Christ-mas

With Christmas around the corner, decorations put up and presents bought and Christmas day meals planned, the hype of Christmas is fresh in the air. It's Christmas music and Christmas food and Christmas parties. Plenty of Christmas. Another year, another Christmas. It's an exciting time of year.

By the title you might have guessed by now where I am going with this post. The word Christmas already tells you a lot. Christ-mas is the day which annually celebrates and remembers the birth of Jesus Christ. When everyone is brought together around Christmas, that's a good reminder of how we're all here to celebrate it because of Jesus in the first place. Without Him coming in to the world we wouldn't even be here today to celebrate because He was born and He saved all of us so that we can live. If He wasn't born, we wouldn't exist.

Imagine that. No Christmas lights, no tree, no presents, no Christmas meals, never mind that, one key point - no you. Non - existent.You can't even imagine not existing because you even have to exist to imagine. Wow one big emptiness. I wouldn't have this post. I wouldn't be here to write it. When you imagine all that just gone, you think wow what a lot we have in a Christmas season. What a happy time of year it is for most people. What a great gift life is. Whose birth on this day is remembered and who died and rose from the dead to save us so that we may have life? I'll give you a hint : Christ-mas. It's even in the word.

Jesus Christ is the answer. Not only the answer to my question but the answer to everything. He's the answer to life. How do we live life? We need Jesus. What is life? It's what we have been given by God. That's what Christmas is about, remembering why we are here because of Him. Jesus gave the best gift ever He made it possible for life to continue. I doubt anything you're going to find under the tree is going to be more valuable than that.

I love Christmas and everything that comes with it. Christmas is like a tornado and everything about it is spinning around and around with all the excitement but the center of the tornado which is called the eye of the tornado is the calmest part. So while the tornado of Christmas spreads around the world let's not forget the center where the calm of Jesus Christ is. Christmas is not only a massive holiday but also a remembrance of the birth of Jesus. The birth of Jesus is the main celebration for Christ-mas.

This song just popped in to my head, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone, Because I know He holds my future and live is worth the living just because He lives." What a great blessing Jesus Christ is to all of us. I think that's a great remembrance and cause for celebration and gratitude every Christmas season and not only on Christmas but throughout our lives. However on Christmas Jesus should especially be remembered because if He isn't that's like going to a party and no one at the party thanking or recognising the host.

Let's honour the day our Saviour came into the world. That's a reason for presents and food and we can celebrate but in all that let's no forget why Christmas is here. It's not a holiday about us, it's about Jesus. Christmas is here because we are here and we are here because Jesus was born. The day He was born we get presents. He enabled us to buy presents to give to each other by blessing us in our lives.

Jesus is selfless not only did he save us all but on His day we give each other presents and He never asks for anything. God encourages us to give and it pleases Him when we do with the right heart. It's not wrong to give gifts on Christmas, giving to people because we love them is the way God wants us to give.

Wishing you all a lovely Christ-mas,
Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill

Home Sweet Home by Nicola Hill - The book I wrote

Dear readers worldwide,

Welcome to my blog and this is a special post about my book. My first novel which I've recently self published for now on Amazon Kindle it's called Home Sweet Home. I still would like to have it published as a paper back novel one day and it still may need professional editing but for now I finally put it out there for people to read. I decided it's time to share my book.

My book was before my blog, I named this blog after my book. It's a hard post for me to write because I don't know if you've seen or read a part Home Sweet Home yet but this book has been a part of my life for a long time. Whether my novel is destined to be best a seller or not, I put so much in to the story. It's been a book I first got the idea for when I was fourteen years old. Over ten years now. I started it three times with three different titles and finally completed it the year after I finished high school in 2007 and I've had it ever since editing it over the years. That's why my book is set in 2007. I spent 2007 writing it from start to finish.

I was in my second year of high school and watching Men in Black one night when I thought, why are people from another planet usually made to be aliens or have special powers, why can't they be normal human beings. I remember the night I first got the idea for my book. I was so excited. I wanted to make a new planet where normal human beings came from. I actually had the name for the planet already which I used for my book - Techno. I made a planet that has advanced technology but I gave Techno a special reason for this as you'll read in my book.

There were a few times when I was writing my book in Zimbabwe and there would be a power cut and the laptop would go off before I'd have a chance to save. I wrote it on an a laptop that had a battery that didn't work properly so I needed to have electricity. As frustrating as it was, sometimes I just laughed at the craziness of it all. I would spend hours just sitting and writing. When I was sitting and writing I was oblivious to my surroundings. It was as if I would be in a different world. It was a really great feeling creating this whole new story and putting it all together. I got so excited when I got an idea to add to my book.

I remember someone telling me I have this writer personality about me where I can just be somewhere else, in my own world. I always trail off when I get new ideas in to the World of Imagination, that's where I go when I'm writing or getting ideas. I'm in the zone. A moment of inspiration. You shouldn't write when you don't feel like it and that's why I write when I feel this urge to put my ideas down. That's when I have my best work. Those are the times I would sit on the laptop and write a few pages or a new chapter of my book.

