10 May Carpe Diem: How Do You Seize the Day?

I have a copy of Ryan Holiday’s book “The Daily Stoic” which contains a daily inspirational quote from the philosophy of Stoicism and then provides a short definition. Whilst I’m not avidly reading this book each day, from time to time I will open it and see what wisdom it provides.

Recently in my sessions with clients we’ve been doing a lot of talking around productivity and making the most of the time we have in the workplace to achieve as much as possible (without burning out of course) so it was very apt that The Daily Stoic I read this week was…

Carpe Diem

“Let us therefore set out whole-heartedly, leaving aside our many distractions and exert ourselves in this single purpose, before we realise too late the swift and unstoppable flight of time and are left behind. As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all, and make it your own possession. We must seize what flees” – Senece, Moral Letters, 108.27b-28a

You will only get one shot at today. You have only twenty four hours with which to take it. And then it is gone and lost forever. Will you fully inhibit all of today? Will you call out, “I’ve got this” and do your very best to be your very best?

What will you manage to make of today before it slips from your fingers and becomes the past? When someone asks you what you did yesterday, do you really want the answer to be “nothing”?

Good advice and something to definitely remember in our days, don’t you think?