When I'm on my deathbed, what will I regret? Will I regret not working that weekend? Will I regret being moderately, instead of ridiculously successful? Will I regret a piece of software being "good enough"?
Or will I regret missing my kid's birthday? Will I regret not spending that weekend at the park watching the smiles on my family's faces? Will I regret not spending some quiet time with my wife?
The answers to me are simple and the comparison is easy.
By introducing the "deathbed" one assumes that the most important things to that individual come into focus. If I didn't have a family, I'd have different deathbed priorities, but that is not the case. If my greatest desire in life was to win a Nobel prize, I would probably make choices favouring that outcome.
I'm not saying one is better than the other, just that for most people, their families (especially kids) will be more important to them than any professional or individual achievement. In the daily grind that is life, we have a tenancy to forget this. Focusing on the sum of a life brings things back into perspective.
That said, he was able to cash out ok....