I have 3 “mantras” that I’m learning to
discipline myself to live by; “I am that I am”, “Carpe Diem” and “Do unto
others”…
My next 3 posts are going to be dedicated
to explaining my reasons for choosing each one of those “mottos”. They all
assist in framing the person I ultimately NEED to be.
Part 2
Carpe
Diem
“You must live
in the present, launch yourself on every wave, and find your eternity in each
moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another
land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
~Henry
David Thoreau
We must seize the day! Those are powerful
words to live by, and often times we don’t take the time to examine how much we
live in the later, rather than the now. We procrastinate. Tomorrow is not
guaranteed and today is the dawn of all your dreams and possibilities. Of
course, we must be careful to not act like fools in the now, but sometimes you
must live your life as if tomorrow is not your end-game. Today is your last
chance to do what needs to be done now! It’s ironic how another popular phrase,
“Live and let live,” used to be my sole mantra until I inherited (and created
for myself) a shit load of responsibilities. I then realized that without a plan,
without directions and without goals, there was not a defined purpose in my
life. So there is definitely a balance that should occur between the “putting
off until tomorrow” and the “living fearlessly today.” Let’s examine….
So, obviously I had to readjust the way I
dealt with life. I had to readjust, without sucking all the fun out of it; and
there was Carpe Diem. I can be a
responsible adult, caring parent and loving wife, while still living today like
today matters most. This mantra tells us to focus on now and this moment. However;
in doing so I had to remain realistic and learn that even if now is what
counts, there are ramifications (good or bad) of all of our actions that will
affect our tomorrow. This is where we can get in trouble if we are not careful.
Yes, live in the now and appreciate all that today has to offer; but you must
also keep in mind that if you are fortunate enough to wake up tomorrow, you
will have to live with the reality of what you have done (good or bad). In
essence, make sure you make good choices TODAY! In many cases, our fear of
living today actually holds us back from the future that we want. We won’t say
what we feel right now, for fear people won’t understand; so we miss an
opportunity and we never get that chance again. We don’t run, but walk; then we
wonder why we missed life’s bus….
While before I would sit back and be a
bystander, waiting for things to happen (or not happen), now I know I have to
make things happen in and for my life. Now I have to take on all the challenges,
chances and opportunities that present themselves on my path. This is all so
that I don’t live with regrets of the “what if’s” but by taking charge of my
own happiness…
Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be
done today, because who is to say there will be a tomorrow? Appreciate every single opportunity,
experience and involvement as gifts of today. There is a disclaimer though…. Don’t
become jaded and accustomed to the instant gratification that doing “what
pleases you when it pleases you” brings, because remember; while you seize the
day and enjoy the freedom it brings, your today will set the tone for tomorrow…
if and when tomorrow comes!
There is a wonderful movie Dead Poet’s
society which capture so well the power and essence of Carpe Diem
To living life to the fullest...Seize the Day!
RosieSandz