I have implemented parts of my own life in Home Sweet Home. There are many things that relate to my life but I don't want to write about them in this post because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone. Apart from the houses in my book, the other places in Zimbabwe are real places. The schools and the areas all exist. Once you've read my book I might write a spoiler post about how the book relates to my own life. However it's not a story about me, it's a story about overcoming the past.

As a writer you write what you know and that's so true. I used a country I grew up in because there is no other place I know better. That's why there are parts of my life in the book because the more I can relate to my book, the more readers are going to. It's a fantasy book with people from another planet and a fantasy world of Techno but then you get taken to the real Zimbabwe. My home.

I had the time of my life creating this story. I have the time of my life every time I am writing something. I've enjoyed writing poetry and blog posts. Now I've finally decided to share a book I wrote . A book which I hope is one of many to come. If you look on Amazon Kindle you can read a sample of it. I have something better in store however.

Home Sweet Home will be on a free book promotion on Amazon Kindle. A free download of the whole book on Amazon Kindle. I am going to have a promotion this month and next month. My aim in publishing is to share what I've done and I'd like to share it with you. Feel free to share the link to my book too with your friend's cousin's aunt's grandmother. I'm happy to share it with anyone and I would appreciate any help. I could use some help and feedback.

I really would love to have my book published on paper too but for now it's only Amazon Kindle. I learnt that even if you don't have a kindle, on all smart phones/ ipads or anything that can get apps you can download the Kindle app which works just like a Kindle. At least then if you wanted to you could also download my book.

I thank God for my writing. Anything I do or have done, I owe it all to God. On our own I'm sure we can do well but with God we can do great in our lives. We can be better and we can do better. I may not get everything I want with my writing but I know that God will give me everything I need.

My next novel I will writing will be a Christian one.

The link to Home Sweet Home on Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Sweet-Nicola-Hill-ebook/dp/B00G3L3EI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383658801&sr=8-1&keywords=home+sweet+home+nicola+hill

Or if you search "Home Sweet Home Nicola Hill" it will come up on any amazon website.

If you do read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can write a review on amazon or send me your thoughts. It'll be interesting to hear all the feedback.

This is a picture of my first Home Sweet Home in Harare, Zimbabwe. I'm not calling it my Home Sweet Home because of the house although it was my home too but also because of the memories my family and I shared there. Many happy memories.















Feel free to go through my blog too and read all my blog posts and if you have twitter you can follow me @nicolahill7

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you read my book.

Until I write again,
Look out for the free promotion and happy reading Home Sweet Home,
Nicola Hill

Falling In Love

Who would think, I put some thoughts in my head on a blog and people actually read it. I appreciate all the views I get on my blog. It's the one thing I like to do when I'm relaxed and my mind has all these ideas and then I think, I'm going to write about it. It can be scrambled thoughts that somehow when I write it down it makes sense. Well to me anyway. A lot of people have different things that are their thing and writing is my thing. It's my thing. It's what I like to do the most. That and eat. I'm half teasing, I do like writing and I like to eat but I like a lot of other things too.

This post is a continued topic on my blog. I've written on this topic before but I don't think you can ever cover everything on it. It's one of those never ending stories. Don't you worry though I'm not about to go on and on about it in this post though, this blog post will have an end. It will be a lasting topic that I will bring up when I feel inspired to write about it as I do now. There are lots of forms of love this is about falling in love.

I've been thinking a lot about my friends who are engaged and married and the constant news I hear of more couples taking the plunge. Recently my youngest sister has added to that news with her engagement. All this falling in love that's happening all around. That feeling of people knowing they want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. It's an amazing thing.

I think the key about love is that you don't need one person to complete you but it's great to find someone to spend your life with. In other words you have to be your own person before you can fall in love with someone. No one should want to change you, they should want to grow with you as you are.

Love is one of the coolest things in the world. Romance, love, relationships are what most people want. Everyone's time will come. At the rate things are going yours could even come tomorrow. Life however is not about falling in love. What I mean by that is falling in love is not a goal it's just something that can happen. The thing about falling in love is no one can make you fall in love, you just do. That's why it's called falling in love not forced to love.

I like all this falling in love that I'm seeing happening all around. I think it's a really exciting time for a lot of people. A lot of people are taking that next step to a future together. I can't believe quite a few are people my age now and younger, I must be getting old. It's funny one day you imagine people will get married and have kids and now it's happening. It's reality brought to life.

I'm very happy for all  the couples that have fallen in love. I love the love stories from people and I'm a sucker for romantic comedies and love music and all that crap. It's not really crap, it's beautiful. Love is beautiful. It's one of the most beautiful things in life. I can't really define falling in love because it's so special but I see the beauty in it.

I'm not planning to go out there and fall in love myself. This post isn't about me and you can't plan it for yourself. I just think falling in love is cool and I'm over the moon for those who have. You ever heard the song that goes "Love and marriage. Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage." I'm seeing this happen in most cases. 

For those who have fallen in love - awesome! If you're hoping to fall in love one day - it could happen. No seriously, have you not seen the rate of people getting married today. I think the wedding industry is the most probably the most profitable industry to be in at the moment. The odds are in your favour. Ok more seriously now as I said before falling in love is not a goal in life. You, you are your goal. Be you and if someone happens to fall in love with you that's great. 

