[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, who stated, “Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue” (page 304). Of this, the authors add, “You can always get up

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, Designed by Magnific, fair use Growing up, I observed many women engage in the act of quilting (the process of joining a minimum of three layers of fabric together either through stitching manually using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialized longarm quilting system). These mostly conservative-leaning quilters gathered together in small clusters, arranging colorful patterns of individual patchwork pieces which

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Reportedly one of the four Stoic virtues, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines courage as “the ability to meet a difficult challenge despite the physical, psychological, or moral r

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote ancient Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius who stated, “Does the light of a lamp shine and keep its glow until its fuel is spent? Why shouldn’t your truth, justi

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote Zeno of Citium, considered to be the founder of Stoicism, who stated, “If you lay violent hands on me, you’ll have my body, but my mind will remain with Stilpo” (page 298). Regar

[DISCLAIMER] *Tombstone (1993) spoilers contained herein. Photo credit, property of Hollywood Pictures, Cinergi Pictures, and Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, fair use If there’s a Western film with more quotable lines than Tombstone (1993), I’ve yet to see it. Among ensemble cast members, Kurt Russell and the late Val Kilmer gave subjectively wonderful performances and delivered notable lines. Summarizing the plot, one source states: A Hollywood historical account of

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Regarding Stoicism, I invite you to consider that REBT uses unconditional acceptance (UA) to relieve self-induced suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA)

[DISCLAIMER] In high school, after years of tolerating distorted vision, a family that invited me to live with them from the children’s home in which I was a resident took me to an optometrist. It turned out that I needed prescription eyewear. If memory serves, once I received my new glasses, I was excited about being able to see details of the leaves on a tree from a window of the optometry clinic. “See that?” the optometrist said, “That’s what you’ve been missing!” On

[DISCLAIMER] *The Cat in the Hat spoilers contained herein. Photo credit, property of Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, and United International Pictures, fair use In childhood, I knew next to nothing about mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”). Looking back to that period in life, I experienced quite a bit of ignorance (lack of knowledge, education, or awareness). Therefore, when having a story by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel read

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Throughout The Daily Stoic, references to slavery are used. According to Merriam-Webster, a slave is thusly defined: Noun – 1. someone captured, sold, or born into chattel slavery (slavery in wh

[DISCLAIMER] The topic of suicide is a somewhat delicate subject, as the American Psychological Association simply defines this term as “the act of intentionally taking one’s own life.” Therefore, over the past decade or so, people online have subversively found ways to discuss it, as one source states: Algospeak, also known as Voldemorting or Slang Replacement, is a term that refers to the replacement of keywords and phrases deemed NSFW or not brand-safe according to soc

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The more I read the authors, the more their content doesn’t appeal to me. For this, I’m grateful, because I never would’ve know how fundamentally flawed much of their views on life were without re

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use When attending United States Marine Corps Recruit Training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (1996), I received Linear Involuntary Neural-Override Engagement (LINE) training—a hybrid martial arts combat fighting system used by Marines from 1989 to 1998. Unlike the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) training which began in 2001, which focused on incapacitating enemy combatants, LINE training was mainly concentrated on ki

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, Designed by Magnific, fair use As it pertains to this blogpost, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines an effect as “an event or state that is brought about as the result of another (its cause).” To demonstrate a causative effect, I now invite you to consider Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). First, it may be worth noting that one source states, “A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (Inter

[DISCLAIMER] Given that I’m the world’s foremost hip hop and electronic dance music (EDM)-influenced Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) psychotherapist, it may surprise people to learn that in high school I watched a fair amount of CMT (Country Music Television). I enjoyed it a lot! One popular song from that period in my life was by John Michael Montgomery, called “Life’s a Dance”, from his album Life’s a Dance (1992). Regarding the track, one source states: The

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Marcus Aurelius stated, “Remember that to change your mind and to follow someone’s correction are consistent with a free will. For the action is yours alone—to fulfill its purpose in keeping with

[DISCLAIMER] On his fifth studio album OMW2 Rexdale (2025) rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer Nav released the song “Pain Away”. Lyrics of the chorus state: (Take all my pain away) You just like medicine, you take my pain away (Take all my pain) You just like therapy, you take good care of me (Take all my pain away) You just like Novocain, you gon’ numb the pain (Take all my pain) You just like therapy, you take good care of me On the track, Nav addresses t

[DISCLAIMER] Although I’ve used it on occasion, I was never fond of the term “haters” (people who hate someone or something, especially regarding jealousy and envy concerning the possessions or accomplishments of others). Still, this term has been virtually inescapable within hip hop. As an example, on their album Til We Die (2000), Memphis-based hip hop trio Project Playaz (rappers Criminal Manne, Thugsta and Yo Lynch) released the song “Hater”. Lyrics include “haters, y

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, Designed by Freepik, fair use I invite you to imagine that a current problem you’re facing is akin to a metaphorical cliff which you’re climbing. Other people are also ascending the rock face, as some individuals appear to have an easier time with the climb. What is it you tell yourself during this imaginary journey? One figurative tool you can use along your ascent, which relates to a form of self-narrative, is virtue (a quality or characterist

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. I invite you to consider that agreement (harmony of opinion, action, or character) isn’t synonymous with practice (repetition of an act, behavior, or series of activities, often to improve perform