Seize the Day by Michaela

Seize the Day by Michaela - February 2014 Scholarship Essay

Sometimes, it is hard to even get out of bed in the mornings, but there always has to be something that makes us want to change that. I have a sticky note above my light switch with my favorite inspirational quote on it, “Carpe Diem”-Latin for “seize the day.” This quote inspires me to turn my hard days around, take advantage of the time I have, and live for the day.

Imagine a day where every single thing that could go wrong has. You get a flat on the way to work; you spill coffee all over your white blouse; the computer did not save your work; your boss yelled at you, etc. One way to approach this would be to give up. Just stop whatever you’re doing and quit. I know that approach is never an option for me. I just cannot bring myself to stop working for something. That is where carpe diem comes in. The carpe diem approach to all this would be to take this awful day by the horns and make it into something good. Even the most terrible days can be twisted into the best days. It’s easy to take control of your days when you have the confidence to do so.

The thing about life and death is: one is a beautiful lie, while the other is a painful truth. Every single person is going to die, and there is no way around it. I am not guaranteed another day, and I have to take advantage of the short time I’m given. Every single day is a gift; there is no reason that I should sit around and do nothing with my time. I want to leave a legacy that will inspire people to seize the day, every single day. Wasting time is not on my agenda. There really is not enough time in a day to accomplish everything I want to get done. I don’t have time to sit around and be lazy. There are books to read, and pictures to paint, and things to learn. I don’t want to be remembered as someone who did not take advantage of her time.

There are far too many people who worry about things far off in the future. Quite some time ago I was on the phone with a friend. I was panicking about all the things that could go wrong with college. He listened for a while and finally he said, “Michaela, you need to learn to carpe diem. Live for now.” Ever since then, I just live for my day and make it what I want it to be. I know that there are things far off in the future that I will never be able to control, so I live for now and nothing more.

Carpe diem inspires me to be the best I can be: to leave a legacy behind that no one will be able to forget; remember to use my time wisely; and turn my hard days around. I know that this simple phrase will always be a colossal part of my life and inspire me to be the inspiration I was meant to be.