I just thought I'd use this blog post to launch my wedding planner business, ok I'm joking unless you want a wedding in the middle of the jungle or something completely unusual then yes I could help you out. Wedding planner for me - no way but I want to congratulate those who have found someone and those who haven't, well your parents and friends still love you. That's a bit cheeky I know but alright my point is, love can happen.

So until I write again I shall love and leave you to be swept off your feet. Possibly in the time I've written this three more people have got engaged. I actually hope so, I think it's really cool that so many people have fallen in love.

Nicola Hill









 

Possibilites

Welcome to my blog and feel free to take a look around. Spend as much time as you like, you get charged per second. Don't panic, there are no charges just the freedom to sit and read.

Have you ever had a dream? I'm sure when you're sleeping at night you've had all kinds of random dreams but those aren't the ones I'm talking about. I'm talking about the dreams you have for your life. You must have had things you wanted or imagined would one day be possible. Isn't it great when some of those things you imagined start coming true. Not everything happens in the way you imagine but you can reach the same point. That's a good feeling isn't it. That's a bit of how I am feeling.

I've come up for the title for this post as I'm writing. Have you ever heard the phrase "the possibilities are endless". The possibilities are endless. You might be thinking but I've tried something and they were not numerous possibilities because it reached an end. Yes things do end. Not everything is possible but there is always a possibility and that possibility is endless. I know it might seem like I'm talking in a circle and now your head is spinning trying to grasp my concept which is why I do explain my points.

If one things ends there is always the possibility of something else beginning. In life there are dead ends but you can turn around and try another way. There are endless directions you can choose for your life all leading to different possibilities. There's a whole world of options. You try one thing, you try another and eventually you get to this point where you're finally on the track to reaching a dream. Whether you're reaching your original dream or your dream has changed completely you're getting there.

Endless possibilities that resulted in getting you on your way. You took one possibility after the next and here you are. If I was making a speech instead of this blog post we might have a drum roll or something here to illustrate this is where you are now. What you've got to realise is wherever you are now there are endless possibilities about where you could be and where you will go from here.

I just talked about going from here and I've put a picture of a stop sign. My blogs must make no sense to you. Maybe I need a decorator for my blogs. If you've read my blogs before you'll know there's always a reason for what's on them. This is where you are, you're here stopped. What happens when we stop at a stop sign? We look for cars then if it's clear we continue driving. We don't stay stopped do we and live by the stop sign. I haven't seen anyone camped out by stops signs recently but that's as likely happening as the sun staying all the year round in the Uk. 

I'm getting to the really juicy part of my blog post so if you imagine when you're eating a really fantastic meal and your taste buds are on fire with all the flavours because it's so good, this what my words are going to be like for your brain. I am not saying I am great writer but I am just saying whatever you feel, I really like this next point.

If you're stopped for however long when you decide it's time to go the possibilities are endless. It is possible that you will go at the wrong time and in the same way cars that go at the wrong time crash in to each other, you will crash. The point is in our lives whatever stops we finds ourselves at, we'll always find a way out, the possibilities are endless. That's it. That's my juicy meal for your brain. No refund policy. Think about it, you'll never be stopped by anything if you know there is always another direction and another way to go.

Wherever you are in your life you have endless possibilities about where you could be. You do have to work towards things but you just have to have the drive to keep going. You've got to have fuel in your tank. Yeah people can try fill your empty tank with their words but at the end of the day you're the one driving, you've got to decide to move.

A world where the possibilities are endless is a world we create for ourselves. No one can tell you how to think. Oh this happened but that's ok I'll do something else. Oh it failed but that's ok I can try again. Oh it's not going to work out but that's ok I can try something else. Oh I've lost everything but that's ok I can start again. Oh I don't know what I want to do but that's ok I'll figure it out. Oh my love left me but that's ok I'll find love again. Oh I miss everyone but that's ok I'll visit them. Oh I have no money but that's ok I'll make a plan. The possibilities are endless and while we may not always get the ones we want we can always make something out of wherever we find ourselves. 

Oh it's a new day that's great the possibilities are endless.

A world with endless possibilities - now that's exciting!

I hope this is like jumper cables to your day! Get you going!

Until I write again,

Nicola Hill

A Beautiful Masterpiece

The canvass of our lives is not only painted by us. Life can take so many different directions. Although the picture can end up a masterpiece. A beautiful picture of the story of our lives. You may not see the beautiful picture right away but yours is being created.

You may wonder what I mean by that. I don't even know what I mean. I just write things that come out of my head. I am joking of course I know where I am going with this. If we were to paint the perfect picture of our lives how would it look? Do we really know how it's going to look? We can paint an idea but life is not a perfect picture. Although it's good to have an idea in mind. You can't take it for granted it's going to look like that.

God has a picture in mind for us. If we look to Him, He will help us paint it. He will add colour where there is none. He can't paint the picture for us though. We have to be the artists of our own lives. He can't force us to paint His picture. God's not the only one that adds to our pictures. Each person we meet adds something. Whether it's darkness or light shades in the picture of our lives we will have both from different people.

What we've got to remember is that ultimately we can draw the same as God's picture. We may not be perfect artists but that's fine, we can copy our work. God lets us copy. He doesn't just let us copy, he teaches us how to draw. From the stroke of the brush to using different colours to completion. Like with any lessons it does help if the student shows up for class. It may be surprising how many times someone can be sick or absent for lessons from God. What benefit is it by not showing up other than more inexperience.

