According To Wes

The Unglamorous Superpower That Will Change Everything

• Wes • Episode 13

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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.

Wes:

Welcome to the According to Wes podcast, where prudence and action enhances your quality of life. I'm your host, wes, and today we're going to kind of explore the concrete ways being prudent or having prudence can enhance your quality of life across different domains. And before we start, you might say, hey, what is the meaning of prudence, or what does it mean to be prudent? And when you do your Googles, the first definition that pops up is acting with or showing care and thought for the future. Now, before I kind of made my talking points and research for this podcast, I had a total different. I had a total different definition of what I thought prudence or prudent.

Wes:

Being prudent meant, and I guess I gathered that my own definition from one word or how this 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. So I've always heard it used that way. So I just thought it was. That was just the one. I thought that was just the meaning. For some reason I made up my own meaning, which is not very uh, intelligent of me, but uh, but for years I've had my own meaning and thought prude was just like yo, not willing to try different things, and it totally doesn't even mean that. And this is why I thought it was a good thing for me to kind of research and, you know, get my thoughts out loud and, you know, maybe foster a greater conversation about being prudent and having prudence in your life, to enhance your life, to be a better you, because I'm always trying to be a better me, I'm always trying to be a better me, I'm always trying to be a better west. You know what I mean.

Wes:

So financial well-being is the most obvious one, but it's, it's foundational for any striving amateur adult. Uh, financial stress is a, a huge detractor from quality of life and you know, currently we're all, we're all living this hyperinflation life, so this is something that we can't, this is something that we cannot, cannot deter from. You know, having prudence in your finances and being prudent or having prudence in your finances means things like actually budgeting and saving, not just living paycheck to paycheck, but setting aside money for future goals and emergencies, avoiding unnecessary debt, understanding the true cost of borrowing and making mindful decisions about credit, investing wisely, which some of us do not do. Taking a long-term view, uh, understanding risk and diversifying, which means not only investing in the stock market and your 401k and your IRA, taking money to invest in yourself whether that's earning new skills, you know, going back, you know paying to go back to school, things like that I can't really see outside of. You know your real estate and your stocks and your bonds and investing in yourself. What else you can see as an investment?

Wes:

But thinking about the overall goal and the one tried and true when it comes to finances is delayed gratification, resisting the urge for immediate spending to achieve greater future security and freedom, and I feel like that's something that most of us Americans have an issue with. Now, I'm not going to say I grew up poor or anything like that. I definitely had what I needed and not really had what I wanted, but I was always around examples of people that kind of balled out of control or whenever they get the money, they spend it and they really don't have nothing to show for it. So I never really wanted to be those individuals. I learned through their mistakes, so I got delayed gratification a lot, so so much so that uh sometimes it does become a bad thing for me because I forget to to treat myself.

Wes:

You know, usually with west it's all work and and no play, but um definitely getting better at that. You know, the shoes are always going to be there, the clothes are always going to be there. The clothes are always going to be there. The cars are always going to be there.

Wes:

It's not scarce, it's the you know, growing up in America, you're being taught to be a consumer, whether you know it or not, but we're moving on. But yeah, the finance you're being having prudence in your financial life or in your financial wellbeing um, you know it. It reduces the anxiety. It it it allows for more opportunities like home ownership or starting a business. It also creates a. It also creates freedom to pursue passions and and a sense of security and control, like you sleep better at night knowing you got that shit on lock and you don't have to wake up fighting your bills.

Wes:

Another domain where prudence is needed is your health and wellness. With your health and wellness, prudence or being prudent extends deeply into how we care about, how we care for our bodies and our and our minds. Of course, with everything. It starts with having a balanced diet and exercise, making conscious choices about what you eat and how you move, understanding the long term impact on your health. It's not about crash diets, but sustainable habits. Cold turkey rarely works for anybody. It's all about the gradual progress or the gradual, gradual process Getting adequate sleep, prioritizing rest, recognizing it's vital in your physical and mental performance, stress management, proactively identifying stressors and developing healthy quote unquote healthy coping mechanisms, rather than letting stress overwhelm you. Coping mechanisms rather than letting stress overwhelm you.

Wes:

I'm still working on that now that I do anything unhealthy, but I don't do enough of the healthy, and healthy thing for me has always been, uh, exercise and doing things to turn my brain off you know, video games and whatnot, but also, um, in health and wellness.

Wes:

You got preventative care, like regular checkups, addressing small issues before they become big problems and avoiding harmful habits, thinking about the long, long term consequences of excessive drinking, smoking or other detrimental behaviors. Those are all things that, no, if you have prudence and if, if you're striving to be more prudent or striving to have more prudence in your, in your life, like these are things you can get. You can get control of. These are things if you exercise it or if you practice it, it's gonna improve and when you start to incorporate that, you'll have increased energy, you'll have a better mood, reduced risk of illnesses and greater longevity and the ability to enjoy activities all the way up until you're old or your old age, because old is subjective nowadays, but a healthy body and mind are always going to be fundamental to having a higher quality of life.

