The Official Website of Michael Corthell

“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. Refueling our motivation and boosting our energy will

  True reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.

“Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.” ― Louis L'Amour There are two types of seeds in our minds: those thoughts that create anger, fear, frustration, jealousy, hatred and those that create love, compassion, equality and joy. Spiritual mindfulness causes the germination and sprouting of the latter and the transformation of the former. “Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).” – James Baraz

A man of quality is never threatened by a woman of equality. ― Jill Briscoe Do you like chess? I like chess, although I have never played chess. I like it for this reason― sort of a reminder: when the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box. “The Pledge of Allegiance says 'liberty and justice for all'. Which part of 'all' don't you understand?” ― Pat Schroeder

 People spend a lot of time and energy fighting the devil. If they spent the same amount of effort loving their fellow men by being kind, evil would die of neglect. 

“What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness.” ― Barbara Kingsolver Do you know what people really want? They want just one person they can talk to, a person who can really understand them and the person they are―who would be kind to them. That's what people really want, (if they honestly look deeply inside themselves). “When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.” ― Thomas S. Monson

The information meme above is describing a 'nudge'. A nudge makes it more likely that an individual will make a particular choice, or behave in a particular way, by altering the environment so that automatic cognitive processes are triggered to favor the desired outcome. An individual's behavior is not always in alignment with their intentions (termed a value-action gap ). It is common knowledge that humans are not fully rational beings; that is, people will often do something that is not in their own self-interest, even when they are aware that their actions are not in their best interest.  For example, when hungry, people who diet often underestimate their ability to lose weight, and their intentions to eat healthy can be temporarily weakened until they are satiated.

  What are Social Nudges ? Nudge is a concept in behavioral economics, political theory, and behavioral sciences which proposes positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions as ways to influence the behavior and decision making of groups or individuals. Nudging contrasts with other ways to achieve compliance, such as education, legislation or enforcement.... In other words we tend to mirror the general behavior of our family, group or tribe, so therefore our lifestyles can be contagious. 

  All animals (human and nonhuman) can feel pain, and can suffer, and ought to be treated the same - with love, kindness and respect.

“I made the choice to be vegan because I will not eat (or wear, or use) anything that could have an emotional response to its death or captivity. I can well imagine what that must feel like for our non-human friends - the fear, the terror, the pain - and I will not cause such suffering to a fellow living being.” ― Rai Aren Just one question for you to 'chew on' concerning carnism. Would it upset you if restaurants started serving puppy and kitten meat instead of cows? Robin's eggs instead of hen's eggs? Squirrels instead of pigs? Gorilla milk instead of cow meat?? ' “Being vegan is easy. Are there social pressures that encourage you to continue to eat, wear, and use animal products? Of course there are. But in a patriarchal, racist, homophobic, and ableist society, there are social pressures to participate and engage in sexism, racism, homophobia, and ableism. At some point, you have to decide who you are and what matters morally to you. And once you decide that you

And further, it is true that God is manifest in everything. There is both the unity and a dynamic interplay between the one(the whole) and its parts. "All is one" doesn't mean a homogeneous sameness, but instead it refers to a dynamic interconnection and co-evolution between parts that are not different on a fundamental level(that is the unity at the quantum level). More on all of this later. :) 

  Life has a way of balancing( compensating for ) things. For example, those who have things in abundance will tend to worry endlessly about petty things like what to wear, how big a house to buy or what kind of car to drive.