Yes we can learn a lot from people. We can get 3 million opinions on how the picture of our lives should look. We can paint someone else's idea. That would be like getting an amateurs advice when we can have an experts. God's already the expert and we can turn to Him for help. He can replace the dark patches in our picture and make them bright. He will show us the beauty in our pictures.

 Ultimately whatever you go through God is always there for you. Whether you notice Him or not He's always there. There are no entrance exams to God's class. It's open for everybody. That's what we've got to realise. That we have the help we need when we need it. That creating a masterpiece is not as hard as it seems.

What is a masterpiece? It's the picture of your life that God has for you. No picture starts off a masterpiece but by working on it and by all the colours and shades added to it, it can become one. The dark and light shades in your picture add to it. So the dark and good times in our lives add to who we are. Different people add different things by being a part of our lives just like the colours in our picture.

What we have to decide is what do we want our picture to look like. What picture do we want people to remember long after we are gone. In other words what do we want our lives to be about and what do we want to be remembered for. God knows what the best thing for our lives is.

Sit and think, look at your picture so far, then grab your paintbrush and keep painting. It may not be perfect but it's the picture of your whole life and when it's finished it can be a beautiful masterpiece.

Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill

Social Media

What amuses me is how much the world of social media has advanced. Among some of the popular sites are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so I am going to focus on those here. There are so many social media sites! Those sites seem to be the sites most people I know use. Although you have to think how it affects our world today in the good and not so good ways.

The first is Instagram capturing photos and moments. Tweaking photos to make them look better. Some completely edited photos which show little comparison to the original. You see a photo of a friend looking great and glamorous which the original didn't look as good in their eyes. A photo captures you as you are. We're all together in not liking a certain photo of ourselves. I see many pictures of glamorous cups of coffee and normal pictures when edited look greater than they are. I've had fun myself editing a photo here and there. However I've found for me I prefer real photos. I prefer seeing things as they are and seeing people as they are. Therefore I don't edit many of mine. If we were to meet up in person no chance to edit how you look. That's my personal preference I am not saying anyone should listen to my way. I enjoy all the photos and I like some edited cool ones. Some photos of people I would prefer the original.

Secondly we got to twitter. Little tweets of all kinds of things. I've put a few which say one thing such as - exhausted. While I am exhausted sometimes, I do wonder how interesting it must be for my twitter followers to read a one word tweet about my tiredness. Very interesting I imagine. I suppose a tweet saying "excited" is an acceptable one word tweet because it's showing something is happening. People wait for follows and some follow you for a short time and then unfollow you. That's a common instance in the twitter land. The most frustrating is when someone follows you then you follow them, then they unfollow you. Great thank you for that waste of time.

Now we go to facebook. I enjoy facebook for helping keeping in touch with friends and family around the world. I enjoy seeing what people are up to and posting things I'm doing or find interesting. It's nice seeing photos of weddings and  birthday parties you weren't able to attend. The one thing about facebook I find funny is the whole "people don't like my status or write on my wall so they don't love me anymore" syndrome. Or someone didn't ask how I am doing in a while so they don't care about me anymore. Not everybody uses facebook often. Some friends I know have not even logged in for months. You can't rely on social media for your relationships. Maybe people aren't writing to you but what's stopping you from writing to them. Or better so picking up the phone or Skyping someone.

The same way the world revolves around the sun is becoming the same way the world revolves around social media. Social media is becoming more and more depended on. Imagine the catastrophe when a certain site doesn't work for the day. Imagine the outrage when they update the way a certain social media site looks. It affects our whole life. How will we go on. Imagine if social media went down, would life on Earth still exist?

Yes, yes the world can exist without social media. It existed before without it quite fine. Although social media has bridged international barriers where people can communicate across the world in a matter of seconds. I don't think it should be banished. I do however think people have to be careful not to get lost in it. Not to substitute in person communication where possible for a facebook message. Not to substitute phoning or talking to someone via skype etc to find out about their life for a facebook message.

I've seen my photos and others take a whole new level where you document a whole lot more pictures of what you're doing making social media more visible than ever. You have an insight in to people lives. You see a photo capture of moments of their day from their morning coffee to tanning by the pool to eating dinner. I know my family love my photos of my sandwich or my cereal. They sit waiting to see what I will eat every day.

You do notice I am pulling the leg in some respect of social media. This may come as a shock to you but I am sarcastic. I am not taking a dig exactly, I am more explaining my amusement and common instances where the world of social media has taken over. I have all three of the sites - facebook, twitter and instagram. I've done everything I've given examples of above. I am not a perfect social media user but I have become more aware of it as time has gone on.

I think it's a natural human thing to be interested in the lives of those we care about. It's natural to want to hear from people we care about. It's our freedom to post what we like and do what we like. It will be our stupidity though if we invest more in the social media world than in the real world. There's a world out there. No I am not joking, it exists. Look out your window what to do you see and what can you feel. You can see things as they really are, you can actually feel and touch. It's not a screen it's a live feed, a real live feed, it's life.

