What would you do if you died tomorrow? A pervasive question; often asked, answered, but never acted upon. We are all given a finite time to live, but exactly how long is unknown. By asking what would change if we knew precisely when we would pass, we are asking a hypothetical. What if instead, we focused on how we would live our lives if we had already died?

Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.56

This framing turns the question into practical advice: put your death behind you, worry about what you can control. The Stoics believe that thoughts and actions are the only things in your control. Only by improving those can you seek to live a more fulfilling life.

Asking yourself what you would do differently if you knew a certain piece of information is speculative at best, and harmful at worst. I have heard the opening question for as long as I remember, but it has never had a lasting effect on me. Focusing on what I can control has given me more agency in my own life.