Ways of Thinking About How to Live an Intentional Life

The Frugal Doctor has been on an introspective journey, one that asks what it really means to live intentionally. Time Rich FI, after all, is where intentional living meets financial independence (FI). It is one thing to say, “I’m living intentionally,” but what does that actually look like in practice? How do we embody it day after day?

A handful of books have challenged how I think about mortality and how I choose to spend my days. What follows are a few reflective exercises drawn from them: not instructions, just prompts to help you pause, look inward, and shape a life aligned with what truly matters.

To live intentionally, we have to start by acknowledging our own finite timeline. Death is uncomfortable to think about, yet it has a powerful clarifying effect.

Facing Mortality: What Regrets Will I Have?

Imagine you are on your deathbed. You have limited time, and you know the end is in sight. Maybe the doctors have said you only have a week to live. Who is around you? What are you saying to them? Are you at peace, or troubled by what-ifs? In The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Bronnie Ware identified the regrets she heard most often from the dying:

1. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish I had let myself be happier.

Which one hits hardest today? Are you living according to your own values, or someone else’s expectations? Are there conversations you’ve been avoiding, or friends you’ve drifted from that you would like to reach out to? And on happiness: are you choosing it? Are you truly content, and what would it take to cultivate more of that? When my time comes, I know I want to look back with gratitude, having lived fully and surrounded by love.

Begin With the End: What Will My Funeral Be Like?

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes about beginning with the end in mind, and offers an exercise built around it. Picture yourself walking into a funeral. You feel the sorrow of loss and the joy of having known this person. As you make your way to the front, you look inside the casket, and suddenly come face to face with yourself. It is your funeral, three years from today. Everyone there has gathered to honour you. What difference did you make in their lives?

You take a seat and look at the program: four speakers. A family member. A close friend. A professional colleague. Someone from a community or organisation you served. What would each of them say about you? What character would they have seen? What contributions do you want them to remember? This exercise is not about vanity, it is about alignment. Are you living today in a way that leads to the legacy you want?

Intentional Living Happens in Small, Repeatable Choices

Intentionality is not found only in dramatic life changes. It is built through small, daily decisions, the same way financial independence is. Tiny habits, repeated consistently, compound into freedom. A few simple practices to ground your days:

• Morning inventory (two minutes): Ask, “What one thing today would make me feel I used my time well?” Do that thing first.
• Quarterly regrets check: Every few months, revisit the five regrets and the funeral exercise. Adjust course before life drifts too far off track.
• Calendar guardrails: Define non-negotiable time for relationships, learning, or creativity, and protect it.
• Financial alignment: Put aside at least one percent of every paycheck for something that buys time or meaning, whether that is a mini-retirement fund, a class that opens new doors, or an experience with people you love.

Intentionality Plus FI Equals Options

Living intentionally does not require perfection. It simply means fewer autopilot decisions and more decisions aligned with your values. Financial independence amplifies intentional living because it gives you options: to be present with family, to take a lower-paying job that is meaningful, to spend time with people you love, to structure your days around what matters, to rest, create, explore, or give.

Choosing to live intentionally is ongoing work that never ends. I make time to reflect, so “I wish I had the courage to live true to myself” never makes my own list.