Seize the day. Cherish each opportunity. Capture the moment. Opportunities await the daring around each corner. To maintain individual identity and follow my own starry dreams is to live in the philosophy of carpe diem. It is what life is all about. It means to never be able to look back on the past and ask myself, "What if...?" There are no bounds, barriers or fences. Be a leader! Live in excitement and take each day head on. Here is a favorite quote of mine that sums up this philosophy: "Yesterday was history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the Present."
             Once today is gone, it becomes the past. Forgotten and old, don't look back upon it. Live for the day! Each and every day is truly wonderful; seek it out and cherish each moment. That is why today is called the Present, because it is a gift from God. If it were not so, He would not have named it what He did. And the future? It sounds exciting, but what do we know of it? It is a mystery, unknown to all mankind. Why waste my time waiting for it? Each second that ticks by and by is the future. Time is precious, so make the most of it.
             Another favorite quote of mine that goes directly along with this philosophy is an epigram by Alexander Pope. "Be thou the first true merit to befriend; His praise is lost, who stays till all commend." This quote sums up the phrase carpe diem. Waiting gets me nowhere. I must stand tall and take a chance. Be the first to express myself, and I will be rewarded.
             What would life be like without carpe diem? The world would be a boring and bitter place. Had Noah defied God and not built the ark, I wonder where I would be right now? I would not be sitting here today if my ancestors had not decided to take a huge challenge and risk their lives to come halfway around the world, just for a tiny chance at a better life. Would I be in Europe ...