What will you learn today? @NNP_W_Light

If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.

Do you wake up each morning and wonder what you will learn today?

The world is full of wonder and there is always something new to learn.

I used to be afraid of learning. Instead I just sat in my own corner with my arms crossed.

When I graduated from high school, I chucked that old mentality.  I didn't want to be in a rut and stagnant.  I wanted to spread my wings and experience as much as I could.

Five years ago I was in the midst of learning all the ins and outs of self-publishing. At first, I was scared.  I mean, I only had five days to figure everything out. But with today's technology (and my friend Google), learning was easy and I picked it up in no time.

Learn something new today!  It's good for your mental and emotional self. You'll feel great and you can share what you have learned with others.

If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.

MRS N

A time management hack by @NNP_W_Light

Managing your time without setting priorities is like shooting randomly and calling whatever you hit the target. – Peter Turla

Time management is something that each of us struggles with.  We have a never-ending list of things to do and places to go.

This week, I have a lot to do and not enough hours in the day to complete them. How am I not running around screaming like Chicken Little? I manage my time.

Read the above quote.

Sounds silly, right? But it happens all the time.

I take full advantage of each and every minute of my day.  I have a list of things to do and I stick to it.  When there is a little lag time, I try to incorporate two things at once.

Need help with managing your time? Get a daily planner, write down what you need to accomplish in the day and as you complete each task check it off. You will feel so much better than running yourself ragged.

Manage your time or it will manage you.

MRS N

Words can be deadly by @NNP_W_Light

Always be generous with your encouraging words, you may find they will inspire others to be the best they can be. – Catherine Pulsifer

Words can be deadly.

Don't believe me? I see it all the time on social media.  Online bullying with words can kill and it happens more than with guns.

Spreading the Light doesn't mean you can use your words like bullets, hurting and injuring people.  Spreading the Light is all about inspiring and encouraging others. Read the quote again.

Always be generous with your encouraging words, you may find they will inspire others to be the best they can be.

Today (and everyday), let's use our words to uplift each other instead of tearing each other down!

MRS N

Hanging on when others have let go...

Success is largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

Success is easily defined as hanging on after other people have let go.  Take a look at some of today's successful people.  Everyone from Bill Gates to the Pope have gone through a lot to get the success they have today.  They hung on and had a dream.  They worked hard and believed in themselves.  They ignored their critics and watched as others let go of the same dream.  Success is all about determination and perseverance.

Are you pursuing a dream?  Success is within your grasp.  All you have to do is be patient and to hang on.

I believe in you and know that you will be very successful.

Now go conquer the world.

MRS N

If you’re unhappy with the colors of your life, grab a new canvas...

If you’re unhappy with the colors of your life, grab a new canvas.

Are you unhappy with your life and the way it is going?

There are so many unhappy people running around.  It breaks my heart because I used to be that way.  One day, though, I got tired of being unhappy and started to make changes.  I am in charge of my happiness and if that meant making big moves, so be it.  I started with myself and worked outwards.  I fell in love with myself and soon met MR N.  I moved over 3,000 miles away and got married.  I switched careers four times and am now living a happy, healthy life.  

How about you?  

Are you living a happy, healthy life? No? 

Take a moment and write down all the things you want to change.  Need some help getting started? 

Write at the top of the page:

If money and time were no object, what would make me happy and healthy?

Let it all come out on paper and then look at it.  Take each idea and write down a few ways you can incorporate it into your life.  It may seem impossible at first but nothing is when you make the commitment to change your life for the better.

If you're unhappy with the colors of your life, change the canvas!

MRS N

Happiness is a verb... @NNP_W_Light

Happiness is being content with what you have, living in freedom and liberty, having a good family life and good friends. -- Divyanka Tripathi 

Happiness.

Many people in this world see happiness as a noun, something to take hold of. I see it differently.

Happiness is a verb. 

For the past week, I have been overwhelmed with work and home tasks. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and all week long, I have been going, going, going. There's so much to do and not enough hours in the day to get everything done. My inbox is overflowing with potential clients as well as my VIP clients. I've taken on a few freelance editing clients. That's just the business side of my life. On the personal side, I've been getting in all the food, making sure we have enough chairs, decorating, cleaning, organizing, baking, cooking. Somewhere in the midst of all that, I get to collapse in the evening and snuggle with my husband. 

Why am I doing this?

Don't get me wrong, it's stressful juggling my business, my marketing job and my personal life in addition to getting ready to host the family for Canadian Thanksgiving. No time for procrastinating and at the end of the day, I'm utterly exhausted. Just before I drift off to sleep, I whisper to myself...

I love my life.

When you take your eyes off what you have and let happiness move throughout your life, you will love your life too! Happiness is a verb, not a noun.

MRS N

Spread the Light in your corner of the world

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it. – Edith Wharton

Are you spreading the Light in your corner of the world?

I live in an old neighborhood in my town. The houses and buildings are established with trees towering over the streets. I love it!

As someone who walks every day, I run into a lot of elderly people. Many of them smile and are friendly. I stop and chat with them for a moment or two.

Why?

It makes their day and it's my way of spreading the Light. It doesn't take any effort on my part and their faces light up.

