XIV. Seizing the Day

Hello, dearest reader!

If you’ve read the end of any of my posts or comments, you’ve noticed that I sign out with a certain phrase every time: “Seize the day!”. But what does that mean? Why do I find it so important that it is in all of my posts? Today you’ll find out!

First, some history. Back in 23 BC, the Roman poet Horace published a collection of three books of poems called Odes. In the first book, Horace uses a Latin phrase– “carpe diem”– which is usually translated to “seize the day” in English.

What does carpe diem mean, anyway? The idea of carpe diem is to make the most of the present moment. Whether we like it or not, life is fragile. Although we all make plans for the week like we are going to live to see it, even tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. All that we truly know we have is today, so we should seize it and make the best of it.

So why do I write this phrase on all of my posts? I write it as a daily reminder to make the most of time time I’ve been given right now. I have a tendency to dwell on things that happened in the past or worry about the things that might happen in the future. I need that reminder to realize that the past is gone and that the only way to make my future better is by my actions today.

If you are feeling downtrodden about something that has happened in the past, I ask you to use today to show how you’ve grown and become a better person from it. If you are feeling anxious about something that could happen in the future, I urge you to use today to give yourself the best shot at succeeding down the road.

This moment, right now, is all that we have, so seize the day.
Ryan
23 October 2016 12:10 PM