There are loads of benefits to social media. You learn all kinds of things, engagements, weddings and where everyone is travelling to, what they are up to day by day, funny things they share, keeping in touch and making people not seem too far away. There's a lot of good in social media. I love social media. I am a great user of a lot of sites. There is a good way and a not so good way to use it.

I am just raising a thought that I have spoken to a few people about in the past of how we as people and as a world are becoming more and more active in social media and how we have to be careful of how we use it.

One very important fact is to remember that although a vast majority of people in your life use social media sites there are also people who don't like them. Social Media is not for everybody. There are other ways to contact people besides the sites and we can't rely on them using it like we do.

This is a blog post which I have thought about writing for a while and I have gone with the flow of how my thoughts have come to me while I am writing it. I am not super social media person and I am not the best at using it smartly but I am learning more like we all are. It's just my general thoughts put together to illustrate what we already know but don't always realise that social media is becoming more and more dependable some instances staying on a healthy level and some heading towards the bad diet side.

Let's stick to the healthy diets of social media.

Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill

Leap Of Faith

Sometimes you have to jump and have faith that God will catch you.

It reminds me of this quote:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

I like this quote I found this morning:
"With God's strength behind you and His arms beneath you, you can face whatever lies ahead of you."

What is your life? Your life is what was given to you by God. God has a plan for your life. He wants to be beside you throughout your life. Whether you keep Him in your life or not depends on you.

What are people? All people go through problems. They have good times and bad times in their lives. They are kind when they love and evil when they hate. They all have hopes and dreams.

What is faith? Faith is putting trust in God to direct your life.

This is the equation:

People + Faith In God = Life

We all have lives that we want to live our way and when we do that our journey looks like this:

When we live our lives God's way our journey looks like this:

Maybe you were expecting a straight path with no bumps when you live a life with God. If that's the case you may have to take back your life with God package and request a refund. Bumps will always come in life but with God we'll go over them. God will also test us and we have to get over the bump to continue our journey with Him.

I don't know about you but I'd rather walk with God with bumps that He will help me over anyway than a messy squiggle of all kinds of challenges without Him. Even if that means taking a leap of faith over the bumps, I will walk with God. A leap of faith means that you haven't physically got over the bumps yet but you know that with God you will.

You have to build your faith and you do that by praying when those bumps come in life. The bumps aren't all bad things, they're good and bad things ahead of you that you have to get over. Whether it's finding a new job, passing an exam, learning to cope with the loss of a loved one, trouble with people, paying for something there are endless kinds of bumps. With God we don't see the bumps we see the road and that road goes on.

In a leap of faith before we have actually moved over the bumps we've already leaped over them with God. If that doesn't make sense, faith doesn't make sense by human standards. I can not explain it to you. You can't scientifically define faith. The level of trust you have in God is the level of your faith.

This is what the road looks like when you take a Leap Of Faith:

Would you look at that! A road with no bumps! Wow! Isn't that what we all want a life with no problems! Where can we sign up for this? Brace yourself, I have to break it to you, the bumps are still there but with God you don't notice them, you take a leap of faith over ALL of them. Don't expect an easy life but God guarantees a happy one.

After all what do we have to worry about, this is what God has got planned for us:
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the Lord." ~ Jeremiah 29: 11-14

I hope I see you all leaping like spring chickens around the place. And we all say to each other, "Bumps pfft, what are those?"

I pray that you all go on this journey with God. It'll be the most incredible journey of your life. God's always around waiting for us to come to Him, He's there! Right there! God isn't going to jump out in front of your face and wave. He isn't going to force you to acknowledge Him. You know He is there and you have to go to Him. It isn't hard for you to approach Him, He'll welcome you with open arms. Once you've gone to God and grow with Him you'll be able to make leaps of faith.

The only question you have to ask yourself is which road will you choose?

It may be simple that a straight road taking a leap of faith is an easy choice but it's amazing how many people don't go that way. They see a little bump in their lives and they panic and think "It's a mountain :O!" However you see your bumps you will glide over them with God in your life.

I have a new equation:

People + No Faith and Problems = Disaster

Speed bumps may slow us down but they don't keep us from moving forward.

Reach out for the life God has for you and take a Leap Of Faith!

With that I love and leave you,
Until I write again,
Nicola Hill

Be Yourself

This new blog post has come to life and this is a post about you! It's about you, being you.

As I start this post I've just thought of this quote I found a few years ago:

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've written before on how we're all different and everyone is unique and we all have something different to offer this world. As you are, you cannot be replaced, no two personalities match. You are you. Who's going to be like you? No one. Why do people want to change who they are? Peer pressure. How do you get comfortable with who you are? By accepting who you are.

I've answered enough questions so I can conclude this blog post now. No of course not, this blog post is not over yet so sit back, grab some coffee or something if you like and keep reading :). I have a story I want to tell you first before I get in to everything else,  this is a part of my story.

A long time ago, (ok not too long ago I'm not that old yet), I was a teenager starting off in high school. High school is a big step. It's where you go from being a kid who had fun to thinking about what you want to do with your life. It's where you want to make new friends and be accepted among your peers. You go from not having a care in the world and running around having fun to worrying about what's going on around you.

