Prudence
Thinking before acting. Weighing decisions accurately. Understanding and acting in accordance with long-term consequences actions.
Your Score
32
Thinking before acting. Weighing decisions accurately. Understanding and acting in accordance with long-term consequences actions.
Those who score high in prudence are farsighted - thinking, caring, and planning for the future. They tend to look at the big picture, aware that their actions now can have consequences down the line. They make decisions based on calculated outcomes, taking into consideration the potential short- and long-term outcomes, risks, and rewards. They are not likely to act out of immediate desire or impulse, and therefore avoid taking unnecessary risks and sacrificing long-term goals for short-term reward. A prudent person, for instance, is more likely to put their money into a savings account as opposed to spending their entire pay check every week.
At work, the prudent person is easily able to prioritize tasks, understanding what's important long-term and what they need to focus on in the moment. They aren't easily sidetracked, and are less likely to make foolish mistakes as every step is taken with careful consideration.
Those with prudence are able to make seemingly insignificant tasks more meaningful, and can see how they contribute to reaching their end goal.
As useful as prudence can be in achieving long-term goals, sometimes being too careful can lead to missed opportunities. Whether taking a risk ends up being a success or a setback, one can learn a valuable lesson from taking a leap of faith every once in a while.
On a more extreme level, being too prudent can veer into outright risk aversion. In certain situations, taking smart risks can be the prudent thing to do, such as when one is contemplating leaving their job because they are truly unhappy.
In order to develop prudence, it's important to remember the end goal. When making decisions, ask yourself, "is this going to benefit me in the future?". Other things that can help one become prudent are doing research, regulating emotions, asking for advice, and creating a pros/cons list before coming to a conclusion.
Those who score low in prudence can be described as a "risk-taker", being more likely to make decisions out of heat of the moment impulse, rather than deliberate planning and calculation. They tend not to consider the long-term consequences of their actions, instead acting based on short-term benefit/desire. Focusing less on the big picture, they may choose to take the easy way out in difficult or challenging situations.
