To be fair, life is pretty short.

We are born, we are raised, we go to school.

We get a job, we find our soul-mate (some of us don’t).

We have children (some of us don’t).

We are rewarded for all our contributions to society at an old and ripe age, and POOF.

We die.

I repeat, we die. At some point or another, we may ask our selves…Why is life so fleeting? Why has it passed us by like so many strangers on the morning street?

And therein lies the truth.

Life was not the one who decided to pass up on us- Rather it is the other way around.

My high school English teacher, Mr.N, had two favorite words that he’d drum into us every now and then, and I used to cringe every time he said it.

“Carpe Diem”

He would take the time to remind us out of the blue, without context nor follow-up. “Carpe Diem; go seize the day”. Of course we all understood what it meant. Carpe diem, go live your life!

Well that’s pretty stupid. I thought. What do you think I’m doing?

Furthermore, in the years that proceeded, I deliberated that I was living a life of substance, of direction, and of value.

It was not until later that I realized something. Deliberation did not yield liberation. Analysis was not catharsis.

Freedom was not found in following the herd.

From the moment we are pacified, to the moment we are taught to behave politely, to the moment we are instructed to do predetermined things along with everyone else, we are not free.

Each moment where we chose to concede our dreams for reality, we are NOT living our lives.

Those choices we made were not OUR choices, and will never ensure that we sculpt an unique existence- The thing that ultimately brings us true happiness on a deep and fulfilling level.

What, then, can? This is the real question, isn’t it? What is the manifestation of Carpe Diem?

What comes next may be a little cliché, but do not dismiss it, for it is the single most powerful truth I have ever come across in my brief existence. It is simply this:

Follow your heart, and don’t let anyone- anything, steer you off the journey that your heart desires to take you on. Trust your heart until the end of time, no matter the circumstances- External or internal.

Trust your heart even more than your reasoning. Or more correctly put, know that your heart IS a part of your reasoning.

Own your emotions, and give them your ear. What’s more, do NOT wait on your emotions, start today. Start. Right now, go outside and do something that scares you, that makes you nervous, and that makes your Heart Beat. Talk to the first person who captures your eye. Say “Hello, how are you,” and see where that takes you. Be respectful to others, but be noble and precise in demanding things of yourself and of those around you .

You know the direction your heart seeks to lead you.

Don’t THINK so much. DO. It is far better to own your soul than to be trapped within your own thoughts. Get out of your head today, and follow your heart, because regardless of where it will take you, the destination will always be a place without regret, and it will be through a path which only you have walked.

It will be a struggle. It won’t be easy. Carpe Diem means seize the day, not collect the day when it comes strolling onto your lap. Do not wait and expect the unexpected.

It may never happen.

And let’s face it, life’s just more fun when you stop listening to the monkey chatter in your brain, and DO.

Until next time.

Your friend,

-Tie