The Official Website of Michael Corthell

The ''The aim of positive psychology is to catalyze a change in psychology from a preoccupation only with repairing the worst things in life to also building the best qualities in life.'' — Martin Seligman The good news is, bad things don’t affect us as profoundly as we expect them to. If positive psychology teaches us anything, it is that all of us are a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. No one has it all, and no one lacks it all. — Christopher Peterson

“The existence of a prime mover- nothing can move itself;  there must be a first mover. The first mover is called God.” ― Thomas Aquinas St. Imagination is everything. It creates the future. “Zeus, first cause, prime mover; for what thing without Zeus is done among mortals?” ― Aeschylus, Agamemnon

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” ― Oscar Wilde If you have the will, making money isn't all that difficult... What's hard is to earn it by doing something worthwhile that you enjoy. “If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.” ― Dorothy Parker

''Emotional immaturity is searching for love outside you.  Emotional maturity comes from realizing you are the source of love.'' ― Collette O'Mahony When we develop the willingness to forgive, we are spiritually and emotionally mature. ''Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values.'' Joshua L. Liebman

by Michael Corthell Positive personality development leading to emotional maturity is acquired in two ways: by adjustment and by growth through experience. They may seem similar but there are differences. ''Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.'' ― Roy T. Bennett Adjustment is the type of positive personality development that lets us to operate effectively within our culture and society. The ability to make adjustments contributes to our lives running evenly and therefore smoothly. Adjusting to live also contributes to our personal wellbeing, life success, and even our longevity. As we age, we become more adjusted to the tasks and challenges of life through and by experience. For example, we may give up unrealistic goals, scale back certain ex...

“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.” ― Stephen King, The Shining Monsters don’t get happy endings.” “The monsters were never under my bed. Because the monsters were inside my head. I fear no monsters, for no monsters I see. Because all this time the monster has been me.” ― Nikita Gill

Former President Trump shares 50 traits with Rev. Jim Jones and other cult leaders.  Have a look . by Michael Corthell In the Fall of 1978 more than 900 people committed mass suicide. They all belonged to a cult headed by Pastor Jim Jones. They killed themselves because one, drug addicted man told them to.  In the media they were referred to as being part of the “Jonestown cult”. The most telling aspect of the Jonestown cult was the total control Jones exerted on what his follower thought, or believed. As documented in the book, The Suicide Cult , extreme punishments were meted out to anyone who defected even in the slightest way – including expressing the slightest doubt in “Pastor Jones” (who was often called “Father Jones”). My purpose in writing this article is not to accuse any group. It is only to warn you. God often has used sheep as a symbol for groups of people. There is a reason for that. We can we easily led. We look ...

“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.”  ― Toni Morrison Your happiness cannot be purchased by another race's misery. “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong.” ― Muhammad Ali

“You are what you eat. What would YOU like to be?” ― Julie Murphy Life for many is a tragedy of nutrition. “Any food that requires enhancing by the use of chemical substances should in no way be considered a food.” ― John H. Tobe

  This reality is a social disease, for people to actually gain off the misery of others and cause the destruction of our environment is obscene. Efficiency, abundance and sustainability are enemies of our current economic systems, because they are the inverse of the mechanics required to perpetuate consumption[Capitalism]. All the human misery of poverty, crime, wars and most pandemics are products of the creation, perpetuation and preservation of artificial scarcity and inefficiency. A Resource-Based Economy is nothing like any other system. They say “It’s a form of communism.” No, it’s not! Communism has warships, airplanes, bombers, poison gas, nerve gas…and all the things we have [today]. It’s nothing like any other ‘…ism’. It’s different than any culture ever tried before. ―  Jacque Fresco, The Venus Project

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Success means that we used our talents and abilities to serve others. “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Talent: natural aptitude or skill: flair, aptitude, facility, gift, knack: "he possesses more talent than any other player.'' by MIchael Corthell Our talents are a natural abilities or capacities to do something, they may range from the creative arts to our athletic ability to hit a baseball out of the park. We all have abilities, but we don't always know what they are. Sometimes they are right in front of us, but we still miss them. ''Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.'' — John Wooden When we determine what our hidden talents are, we can then tap into a valuable resource which will help us in every aspect of our lives, including making a living. How can we discover what we're good at then and develop that talent? It's easier than you think... Listen to what others say about you. If you listen, that is pay attention, peo...