Wes:

Now, prudence isn't just about Individual well-being and it profoundly impacts our connections with others. For example, thoughtful communication, thinking before you speak, choosing your words carefully, especially in emotional situations, to avoid unnecessary conflict or hurt. Choosing your circle wisely. We all should definitely be practicing Choosing your circle. I'm going to say it again Choosing your circle wisely, being prudent about who you spend your time with, recognizing that your social environment significantly influences your well-being, your empathy and perspective taking Considering the other person's viewpoint before reacting or making judgments. It helps you foster a stronger bond with them. Setting boundaries Wisely, deciding what you can commit to and what you need to say no to, and protecting your time and energy Setting boundaries. Setting boundaries is my thing.

Wes:

I feel like I don't set boundaries enough and I feel like I I set boundaries and let people break them and then I don't do anything about it. That's my whole thing. This is why I'm.

Wes:

You know, these podcasts are just you know they're always going to be me getting my thoughts out loud. So this is always something. This is something I've been thinking about, you know, over the last couple of days, and definitely the boundary setting Forgiveness and reconciliation, being having prudence is knowing when to hold a grudge and when to let it go for the sake of peace and healing, both for yourself and the relationship. I ain't gonna say I got that on lock, but I'm yeah, I forgive easily. Reconciliation maybe not. I'm working on it. This is, this is what this is about 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.

Wes:

Make the subconscious conscious, you know, Make the subconscious conscious. But prudence and relationships and our social life create deeper and more meaningful relationships. It reduces interpersonal conflict. It gives us a strong support system and a greater sense of belonging and happiness. Prudence can also improve your career and personal development. For an example, strategic career planning, not just drifting from job to job, but thoughtfully considering your long-term goals, your skill development and career path. I do that every effing day. Every day, not every day, whatever. Maybe once a month I'm like all right, is this the same path? Do I still want to do this, always doing that because you know you gotta gotta earn, gotta earn as a man, you gotta earn. That's what they say, you know um, continuous learning, wisely investing in new skills and and knowledge that will serve you in the future.

Wes:

Time management, prioritizing tasks, avoiding procrastination and wisely allocating your most valuable resource time. I suck at that badly and I do procrastinate, and sometimes I procrastinate with other fucking tasks and I don't know why I do it, but I do it. If there's a smaller task, less important task, I'll do that, knowing that I should probably be taking care of the big task and the most important task, and I'm still trying to figure that out. Once again, thoughts out loud, working on myself, you know, working on myself, you know Risk assessment, thoughtfully evaluating opportunities and challenges, taking calculated risks rather than reckless ones. I'm all for a calculated risk hey, that's what the world is made out of the risk takers and the non-risk takers and I'd rather take a calculated risk than a reckless one.

Wes:

Knowing when to say no, protecting your focus and energy by prudently declining commitments that don't align with your priorities. And, for an example, all money ain't good money. Like you know, you leave a job, go to another job because it's paying more money, but your quality of life is shit because the job is so stressful and no one there seems to do their work or know what they're doing. That's what I saw from it from a career and a personal development side. But you know, ultimately greater job satisfaction and career advancement and reduced burnout and you know, having a sense of accomplishment and continuous personal growth are all achievable through having prudence or being prudent now one of the last uh um ways that have been uh uh.

Wes:

Prudence can uh create a a strong, a good strong adult, and of course we're talking about quality of life. But just all around well rounded person is having it for your emotional and mental well-being, like emotional regulation, you know the the ability to pause between stimulus and responses and to to banish impulses and to to choose how you react rather than being swept away by emotions. Self-reflection, which I am currently doing now, regularly taking the time to assess your thoughts, your actions, your motivations, your learning and your experiences. And what's crazy is that my self-reflection comes from the exercise that we just discussed previously. It's just like when you're.

Wes:

For me personally, when I'm, when I'm doing something physical, it can actually be cutting the grass and doesn't necessarily have to be exercising, but it is a moment, I guess, because my brain is working on OK, push this or lift this, or walk this way or run this way that the repetitiveness of that pushing my body or, you know, doing a physical task, my brain is a able to quiet the noise and have the normal conversations of uh like, for an example, yo did, I like that interaction I had with my mom, or what does she mean by this not necessarily overthinking, but I believe that sometimes people kind of just go through their day-to-day and go through life like on, um, like on I don't want to say cruise control. Yeah, cruise control like, um, like a word is said to you or a sentence is said to you and you got four options to choose from and you're just choosing the tree of responses and actions and stuff like that, based off of what was given to you before. And I found myself like that. So I know I can't be the only one, because I know I'm not an anomaly.

