus and energy
by prudently decliningcommitments that don't align
(15:25):
with your priorities.
And, for an example, all moneyain't good money.
Like you know, you leave a job,go to another job because it's
paying more money, but yourquality of life is shit because
the job is so stressful and noone there seems to do their work
(15:46):
or know what they're doing.
That's what I saw from it froma career and a personal
development side.
But you know, ultimatelygreater job satisfaction and
career advancement and reducedburnout and you know, having a
(16:14):
sense of accomplishment andcontinuous personal growth are
all achievable through havingprudence or being prudent now
(16:42):
one of the last uh um ways thathave been uh uh.
Prudence can uh create a astrong, a good strong adult, and
of course we're talking aboutquality of life.
But just all around wellrounded person is having it for
(17:08):
your emotional and mentalwell-being, like emotional
regulation, you know the theability to pause between
stimulus and responses and to tobanish impulses and to to
choose how you react rather thanbeing swept away by emotions.
(17:29):
Self-reflection, which I amcurrently doing now, regularly
taking the time to assess yourthoughts, your actions, your
motivations, your learning andyour experiences.
And what's crazy is that myself-reflection comes from the
(17:51):
exercise that we just discussedpreviously.
It's just like when you're.
For me personally, when I'm,when I'm doing something
physical, it can actually becutting the grass and doesn't
necessarily have to beexercising, but it is a moment,
I guess, because my brain isworking on OK, push this or lift
(18:12):
this, or walk this way or runthis way that the repetitiveness
of that pushing my body or, youknow, doing a physical task, my
brain is a able to quiet thenoise and have the normal
conversations of uh like, for anexample, yo did, I like that
interaction I had with my mom,or what does she mean by this
(18:34):
not necessarily overthinking,but I believe that sometimes
people kind of just go throughtheir day-to-day and go through
life like on, um, like on Idon't want to say cruise control
.
Yeah, cruise control like, um,like a word is said to you or a
(18:57):
sentence is said to you and yougot four options to choose from
and you're just choosing thetree of responses and actions
and stuff like that, based offof what was given to you before.
And I found myself like that.
So I know I can't be the onlyone, because I know I'm not an
anomaly.
So it's one of those thingswhere it's like, you know, it
(19:20):
becomes overbearingaring, justkind of doing things and not
really know why you're doing itor saying it, or you feel like
you're saying and doing for noreason.
I hope I'm making sense withthat.
But you know, managingexpectations prudently, setting
(19:44):
realistic expectations foryourself and others, reduces
disappointment and frustration.
Yes, it does.
Unfortunately, sometimes I gointo situations where I'm like
have no expectations.
You can't be let down, butsometimes you have to have it.
It's tricky because it's like,especially for people that you
(20:08):
care about and love and stufflike that, there are
expectations.
I don't even know if it'shealthy not to have expectations
of people.
I don't know how healthy it isto say you can't, you shouldn't
have no expectations in life.
That's, I don't know.
I digress, I flip-flop inbetween like having expectations
and not wanting to be let downby people, because I feel like
(20:29):
it'll crush me, especiallypeople, so I go on to it with a
pessimistic.
So basically, I guess what Ishould be doing be realistic.
Now, if the person always letsme down, just know that they
might let me down, but if theydon't, if they don't always let
me down, I don't always come,they don't always let me down
(20:52):
and actually come through.
Don't treat this, don't treatthe situation like they'll let
me down.
I don't know, it's tricky.
I'm gonna have a hard time withthat gratitude and mindfulness,
choosing wisely to focus on thepositive and and be present in
(21:15):
the moment, fostering content,contentment, ding, ding, ding.
Need to work on that, allthings I need to work on.
It sounded like for me.
The emotional and mentalwell-being is what I personally
need to work on more, beingprudent in that way and being
(21:38):
resilient, developing theforesight and emotional tools to
navigate setbacks, challenges,without being completely
derailed.
I'm good.
I'm good on that.
What I'm learning about myselftoday is that, um, yeah, these
are just things that ain'treally taught.
