Carpe Annum

Everyone has heard the saying “Carpe Diem,” or in plain English, “Seize the Day.” Live each day as if it’s your last; love deeply, speak sweetly, forgive. “Carpe Diem” everyone says: seize the day! But how many people actually do it? How many people make it through the morning coffee line without a grumble or a groan about how poor/slow service is or how their boss is making them work this job. How many of us complain about the things we don’t have when compared to many, we’re privileged? Not many; myself included. Carpe Diem is more difficult than we would think.

So imagine how difficult “Carpe Annum” would be? Seize the year! Make every moment mean something, make every "next time" or "maybe later" become "no, this time," and "yes, right now." Leave no room for regret or negativity because life is unpredictable and not always fair. Most people complain that they have no control over what happens to them, or that everything always ends up negatively for them. This is the way to think if you want your situation to be negative. Why not think that there’s nothing to lose if you try for something? Why not believe that even if something does end up negatively, there’s always a positive aspect to it, possibly a learning experience for the next time you encounter a situation of the same nature.

Find someone or something that makes you happy and keep that in your life. Not for a day, not for a year, but for a lifetime. I’m lucky enough to have found that someone who makes me happy and I have been living regret free since January 9^th. You know who you are, and you deserve a thank you among many other things. Eight months ago, I could never have written a blog about this subject or anything close to it.

Be positive! I fully believe that everything – good or bad – happens for a reason. Every experience you have in life lends to the next experience or maybe another experience down the road that you would not have experienced otherwise had this thing that happened before it never came to pass. Got lost on a country back road? Maybe you had time to talk to the people that you get lost with, find out new and interesting things about them and as a result become closer? Negativity begets negativity. Ever hear the saying, “birds of a feather flock together?” Okay, it’s great that you’re trying to not be so negative, but by being negative, you’re attracted people that are negative or have negative views.

Why waste your life seeing everything as half empty, unattainable, miserable or otherwise impossible? I hate to be preachy, but I find that in today’s society most find it easier to be negative than to be positive. After all, who can resist touting “I told you so,” when something goes wrong?

Go out, try. So what if it fails? At least you can walk away with the confidence in the fact that you’ve tried.

Want to go for that vacation but aren’t sure if you have time? Make time. Go. Have the time of your life, I guarantee that you won’t regret taking that time to make memories.

Don’t rush through life. It’s not a race. You’ll get there when you get there and who’s to judge about how long you take? People who judge and make negative comments wish they could have half of what you have. Take time to appreciate who you have, what you have and most importantly why you have these things in your life. These things will not always be there. Refer back to life sometimes being slightly unfair. This is learned also from experience.

Work less, play more. What’s important in your life? Your family, your friends or your job? All depends on how you look at it really. Don’t miss out on life for numbers on a paper that tell you how much you’re worth. Okay, I hear some of you telling me that a job that pays would inevitably help you “play more.” No, I’m not telling you to quit your job, buy a hobby farm in Oklahoma and remake it into party city, hide from the IRS when you refuse to pay taxes… I mean leave work at work and don’t make it your life. It’s an aspect of your life, not your entire being.

The most important thing to remember is that Carpe Diem is not a formula that you or some scientist in a lab can figure out, nor is Carpe Annum. It’s not something that you get on the first, second or maybe even third, fourth, fifth or umpteenth time. It’s tough work; it’s not a cake walk. It’s living to not regret. I’m not telling you how to achieve the meaning of life; I’m sharing with you my experience with Carpe Annum, Carpe Diem and Crape Situations.

Strive towards your own personal Carpe Annum.

So, in the immortal words of someone most of us know very well, “When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead.”

-          Barney Stinson.  

EDIT: This post is dedicated to my grandfather. A man who did everything, seized every moment and lived life to the fullest. Rest in Peace, Grandpa.