Wes:

So it's one of those things where it's like, you know, it becomes overbearingaring, just kind of doing things and not really know why you're doing it or saying it, or you feel like you're saying and doing for no reason. I hope I'm making sense with that. But you know, managing expectations prudently, setting realistic expectations for yourself and others, reduces disappointment and frustration. Yes, it does. Unfortunately, sometimes I go into situations where I'm like have no expectations.

Wes:

You can't be let down, but sometimes you have to have it. It's tricky because it's like, especially for people that you care about and love and stuff like that, there are expectations. I don't even know if it's healthy not to have expectations of people. I don't know how healthy it is to say you can't, you shouldn't have no expectations in life. That's, I don't know. I digress, I flip-flop in between like having expectations and not wanting to be let down by people, because I feel like it'll crush me, especially people, so I go on to it with a pessimistic. So basically, I guess what I should be doing be realistic. Now, if the person always lets me down, just know that they might let me down, but if they don't, if they don't always let me down, I don't always come, they don't always let me down and actually come through. Don't treat this, don't treat the situation like they'll let me down. I don't know, it's tricky.

Wes:

I'm gonna have a hard time with that gratitude and mindfulness, choosing wisely to focus on the positive and and be present in the moment, fostering content, contentment, ding, ding, ding. Need to work on that, all things I need to work on. It sounded like for me. The emotional and mental well-being is what I personally need to work on more, being prudent in that way and being resilient, developing the foresight and emotional tools to navigate setbacks, challenges, without being completely derailed. I'm good. I'm good on that. What I'm learning about myself today is that, um, yeah, these are just things that ain't really taught. Like I wasn't taught or, I guess, in a way, like I had some lessons or I was learning through other people when it comes to this, but wasn't really taught.

Wes:

Uh, just this, this way of thinking, like I don't know, and maybe I was and as a dumb kid I just wasn't paying attention. It's making me think. But prudence can Prudence in your emotional and mental well-being can lead to a greater inner peace and reduce anxiety and improve decision making under pressure and increase self-awareness and a more resilient spirit. You gain an agency, or a sense of agency Over your, over your life, over your world. You have some direction. I guess you are, and I guess in a sense centered, because you know what you want out of life. You know what you're striving To be to do.

Wes:

So, if prudence is so beneficial, how do we become more prudent? It's not a switch you can flip on and off. It's a muscle you develop. It's a way of being, a way of doing it's habits. I guess the best ways are to pause and reflect before making a significant decision or reacting in a charged situation. You know, taking your moments and asking yourself what are the potential consequences, what are my options, what is the wisest course of action here, not just for now, but for later? Another way we could become more prudent is, you know, learning from experience, yours and others, which is something I touched on before Paying attention to the outcomes of your past decisions.

Wes:

What worked, what didn't, why didn't it work? Also, learn from the success and failures of others. The best thing you can do is learn from the failures of others so you don't have to go through it, and learn from the success of others so you have a path or some type of path. You see it, it's possible. Seek counsel. Don't be afraid to ask for advice from trusted, wise individuals.

Wes:

Prudence doesn't mean knowing everything. It just means that when you need help and input, when you need help and input, it just means knowing when you need help and input. Practicing foresight Make it a habit to think a few steps ahead when planning and consider best case, worst case and most likely scenarios. Developing self-awareness, understanding your own biases, your weaknesses, your emotional triggers, knowing where you tend to be impulsive allows you to put safeguards in place. Where you tend to be impulsive allows you to put safeguards in place. You can embrace discipline.

Wes:

Prudence often requires doing what's difficult in the short term for a greater long-term gain and, as we know, it requires discipline. And there's a lot of undisciplined folks out here, myself included. I've gotten more disciplined over the years, but I see where I can improve. I know where I can improve and, as always, uh, being more prudent, or when trying to be more prudent, start small. You don't have to overhaul your entire life at once. Pick one area finances, health or specific relationship and practice being more prudent there. The positive results will motivate you. That's kind of why I'm talking with you guys today on that. Like I didn't choose one area, I chose all areas, which is kind of like a crash course not even a crash course, but just like I just I jump right in feet first and it's been working out. I I need to, in some ways, pay more attention to other aspects of my life and others when it comes to being prudent, but I'm getting there.

Wes:

So, in a world that often celebrates instant gratification and quick fixes and impulsive living, cultivating prudence can feel like swimming up against the current, but the best rewards are immense. It's the quiet, often unglamorous virtue that provides a solid foundation for a truly high quality of life. It's the ability to navigate complexities with grace, to make decisions that serve our, to serve, that serve your highest good, and to build a life of stability, peace and genuine fulfillment. Being prudent isn't about being boring. It's about being strategic, intentional and ultimately free Free from constant worry, free from avoidable crises and free to pursue what truly matters to you. Crisis is and free to pursue what truly matters to you. So I encourage you to embrace prudence in your daily life Observe, reflect, plan and act wisely. Your future self will thank you. Thank you for joining me today and until next time, may your choices be wise in your journey fulfilling.