Want to make someone's day? Stop what you're doing for one second and say hello. Acknowledging another person and wishing them a good day is a great way of spreading the Light inside you.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it. 

MRS N

What's your playlist of the decade?

Music can change the world. ~ Beethoven 

I read an interesting article this morning. In it, it listed the top 200 songs of the decade (2010-2019). The author opined these songs shaped our lives of the past ten years. While I didn't agree with most of the songs, it did get me thinking.

What song or songs defined my life over the past ten years?

I thought long and hard. It's hard to sum up your life in one song. But then it came to me.

Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves

My favorite lyric is:

It's different now
'Cause I love the light that I've found
In you

© Kacey Musgraves, all rights reserved

I asked Mr. N what his song is and he answered right away.

Resolution Come, Revolution Go by Gov't Mule

My favorite lyric is:

Smile in the face of your enemies
They can't kill your dreams

© Gov't Mule, all rights reserved

What's your playlist of the decade? What songs define your life the past ten years?

It's to look back on life and see how far we've come.

Mrs. N

Problems are like washing machines...

Problems are like washing machines, they twist us, spin us and knock us around, but in the end we come out cleaner, brighter and better than before.

Did you wake up this morning feeling like life's problems are piling on top of you like dirty laundry?

I feel you.

That's why this quote is perfect for today.

I love the visual it puts in my mind Sure, we all have problems.  Sure, those problems can overwhelm us.  Your body and soul get kicked around with no end in sight.

But what if you looked at it from another angle?

Think of your problems like a washing machine.  It may hurt at first but the end result is a better and more improved sparkling clean you.

Hold on tight, here comes the rinse cycle.

MRS N

Do this one thing every day... @NNP_W_Light

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. ~ Og Mandino

Want to change your life?

Treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight.

How will this change your life?

Think about it. If you knew someone was living their last day today, you'd treat them with kindness and love. You'd let go of misunderstandings and offer forgiveness. You'd do anything in your power to make their last day on Earth the best it can be.

Now, take all those feelings and incorporate it into your everyday interaction with others. Infuse others with love, kindness and understanding. Let go of the small irks and forgive when necessary. 

"But MRS N, my co-worker drives me nuts. How can I be nice to her? She's never nice to me."

This mentality only works if you do it without any thought of your feelings and actions being reciprocated. I get you have trying people who love nothing more than to push your buttons but do you think that gives you freedom to behave the same way? No. Be the better person and share a kind word or three. It's not about the other person but about you.

I challenge you to treat everyone you meet today with kindness. Try it for 24 hours. I guarantee you'll see the difference in your own perspective and life. 

MRS N 

Are you waiting for the right time to pursue your dreams?

“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” —George Herbert

Are you waiting for the right time to pursue your dreams?

The time is now.

I spent most of my twenties telling myself I wasn't ready to be a full-time writer. I needed to pay off my student loans, save money, take more classes, etc. The truth is I was frightened to take the leap. When the opportunity came along, I had a choice: take it or keep shuffling my feet with more excuses.

We have all the tools we need to get started on our dreams. We only need to strap on our tool belt and get to work.

Stop making excuses by saying, "it's not the right time" or "I'm not ready yet". Those are just excuses brought about by fear. There isn't a "right" time when you're on the road to success. So strap on your toolbelt and get to work!

MRS N 

8 quotes on the importance of unplugging #quotes

When was the last time you unplugged? 

Last night, MR N and I sat down on our love seat with our feet up, put in a romantic CD and held hands as we listened. We didn't check email or watch tv, we just unplugged. It was a great experience and one I highly recommend.

Here's eight fabulous quotes on unplugging for you to ponder today:

Work is important, but you also need to disconnect, to unplug at times, in order to be even more concentrated when you do work. ~ Massimiliano Allegri

In this media-drenched, multitasking, always-on age, many of us have forgotten how to unplug and immerse ourselves completely in the moment. We have forgotten how to slow down. Not surprisingly, this fast-forward culture is taking a toll on everything from our diet and health to our work and the environment. ~ Carl Honore

We get sucked into the Internet and streaming information, and it's time to just unplug and look within. ~ Jonathan Cain

The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. ~ Pico Iyer

We're plugged in 24 hours a day now. We're all part of one big machine, whether we are conscious of that or not. And if we can't unplug from that machine, eventually we're going to become mindless. ~ Alan Lightman

I am going to spend more time face-to-face with my friends and family. I am going to unplug more. ~ Shervin Pishevar

The biggest thing I try to do is to unplug and give myself time away from social media and the Internet. ~ Franchesca Ramsey

I have those moments with my kids and family where we try to unplug and just be in the moment. We put everything else to the side and just be there with our family. ~ Soleil Moon Frye

MRS N

Words have the power to hurt or heal

Your words have the power to hurt or to heal. Choose to be an encourager; the world already has plenty of discouragers.

Words have the power to hurt or to heal.  <--- This is a true statement.

Question: Do your words hurt or help others?

I'm a writer so I always strive to have my words heal.  I never want my words to hurt another.

Read the quote above and choose right now to be an encourager.

The world is overflowing with discouragers.  We need more kindness, more compassion, more Light, more encouragers.

Be an encourager and use your words to heal.

MRS N