Like I wasn't taught or, Iguess, in a way, like I had some
(22:04):
lessons or I was learningthrough other people when it
comes to this, but wasn't reallytaught.
Uh, just this, this way ofthinking, like I don't know, and
maybe I was and as a dumb kid Ijust wasn't paying attention.
It's making me think.
(22:27):
But prudence can Prudence inyour emotional and mental
well-being can lead to a greaterinner peace and reduce anxiety
(22:48):
and improve decision makingunder pressure and increase
self-awareness and a moreresilient spirit.
You gain an agency, or a senseof agency Over your, over your
life, over your world.
You have some direction.
(23:09):
I guess you are, and I guess ina sense centered, because you
know what you want out of life.
You know what you're strivingTo be to do.
(23:32):
So, if prudence is so beneficial, how do we become more prudent?
It's not a switch you can flipon and off.
It's a muscle you develop.
It's a way of being, a way ofdoing it's habits.
I guess the best ways are topause and reflect before making
(24:11):
a significant decision orreacting in a charged situation.
You know, taking your momentsand asking yourself what are the
potential consequences, whatare my options, what is the
wisest course of action here,not just for now, but for later?
Another way we could becomemore prudent is, you know,
learning from experience, yoursand others, which is something I
(24:35):
touched on before Payingattention to the outcomes of
your past decisions.
What worked, what didn't, whydidn't it work?
Also, learn from the successand failures of others.
The best thing you can do islearn from the failures of
others so you don't have to gothrough it, and learn from the
success of others so you have apath or some type of path.
(24:57):
You see it, it's possible.
Seek counsel.
Don't be afraid to ask foradvice from trusted, wise
individuals.
Prudence doesn't mean knowingeverything.
It just means that when youneed help and input, when you
(25:25):
need help and input, it justmeans knowing when you need help
and input.
Practicing foresight Make it ahabit to think a few steps ahead
when planning and consider bestcase, worst case and most
likely scenarios.
Developing self-awareness,understanding your own biases,
(25:50):
your weaknesses, your emotionaltriggers, knowing where you tend
to be impulsive allows you toput safeguards in place.
Where you tend to be impulsiveallows you to put safeguards in
place.
You can embrace discipline.
(26:13):
Prudence often requires doingwhat's difficult in the short
term for a greater long-termgain and, as we know, it
requires discipline.
And there's a lot ofundisciplined folks out here,
myself included.
I've gotten more disciplinedover the years, but I see where
I can improve.
I know where I can improve and,as always, uh, being more
(26:35):
prudent, or when trying to bemore prudent, start small.
You don't have to overhaul yourentire life at once.
Pick one area finances, healthor specific relationship and
practice being more prudentthere.
The positive results willmotivate you.
That's kind of why I'm talkingwith you guys today on that.
(26:58):
Like I didn't choose one area,I chose all areas, which is kind
of like a crash course not evena crash course, but just like I
just I jump right in feet firstand it's been working out.
I I need to, in some ways, paymore attention to other aspects
(27:20):
of my life and others when itcomes to being prudent, but I'm
getting there.
So, in a world that oftencelebrates instant gratification
and quick fixes and impulsiveliving, cultivating prudence can
(27:40):
feel like swimming up againstthe current, but the best
rewards are immense.
It's the quiet, oftenunglamorous virtue that provides
a solid foundation for a trulyhigh quality of life.
It's the ability to navigatecomplexities with grace, to make
(28:04):
decisions that serve our, toserve, that serve your highest
good, and to build a life ofstability, peace and genuine
fulfillment.
Being prudent isn't about beingboring.
(28:26):
It's about being strategic,intentional and ultimately free
Free from constant worry, freefrom avoidable crises and free
to pursue what truly matters toyou.
Crisis is and free to pursuewhat truly matters to you.
So I encourage you to embraceprudence in your daily life
(28:48):
Observe, reflect, plan and actwisely.
Your future self will thank you.
Thank you for joining me todayand until next time, may your
(29:12):
choices be wise in your journeyfulfilling.
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