Masters in Business · Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Drawing on his experience in hospice care, Dr. Grummitt shares that people on their deathbeds rarely regret not accumulating more wealth but rather not pursuing things they longed to do due to lack of energy, courage, or time. He emphasizes that this regret over inaction can be a powerful motivator to identify 'purpose anchors' and live a more purposeful life now.
“Everyone's regrets are slightly different, but there's always some version of this. And before I even give you the line that I hear so often, let me remind you that almost no one has ever told me on their deathbed they wish their net worth made it to two million and it only made it to one million.”
“So what you tend to hear people say is I really regret that I never had the energy, courage, or time too And then fill in the blank. And the reason it's fill in the blank is because for every person that's different. You know, when I ask myself that question, it was that I didn't traditionally publish a book. Another person may say that they never traveled to Africa.”
“The young people can learn from this. We can take that regret of the dying and we can turn that into a purpose anchor. If I can think about what it would be like to be on my deskbed and figure, well, what would I have regrets about? I can then turn that into a purpose anchor and say, well, I'm not dying. Why don't I start building a life of purpose around that?”