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ” ― Carrie Fisher People will forgive you for your happiness and your success, but only if you share that success and happiness. “Resentment is a lone drunkard in the bar screaming about his misfortunes. Forgiveness is the taxi driver who offers him a free ride home.” ― Lidia Longorio, Hey Humanity

“Who would set a limit to the mind? Who would  dare assert that we know all there is to be known?” ― Galileo Galilei Everything you need is already there, within your mind.(that's the magic of quantum mechanics) “Be mindful of what you want, instead of what you don’t want. Constantly focusing on the problem will not manifest the solution.” ― Anthon St. Maarten

“To the poet, to the philosopher, to the saint, all things are friendly and sacred,  all events profitable, all days holy, all men divine.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“Self-care has become a new priority – the revelation that it’s  perfectly permissible to listen to your body and do what it needs.” — Frances Ryan Eating healthy doesn't mean starving yourself. Eating healthy means eating plant-based foods in the right amount. “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  —Albert Einstein

“If you are the one who opened up the flood gates, don't complain when you get soaked.” ― Christine E. Szymanski No cause happens without effect. No effect happens without cause. No unjust act goes without punishment. No action or thought passes unnoticed anywhere in the Universe. “Whilst the world will be whole, and refuses to be disparted, we seek to act partially, to sunder, to appropriate; for example,—to gratify the senses, we sever the pleasure of the senses from the needs of the character. The ingenuity of man has always been dedicated to the solution of one problem,—how to detach the sensual sweet, the sensual strong, the sensual bright, &c., from the moral sweet, the moral deep, the moral fair; that is, again, to contrive to cut clean off this upper surface so thin as to leave it bottomless; to get a one end, without an other end.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“ The universe is so well balanced that the mere fact that you have a problem also serves as a sign that there is a solution.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free We all have the choice to create more problems by making excuses, or solving our problems by finding solutions. “I doubt if there is any problem in the world today - social, political or economic - that would not find a happy solution if approached in the spirit of the sermon on the mount.” ― Harry S Truman

“Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” ― Brian Tracy Loving all creatures is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. Altruism is an act that rewards itself. “We have so far to go to realize our human potential for compassion, altruism, and love.” ― Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating

“It is a great mistake to say ”Conquer it,” for we can never conquer nature;  we can only harmonize with it.” ― Gyomay M. Kubose, Everyday Suchness: Buddhist Essays on Everyday Living 'Suchness' is the reality of what is without my opinion of what reality is in truth. My perceptions do not influence anything. Things are as the are. God is not someone or something separate but is the suchness in each moment, the underlying reality  ― Stephen Levine

  All of the stuff around you — your desk, computer, lukewarm coffee, your body — all of it has undergone a very long journey to get to where it is now. The different elements seem so fundamental we often fail to wonder where they came from; they just seem like they've always been there. In fact, the elements of the universe all come from very diverse sources, each with different conditions predisposing the production of, say, osmium over sodium. The figure below shows all of the different sources of the different elements. Here's what each category means. All the material objects around you are composed of submicroscopic units we call molecules. And molecules in turn are composed of individual atoms. Molecules frequently break apart and then form new molecules.  On the other hand, virtually all the atoms you come in to contact with through the course of your life, the ones in the ground beneath you, the air you breath, the food you eat, those that make up every living thing...

 

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. — A.A. Milne Saying that you don’t have enough time is simply lame. You have exactly the same number of hours in a day that Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein and the rest of us. Three Rules of Work : Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity   —  Albert Einstein

''For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.'' ―Benjamin Franklin by Michael Corthell A place for everything, and everything in its place. How do you do that? Getting organized and staying that way makes for a better life―that is a fact. ''Organize your life around your dreams and watch them come true.'' Being More Organized Means: Less stress. You can Relax more. Spending more time with family. You're ready for about anything. That the overwhelming is manageable. You enjoy i mproved health. You're a better example for your children and others . You waste less time on little jobs. Greater productivity. When you have a many tasks, it's really easy to feel scattered and therefore stressed. If you're feeling burned out it probably means that you’ve lost sight of how to organize your time. Learning better ways to organize your mind is one of the keys to living stress-free ...

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The soul is like an uninhabited world until the Spirit enters it ― the Holy Land is the Universe. “Religion is for people who're afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who've already been there.” ― Vine Deloria Jr.

by Michael Corthell Spirited, good spirits, evil spirits, free spirit, kindred spirit etc. We talk a lot about 'spirit'. We know what 'spirit' is don't we? The primary definition of 'spirit' is: the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in life forms, animating the body or mediating between body and soul. The word 'spirit', from Latin spiritus meaning 'breath', has many different meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body. We will both leave it there and start from here. Your spirit is you with all it's power or lack of. Let's look at making your spirit stronger 'Grow' courage. If we always stick with the comfortable, we’ll never push past our current limits and never get stronger in spirit. Our spirit will never grow strong being trapped by fear. We cannot do just what is easy, we have to put ourselves out in t...

“Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.” ― Terry Pratchett I look in the mirror and see a worn reflection, some wrinkles and some gray hair, but they are nothing. I am the same boy my mother used to kiss. “Age is a hell of a price to pay for wisdom” ― George Carlin

“Many people think excitement is happiness....  But when you are excited you are not peaceful.  True happiness is based on peace.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power Joy is the feeling of being happy! “There is no beauty in sadness. No honor in suffering. No growth in fear. No relief in hate. It’s just a waste of perfectly good happiness.” ― Katerina Stoykova Klemer

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work;  second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” ― Thomas A. Edison Waiting can be a kind of persistence...good things come to those who wait and all that, but more often(than not), steady, consistent action is the way to succeed. “He believed in himself, believed in his quixotic ambition, letting the failures of the previous day disappear as each new day dawned. Yesterday was not today. The past did not predict the future if he could learn from his mistakes.” ― Daniel Wallace, The Kings and Queens of Roam

by Michael Corthell ''Think and Grow Rich'' by Napoleon Hill is one of the best books on success ever written. If you haven't read it yet, get started on it today. It is the 'gold standard' in personal development books. It is endorsed by the world’s top leaders personal development and motivational leaders like Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, because, like me, it is their 'bible' and their first exposure to the law of attraction, a positive mindset, and positive personal development. ''Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.'' —Napoleon Hill  I first read '' Think and Grow Rich'' about 40 years ago and since then have read it multiple times. It is my reference book along with other books written by Peale, Emerson, Thoreau and others. One of my favorite chapters in '' Think and Grow Rich''  is on Persistence. If you haven’t read the book  yet, this...

  ''I know of nothing else in medicine that can come close to what a plant-based diet can do. In theory, if everyone were to adopt this, I really believe we can cut health care costs by seventy to eighty percent. That's amazing. And it all comes from understanding nutrition, applying nutrition, and just watching the results.'' —  T. Colin Campbell The single most important thing you can do today for yourself and your world is to adopt a plant-based diet. ''The world's strongest animals are plant eaters. Gorillas, Buffaloes, Elephants and me.'' — Patrick Baboumian

“It's not a silly question if you can't answer it.” ― Jostein Gaarder Adult life can be complex and the multi-tasking to manage those complexities can get in the way of the truth. History's philosophers have always been able to clear away those complexities, and see simple distinctions. (Thoreau and Emerson were masters) If we are to follow them, then we too must be childishly simple in our questions and maturely wise in our answers. “The love of knowledge is a kind of madness.” ― C.S. Lewis

“Intuition is seeing with the soul.” ― Dean Koontz Thinking about Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken' ― we always know what is the best road to follow through our intuitive sense, but many of us only follow the road that we have become used to...and it's often the smooth one.  “Our bodies have five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing. But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy. The differences between people lie in their use of these senses; most people don't know anything about the inner senses while a few people rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more.” ― C. JoyBell C.

by Michael Corthell Your intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. Many people believe it is God talking to them. They could be right. It is a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning. Intuition is a moment when you instinctively know if something is okay or a situation that you know will turn out all right, Or, on the other hand, won't turn out alright. It’s your inner voice, the voice in your head that that just knows . It is also just a little more than mere Faith. Albert Einstein said that intuition is one of our most valuable assets we have as human beings, and one of our most unused senses. He called it “a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance of something.” Intuition is described as an instinct, gut feeling, sixth sense, innate wisdom, inner sense, inner voice, spiritual guide or...

  “And if you would know God, be not therefore a solver of riddles. Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children. And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain. You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hands in trees.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet The saddest part of life was, and is, that science gathered knowledge faster than society gathered wisdom. That is about to change, shift. And when that shift takes hold humanity will experience the paradigm shift I have been writing about . “Electricity was a reality in the universe when Moses led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. This is true of all natural laws; they have always existed but only when understood may they be used.” ― Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

Courage doesn’t have to roar like a lion. Courage can be that small voice at the end of a difficult and trying day that simply says, ''I’ll try again tomorrow.'' Dorothy: Your Majesty, if you were king, you wouldn't be afraid of anything? Cowardly Lion: Not nobody! Not nohow! Tin Man: Not even a rhinoceros? Cowardly Lion: Imposerous! Dorothy: How about a hippopotamus? Cowardly Lion: Why, I'd thrash him from top to bottomus! Dorothy: Supposing you met an elephant? Cowardly Lion: I'd wrap him up in cellophane! Scarecrow: What if it were a brontosaurus? Cowardly Lion: I'd show him who was king of the forest!

“Don’t you dare get discouraged. Don’t you dare believe that failure is permanent or insurmountable.”― Richelle E. Goodrich When we are loved by another that gives us strength, and loving another deeply gives us courage. “Encouragers turn mountains into molehills. Discouragers turn molehills into mountains.” ― Cathy Burnham Martin

Support, confidence...hope. by Michael Corthell Discouragement is part of life or we wouldn't have a word for it. So the question is, how do we tame discouragement and ultimately eliminate that feeling altogether? ''In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.''  — Vincent Van Gogh Rejection, criticism, frustration, tough obstacles and 'learning failures' are all part of the deal. There are some fortunate souls who are immune to discouragement, this writer certainly is not and I suspect that you probably aren’t either. We must always push back the negatives in life. Push them back to the fulcrum or balance point. We do this through focused determination. Then what we need to do is recharge our motivation. It's just like resting for a day can help relieve sore muscles. R...