Showing posts with label day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label day. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Carpe Diem Again

#RepeatWeek


"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." - John Keating

Carpe Diem, an interesting phrase generally meaning "seize the day." It comes from a Latin poem written by Horace that has become sort of a statement of principle for many people.

It is generally translated as "seize the day" and literally it means "to pick, pluck, pluck off, cull, crop, or gather", but Publius Ovidius Naso (better known as Ovid) used it to mean, "To enjoy, seize, use, make use of".

In Horace's poem, the long version is "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero", meaning to "Seize the Day, putting as little trust as possible in the future." His intent was to say that our future is uncertain and we should limit our hope's to a shorter future. In some respects he was speaking to people and business leaders who think short term goals or just the next quarter, so "drink one's wine."

In modern culture I would argue the quote describes its use best. "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary", meaning to use each and every day to do something great.

Do not waste a single day waiting for the next; choose now, not later.

Move life forward, find your dreams, have a great and 'extraordinary' life.

The future exists but you have to move towards it. To sit idle and allow the future to find you means it will only find you in the same place, sitting idle.

You have the ability to impact your own future.

You can impact your own future.

Seize the day, folks. Make your lives extraordinary.

Stay inspired my friends.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Building a Life in One Day


Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ― A.A. Milne

If life were simple, we could have everything we wanted. If only we did not have to wait for things, signs all over exclaiming "no waiting." We certainly see advertisements shouting out "no waiting" when it comes to things being sold to us.

But can we have everything we want, right now, with no waiting?

Are we that impatient to achieve things in life so quickly?

Ralph Marston is quoted as saying, “The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.” The possibility of things falling quickly into your life does exist, but the long sought after will mean much more to you. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your life be built in a single day.

Enjoy the journey, enjoy the process and patience will fall naturally upon your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Friday, July 26, 2013

A Better Day


"There's nothing wrong or evil about having a bad day. There's everything wrong with making others have to have it... with you." -Neil Cavuto

Some days just seem like the worst anyone could have. You sit around thinking that your problems are worse then anyone else. Then you hear a story that shows you that others may be having it worse.

~~~~~~~~~~
A little guy is sitting at the bar just staring at his drink for half an hour, when this big trouble-making biker steps next to him, grabs his drink, gulps it down in one swig and then turns to the guy with a menacing stare as if to say, 'What'cha gonna do about it?'

The poor little guy starts crying.

'Come on man I was just giving you a hard time,' the biker says. 'I didn't think you'd cry. I can't stand to see a man crying.'

'This is the worst day of my life,' says the little guy between sobs. 'I can't do anything right. I overslept and was late to an important meeting, so my boss fired me.'

'When I went to the parking lot, I found my car was stolen and I don't have any insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home. I found my wife in bed with the gardener and my dog bit me.'

'So I came to this bar trying to work up the courage to put an end to my life and then you show up and drink the dang poison.'

~~~~~~~~~~

It is a bit of dark humor that illustrates that maybe your day isn't going nearly as bad as someone else. Try to find the good things, little or big, that are actually right in your life. And stay inspired my friends!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

What Is Being Thrown At You


"Troubles are inevitable but misery is optional." -Joel Osteen

Most sorry about the graphic picture today, but life has its fill of bad days along with many good days. This just happened to be one of those "bad days" for a judge.

The picture is of Brazilian javelin judge Lia Mara Lourenco being helped by colleagues and medics after a javelin, launched during warm-ups by a competitor, pierced her foot before the start of the competition in a national athletics championship called Trofeu Brasil (Trophy Brazil) in Sao Paulo September 24, 2006. Lourenco was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery to remove the javelin tip.

As reported in Sports Illustrated, "...she wasn't hurt as bad as you might think. Lourenco underwent surgery to remove the javelin and was released from the hospital with nothing more than a fractured pinkie toe."

I am amused by the statement "not be as bad you might think" in the news article. My guess is Ms. Lourenco would beg to differ with that statement.

In life we are going to have moments that catch us off guard. Maybe our attention to what is going on around us slips for a bit. The important thing is that we recover and get back into the game of life. Never let a momentary lapse in attention, which might possibly lead to pain, keep you from continuing on your path to greatness.

The hurt that will happen to us may not "be as bad you might think" but to each of us individually it is the worst hurt imaginable. The pain and disappointment is very real but how you overcome and get through will determine your next outcome in life. Just know that life and circumstance are going to throw stuff at you. Some of it you will have the ability to avoid. Other things will not be so easy to avoid, but you get to make the choice on how you will respond.

Keep getting back up, pull the javelin out of your foot and move forward. And above all, stay inspired my friends.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Twas the day before Christmas


‘Twas the day before Christmas, at the place where I work,
Not a phone was a ringing, a pleasant and nice perk;
The laptops were playing YouTube funny clips,
With hopes that our boss would give not a flip.

The workers they rustled in adjustable chairs;
While thinking of dinner and a good old cold beer;
And me with my headphones clapped over my ears,
Listening to Pandora and Tears for Fears.

When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Away through the door I flew like a flash,
Down the hall in a hurry, my coffee did splash.

An EMC video, it played on the screen,
To an empty reception room, with outdated chairs,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a UPS truck run into a FEDEX trucks rear.

Both drivers were talking so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment, the tension was thick.
More rapid then a post man, the brothers they came,
A rumble of couriers soon burst into flames.

Now, Airborne and Fedex and A1 did fight,
With UPS and USPS in locked battle might.
To the top of the hood, no sign of a stop;
Now dash away, dash away before we all call the cops.

With a blink of an eye, more boxes to deliver,
They shook hands in friendship and none did shiver,
To their trucks they arose, turning keys to ignite,
More packages to go before they could have dinner.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the lot,
Screeching tires of couriers dashing off one by one.
For this was the day, we work before Christmas,
But I heard a faint echo as they drove out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good-night.”

Friday, December 14, 2012

Day Into Night


"To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle." -Walt Whitman

It is a rare moment I get to enjoy when flying to see the actual edge of night. There is a wonderful glow of color as the darkness chases the light, never being able to catch it. I guess one could say something similar of the morning as light chases the darkness away. But this moment of day into night seems more magical.

What I find soothing about this particular moment is how the rush of a day, the worries that entrapped us all day fade into the darkness. The gathering night gives us a chance to rest and slow down for a few hours. While we know that a new day does not eliminate all problems, it does hold promise of something better and the night gives us the chance to realize that.

When the toils of the day become too much, stand and watch the gathering darkness flow in behind the light of day. Allow the day's burden to flow away with that light. Allow the calmness of night to ease your mind and to energize your soul. Know that a new day approaches with new possibility, new answers and a chance to overcome whatever burdens you.

Stay inspired my friends.

Monday, December 20, 2010

One Day - This Week

This week I am on vacation, but sharing some of my favorite posts. I hope that you enjoy these as well.

One Day Like This

It's a happy and merry week of Christmas celebrations. Make all of those days "one day like this" each and every day of the year.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Make It A Beautiful Day

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." ~Audrey Hepburn

The song you are listening to is probably more cynical about the reality of life then it may first appear. We each get up in the morning and see that wonderful sun rising in the east. Our hopes are that when it sets in the west, a great day will have happened.

The reality is that life throws a lot of different things at us. What starts great may get interrupted by circumstance. What may have been a wish for blue skies could turn into a rainy day.

What we can expect is how 'we' walk through our day. It is 'we' that determine our attitude in response to life. The ability that 'we' have to overcome anything in our way is what makes it a beautiful day.