I spent some of my high school years feeling like I wanted to be someone else. That no one was going to like me for me. I wanted to be more of this and less of that. I was in my shell and I couldn't express myself or show the world me. I felt like I couldn't show people who I was and people didn't understand who I was so they came up with their own ideas. I was quiet and kept to myself a lot. There were times when I felt isolated and alone.

Before I go on this is not a sad story it's just a journey I had in my life to figuring out who I was. As the years in high school went by I got a little bit more comfortable and started to be more of me, just being myself. Then I realised some people liked who I am even with my crazy sense of humour. The whole time I wanted to be something different but the more I was me the more I got comfortable in my own skin and started to be happy with who I am.

The person you will be best at being is you. No one knows how to be you better than you. I'm talking about being the good, best version of yourself. If you've got bad qualities and your character is showing bad behavior a lot or all the time then don't be that, you can change. That's not being yourself. You may think that's you but you have good in you too. There is that person in you that God created you to be and when that person comes out that's the you that should stay.

We're all different personalities and comparing ourselves to others is never going to get us anywhere. You can't be compared, there's no one that matches you to compare to. Let them be who they are and you be who you are. If you're not being yourself you're starving the world of who you are because no can take your place.

Life is a journey and part of it is a discovery of who you are. You know what you want to be. You know what you don't want to be.  You know what you like. You know what you don't like. No outside person should be able to change that. People can't tell you what to be. You know how to be you better than anyone. Especially if you be yourself, the best version of yourself. No one has control over you except you.

You've got to learn to love the person you are. However you are. You're not going to be perfect all the time. You will make mistakes. You're not going to have all the other qualities you like in people around you. You're not going to be accepted by everyone. Not everyone will like you. If you be yourself you will find the right people that do like you.

We are not mistakes. We are not our failures. We are not other people's disappointments. We are not other people's targets. We each have something special about us. We each have a light to shine. We each have a smile to give. We each have a hope and future. We are all God's children. We are all different. We are all loved. We can all be the best good version of ourselves.

Would you like to know "How to Be Yourself?" I cannot tell you. Yes that was a helpful answer... I cannot tell you because I am not you. I don't know who you are but God does. He knows exactly who you are. He knows you to the core of your being. Take God's hand and step out of the shadows and be yourself! Be happy with the person God made you to be. Then you will find the right people who love you for who you are.

I try to be me despite what the world thinks of me. Even if I do seem like I got thrown against a wall as a baby or something must have smacked me in the head as a teenager that's me and I'm happy being me. I'm not going to be a lot of things but there are a lot of things I already am and I like those things. Yes it would have been nice if I could do things that I cannot do but I am thankful for the things I can do. I am thankful for my life and for the people in my life.

It's easy to fall in to the trap of what people think and to get hurt but it's not about what the world thinks of you, it's about what God thinks of you. 

God will bring out the best version of yourself. You will have to work on yourself every day but every day God will be right by your side. You're never going to be perfect all the time but you can be better.

I appreciate all the different people in my life and I like that we're all different and we are all unique. I said on my birthday this year about all people, I'm glad you were all born in to this world and the world would not be the same without you because it wouldn't. You're special and cannot be replaced. Be Yourself :)!

Until I write again,
Keep being the awesome person you are :-)
God Bless,
Nicola Hill

Bullying

The Wikipedia definition of bullying is this, "Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others. The behavior can be habitual and involve an imbalance of social or physical power. It can include verbal harassment or threat, physical assault or coercion and may be directed repeatedly towards particular victims, perhaps on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability".

I find bullying sad. Sad that people can deliberately hurt others and feel nothing. Sad that words get used to bring people down instead of build them up. Sad that it gets to the point of making someone else cry. Sad that people abuse their power given to them and use it to hurt others. Bullying can crush someone's spirit. In this blog post I'm concentrating on bullying with words. Words can cause serious harm.

Everyone must have witnessed or been a victim of some form of bullying. It's not only something that happens in schools, it happens in work places too. It can happen anywhere. Wherever someone attacks another. Bullying with words is saying something that drags a person down in a harsh way without feeling sorry. Words are a form of communication but they are also a very strong tool that can encourage or damage others. Are your words building people up or tearing them down?

No one wants to feel hurt, isolated or unwanted. No one wants to be made fun of. No one wants to be a target of someone else. No one wants someone constantly putting them down. No one wants to cry. No one wants people talking behind their back. Which leads me to ask, why bully? If people don't want to be on the receiving end then why do they put someone else there?

We're all different. In a whole world of personalities there is no one else like you. There are billions of personalities out there. In a whole world of all kinds of people not everyone will get along. Although we are all different we all have something in common. We all have feelings and the potential to be good.

Remember we all have feelings. Every person can experience feeling happy and they can feel sad. Which would you rather be? If you choose sad... Actually sad is not an option, I know no one will choose to be sad. Why would you choose to be sad anyway? Do you like feeling upset or hurt? Does it make you feel good? No it does not. Then my question is why do people make someone else go through that? Why do people bully others and make them feel something they don't want to feel?

I found Proverbs 15 is a good verse for this post if you'd like to read it through.

There are a lot of things words can do to people.

Beating with words or building with words? That is the question. Beat them down or build them up.

