Chapter 4

Carpe Diem

A few years ago the movie Dead Poets Society resurrected an obscure Latin phrase that most of us had forgotten: Carpe Diem. It means Seize the Day. It's an exhortation to live life to the fullest, getting the most out of each individual day.

  If you surveyed one hundred people, probably all of them would say this is what they want from their own life. No one wants life to be mediocre, at least not many are willing to admit it. By nature, we want our lives to be full. Advertisers know about this basic human desire and build it into their slogans: Who Says You Can't Have It All, Just Do It, Satisfy Your Thirst, Life Is A Journey-Enjoy the Ride, and so on.

  Unfortunately, many times we get so caught up in the details of day to day living that we just don't have time to seize the day! We've got deadlines and commitments, problems and priorities, distractions and obstacles, and though we really want more fulfillment from every single day, it just doesn't seem to be within our grasp.

  Well, the Apostle Paul believed in this philosophy of life Carpe Diem and in Philippians 3 he puts it easily within our grasp. Here he describes his own philosophy of life. If you follow his example, you can learn to "seize the day" and live life to the fullest, no matter how hectic your life may be. Paul shows us three simple steps to living a more fulfilling life. The first step is: