Carpe diem.
I absolutely love this phrase carpe diem. It’s latin for "seize the day” and is exactly how the last few weeks have been for me. The objective of carpe diem may differ from person to person, but the foundation is to curate each day with intention. It’s the most expressive way of truly following intuition and love. My best example of this is a recent podcast I listened to with Rick Rubin. For those that may not know of Rick, he’s a not so technical music producer that has made a living off of his intuition (He’s worked with many artists that are probably in your library). He started a podcast called Tetragrammaton, where he may possibly be one of the best listeners, and hosts I engage with.
His recent guest, Adam Neumann, really inspired this train of thought I had for a while about intuition, timing, and the power of carpe diem. He owned several “failing” businesses before he started his business WeWork (a communal office space). The lesson in all of this is, the way Adam’s business manifested, ended up being the accumulation of his life experiences. A business that he happened to waltz into when a landlord told him that his other businesses were terrible. He grew up in a Kibbutz when he was younger, essentially learning basic life lessons that most schools would never teach you. From farming to construction, the Kibbutz was a way of living oriented around the community. Long story short he was handed this opportunity to have a space where people could rent their way into a communal office space. Meaning, an accountant on their way to get coffee could get talking and potentially land themselves someone like a freelance graphic design client.
The underlying theme here is that we each have a compass built into our psyche. Of which we are gently being guided based on the subconscious mind to make decisions that would ultimately fulfill some of our deeper inhibitions. Because of this, opportunities present themselves agnosium, so much so that it’s for us to open up our field of awareness to take advantage of them. Much like Adam did with WeWork and Rick does with his music production. When you are fully engaged in this world, opportunities, work, and much of life can be lived in a way that everyday feels like a vacation.
I think a major argument someone would have against this observation is that a whole lot of responsibility gets in the way of them truly feeling the tug of intuition. Especially money, which governs most things. It’s hard to live life when you have this weight over your shoulder constantly, especially when you’re just trying to live a decent life.
I’d agree, but I’d also say that money, much like life, is amassed through leverage. Knowing this, it’s easier to leverage yourself into positions where you align energetically, mentally, and physically. Leverage works the same way carpe diem works; taking advantage of the given opportunity you are presented with daily. Bringing us back to Adam, he didn’t have to change anything about himself or his values to create an incredibly profitable business. Once the idea was there, it was like the universe knew that it was amazing and blessed him beyond belief. Just like it could do for you..
Carpe diem doesn’t mean you have to dismiss your responsibilities. It just means that you should be more aware of what it truly means to live the life you’ve been given. It means taking advantage of getting to wake up everyday, and be lucky enough to experience the meat suit that is you.
Thanks for reading.
With love,
Kai
Weekly Poem:
Eyes are the gateway to curiosity
The mind is the antennae for the universal frequency
The body is the vessel of exploration
The ears are guides for our intuition
And the heart governs them all so we can carpe diem.