It's like giving someone a lift or hitting them with your car. That's the difference between the type of words that get thrown at people. If you give them a lift you carry them to go further with your words. If you hit them you injure them with your words. Sometimes the damage isn't so bad but sometimes it can be.

The reason I am talking about bullying with words and the extent of watching our words is because too much abuse of words can lead to bullying.

Thank you for reading my blog. You can follow me on twitter @nicolahill7. You can also subscribe to this blog by email on the right hand side of this post. I write when I have something on my heart that I want to write about. When I'm feeling inspired to write.

I have written many blog posts on a range of topics. You're welcome to look through all my posts.

I'd like to end with this quote I found today. I actually found it before I even thought about this blog because I only thought of this post later but I think it fits really well.

Trouble with this world is that everybody's out to get everybody else. I mean why can't people be more like me? I love everybody. ~ Bugs Bunny

Until I write again,
Build people up,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill

Walking with God

There were people broken down by life. There were people lost and couldn't find a way out. There were people who focused on material things and what life had to offer them. There were people who didn't realise the great life in store for them and settled for what they had. All these people found something amazing. Something to hold on to. A new hope. A new life. An incredible journey. This journey began when they started walking with God. When they turned their lives over to God.

What is your story? I am sure everyone can think of hard times in their lives and how their lives have improved. Everyone thinks "I've had it harder" than others. The poor me syndrome that many fall in to. We're not in a competition of who had the biggest struggle. Sure life can be tough and people have bigger struggles than others but I am talking about moving beyond the tough times on the greatest journey you will ever take in your life and that is walking with God.

If you keep on your walk with God you will walk through everything. Any hurdles that come along your way, job loss or failing something even if they set you back a bit or delay you on your journey, you will keep walking. Sudden accidents, loss, heartache that can paralyze you, you will keep walking. People who hurt you, stand in your way, you will keep walking. No matter what life throws at you, you will keep walking because God walks with you.

God doesn't see things like we do. He doesn't worry like we do. Looking at the same view, we will see a mountain and God sees an anthill. Walking with God is not just a walk through your troubles it's a walk in to the plan God has for you. It's a walk where you will look around and see how God has blessed you in your life. A walk where God brings you on this amazing adventure better than you can imagine.

Remember God chooses the path we walk on and He leads the way. If you walk with Him it doesn't mean He's going to hand you everything you want but He will give you everything you need. Of course God wants us to be happy and feel loved and no matter how many times He's been rejected by us, He cares and loves us unconditionally. He doesn't love you only if you've done right (no one has done right or does right all the time). He loves you in spite of what you've done. He loves you and nothing you do can stop the love He has for you.

Will you trust someone that loves your more than any other person you will ever meet with your life? Will you go walking with God? He's got His hand out to us and He's always there wanting us to walk with Him. He created us and the walk of life after all. Walking without God is like trusting someone's opinion of something over the person who created the actually thing. Who knows more than the creator?

God doesn't make us sign a contract that says we have to follow Him. The choice to walk with God is entirely up to you. Have you ever heard of people's lives that have been changed by God? Have any of those stories had a bad ending? Have all those people seemed happy now that they had God in their life? Yes of course they're happy because they're on the greatest journey ever. Of course they're not immune to hurdles and hardships life throws their way but they make it through. They keep on walking. They don't walk because they're strong and on their own ability. They walk because they pray and trust God with their lives and whatever happens they believe God is good all the time.

God is good ALL the time! Bad things in life don't happen because of God, bad things happen because evil was let in to the world and there are bad people too because of it. To qualify for a walk with God, God doesn't have high requirements and He doesn't say you have to have been an angel all your life. In fact there is only one requirement and that is to ask Him to forgive your sins, give your life over to God and trust Him. Simple as that.

If you're walking with God, stay close to Him. Walk with Him every day and every day you will see how your day changes. He changes us for the better. He changes our lives for the better. It's not a walk where one day you walk with Him, one day you don't. If things are getting too hard for you to handle then maybe you've got to get back to regular walks with God. In the same way you've got to keep your fitness up or else you'll lose it, you've got to walk with God to keep feeling peace. A peace that can survive whatever comes your way comes and you get this peace by putting your in trust God.

God is always there ready to go for a walk, are we ready to go walking with God? Let's walk daily and exercise our Faith!

Thank you for reading my blog. I have twitter too @nicolahill7. You can subscribe to this blog at the top right of this page if you want to get notified instantly whenever I post something. I have written many blog posts on here, you're welcome to go through them. I also have a link on the right hand side to my other writing blog on tumblr where I have written a few posts and some poems. I write when I feel inspired to write. I love writing, always have, always will.

Until I write again enjoy walking with God ;)
God Bless,
Nicola Hill

In a relationship with our mobiles

As I start my blog post I find one of the ways I start many of my blog posts goes something like "it's been a long time since I've posted something" and this is the case again. I have to write when I feel an inspiration to write something like I do now and when I have time. I had Christmas and New Year since my last blog post which are working days for me and in January I had a month holiday and I spent the month in Africa visiting South Africa and Zimbabwe. Of course in Africa you have to climb to the top of a mountain with your laptop to pick up the wifi signal from a satellite. If you believed what I just wrote I think you need to put a trip to Africa on your to do list.

