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We’re all familiar with the phrase Carpe Diem, or “seize the day”**  as most of us know its literal translation to be.

A phrased coined by the Roman poet Horace some 2,000 years ago is regularly thrown about reminding us to:

Live our lives to the fullest!

Enjoy every second!

Grab those opportunities! (Quite literally, seize them before they disappear)

**In actual fact, the Latin translation of the words Carpe Diem is “plucking the day”, giving an altogether more serene and gentler concept of picking out moments in a a day that make you happy/grateful but hey, we’re not here to debate that so we’ll go with how it’s more commonly known!

Feb 26th is now known as “ National Carpe Diem Day”, reportedly down to a lady called Yvette Francino who supported her close friend Craig Dunham through his diagnosis and passing away from ALS (an incurable and fatal progressive motor neurone disease).

Inspired by Craigs determination to live out each day to its fullest despite his challenging circumstances, Yvette has gone on to complete her own version of carpe diem as well as empowering others to do the same, raising money and awareness for ALS. Remember the viral ice bucket challenge of 2014? That was started by Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, also ALS sufferers who went on to raise an incredible amount of money that has contributed to significant developments in researching this life limiting disease.

It got Caroline and I thinking about what carpe diem looks like to us. And how remembering such a simple philosophy can really help gain perspective when we’re worrying about the “what if’s” in life. Maybe it could help you too!

We know it feels uncomfortable to throw caution to the wind, live for the here and now only and not give any thought to our futures.  Even though everyone knows that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed (as morbid as that sounds), it’s the truth. So finding that balance between living for NOW, doing things that scare us a bit, enjoying the small moments and STILL preparing for the future we hope to have is what we believe, the key to living life to the fullest.

Being in our 40’s means we have a different perspective on life now than we would have done perhaps 15, even 10 years ago. We’re mothers, business owners and downright busy people. The days whizz by in a flash and there seems little time to stop and think. There’s always something to worry about, an email to reply to, a snack to make… it’s never ending, and the mental load takes its toll some days.

But we’re ever more aware of how important it is to sometimes just STOP.

Stop and be grateful for what we have.

Stop and enjoy a nice meal without our phones by our sides.

Stop and go and breath some fresh air, move our bodies and exercise.

Stop and be present with those we care about.

Stop and book the trips (ok we don’t need any convincing with that one…)

Seizing the day can mean different things at different times in your life.

Today it might mean you take the plunge, tell your boss to shove it and slip your CV to Caroline and I at Urbanberry Recruitment…

But it doesn’t always mean you have to do something radical. You don’t have to change your life on a whim or sign yourself up to skydive (er, no thanks). 

We like to think it can also serve as a kind reminder to ourselves to make those smaller moments in life count too.

Take a picture.

Compliment someone unexpectedly.

Do something just for you.

Whatever your carpe diem looks like at this moment in time, remember that it doesn’t have to be big to be life changing.

(info on National Carpe Diem Day and it’s origins gained from www.carpediemday.com)