Putting More Carpe In Your Diem
Today, someone said they “needed to put more carpe in their diem.” You all know me; this got me thinking about how one would do this. “Carpe diem” is a Latin aphorism, usually translated “seize the day” or “pluck the day [as it is ripe]”. It is a philosophy that I think we should take more seriously. I like the “pluck the day” interpretation the best. Plucking is an action, like picking a ripe apple from a tree. If not picked when ripe it will fall from the tree and rot. Sometimes I believe we should focus less on what should happen in the future and more on what is happening now.
“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
~ General George Patton
If the apple is ripe today, we better pick it. Wind could blow it off the tree over night, or insects, or birds could begin to eat the apple before we have the chance. What does this metaphor teach us? We have more control over the present than we ever do over the future. Here are the questions we need to be answering:
- What can I do right now to move what I am trying to do in the direction I would like to see things go?
- What are the possibilities?
- What are the opportunities available right now?
- How do I move what I’m trying to accomplish in the direction I would like to see things go?
We can make sure we are prepared for the future, but not at the expense of living for the present day. Pluck the day.
Byron's Babbles 
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