Back to my blog and how I appreciate having one that's one of the good sides of modern technology at least it allows us to have an online blog. I imagine if I had to write in a book, the book would have gathered dust many times with my lack of writing haha. It would also make it harder to share my blog with people around the world. And this is where my blog begins today on the subject of technology. Particularly on the subject of mobile phones.

My idea for this blog came when I was on holiday in South Africa. I had a Samsung Galaxy S3 which I'd had for just over two weeks and it was stolen on my holiday. Not having a phone myself (my spare blackberry with missing buttons was hardly a replacement) it made me observe the effect of mobile phones on people a lot more. Of course I am affected myself and seem to have caught this disease too.

This picture I saw online also added to my thoughts:

My blog post fits in to February the month of love with the love of mobile phones. I remember years ago the old "brick" phones that my parents owned that to me were the most amazing piece of technology. Now days your mobiles can do so much more. With the more they can do it seems the more the attachment grows. The more you feel the need to take it out even whilst in present company. The need to look at your phone and disappear into the world of virtual communication while there are people that you can have a live conversation with around you. I've never met a person who can truly concentrate on you and their mobile at the same time. Responses from people using their mobile phones while you are in their company are either delayed or non existent.

The point I am making and I am as much guilty as we all are when it comes to mobiles or at least the majority of the world is that it's distracting us from what is around us and who is around us. Everyone has different levels of attachment to their mobiles, not all are as affected. Considering February is the month of love well every year a lot of people are in a relationship with their mobile phones, myself included.

When you go out with friends or family the amount of mobiles on the restaurant table is amazing. The mobiles have be within reach on the table instead of in our bags or pockets because imagine the catastrophe if people could not look at their phone the second it makes a noise. The whole world could stop turning. We have to use our mobile phones constantly with people or no people around for the environment's sake. Of course I am being sarcastic but I'm illustrating the fact that mobile phones are also glued to the human being. There may even be talks of adding it to a part of the human anatomy. No, no it wont be added, sarcasm again. If you know me, you'll know I'm sarcastic. If you don't brace yourself (I'm joking I'm not that bad :) )!

I am not lashing out about mobiles or people who use them, I love having an awesome phone myself, in fact I am getting the same mobile phone I had before soon. If anything I am more guilty than almost anyone else I know for being on my mobile. I love being on my mobile but maybe it's time to to choose the right time for our mobiles. I do actually use my phone the most when I'm alone because of course it helps me communicate with people I know and that circle I can communicate with on my mobile has even grown to friends and family who aren't in the same country as me because of all the thousands of social applications you get on your phone. I love the fact that you can communicate with everyone you know around the world. That is what I like the most about it.

A thought about this whole subject of mobile phones that stuck with me is when we're in company maybe our mobiles shouldn't be visible or used to the very minimum when we get an opportunity rather than in the middle of a conversation. Mobiles as amazing as they are, they are also a distraction. They distract us from the people or things around us. People talk to us, we don't hear what they said because we have our phone. We're watching a show and we miss a part of it because of our phone. We're walking somewhere and we miss seeing things around us because our eyes are glues to our phones.

I'll even tell you a story that happened to me last year. I was on my phone texting whilst walking down the street in my town and I walked straight in to a pole because I wasn't looking where I was going. Haha! You see mobiles can have people hooked. Not all situations apply to everyone but I am sure anyone can think of a scenario where they have proved as a distraction.

I am not saying I am not going to have a mobile, I like having a latest mobile but I am saying maybe it's time to try and be more considerate to the people around us. Using your phone when you're home or alone is different then you can be inseparable. In company that's where it can be a problem.

On a serious note people die every year in car accidents caused by drivers who were on mobile phones and not paying attention to the road and mostly the innocent people they crash in to are the ones who lose their life. Cars have proper mobile phone sets and Bluetooth to use for driving it's better to use those if you answer call while driving. That's also an area about mobile phones people really need to look at improving. Texting is even more dangerous while driving.

I am thinking of a time when people meet up and have just the pleasure of each others company. I am thinking of a room where people talk while they're in the same room and don't text. I am thinking of a time where people walk and see the world rather than the world and sights around them pass them by because they're on a mobile. Well we can create this every day. Every time we are out we can make a point to not take our mobiles out as much.

We need to call people sometimes. We need to reply texts. We need to be in touch. We don't need our mobile phones in our hand 24/7 to do any of those. In moments there are opportunities, those are the times to use your phone in company. I am not against anyone who using their phone in company but use it properly. Not ignoring everything around you.

Whilst I and the vast population of the world is in a relationship with our mobiles it's time to realise that unlike other relationships our mobiles can't leave us and walk away even if we ignore them for a while.

So while February is the month of love and relationships with those you love and most of it is about love flourishing while I am encouraging less of a flourishing relationship with our mobiles because I am encouraging more love and flourishing relationships with the people in our company.

Thank you for reading my blog :). I love to write, always have, always will.

I would love to hear your feedback or thoughts on this blog post or any of my blog posts :). I have quite a few blog posts on this blog on a range of subjects and you're welcome to browse through them.

If you have twitter you can also follow me @nicolahill7.

Until I write again,
God Bless,
Nicola Hill