Carpe Diem

Time is not money. Time is time. When your time is over, you will be remembered for what you did, not for what you never got around to doing.

The corollary to carpe diem is gratitude — gratitude for simply being alive, for having a day to seize. The taking of breath, the beating of the heart.

Sometimes we need an event to shock us into the present. Some of us require a catastrophic experience to remind us that we are indeed alive. Others know this from their reading of poetry — a somewhat less traumatic experience.

We don't beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well and living fully. For the Reaper will come for all of us. The question is what we do between the time we are born and the time he shows up.

It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed. It is the things we do not.

Be present. Be present and open to the moment that is unfolding before you, because ultimately your life is made up of moments. So don't miss them by being lost in the past or anticipating the future.

We are all mortal. What divides us is the use we make of the time and opportunities we have.

We keep waiting until we run out of 'untils.' Then it is too late. Our plane has crashed and we haven't done anything about it. We have passed through life without truly exploring its possibilities.

Why take the trip if you're not going to enjoy the ride?

The biggest mistake you can make is to be complacent and think that you have lots of extra time on your hands. You might, but you also might not.

College is something you complete. Life is something you experience. So don't worry about your grade, or your job, or your career. Here is the best piece of advice I can give you: Every day, once a day, give yourself a present.

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love.