[ DISCLAIMER ]   For many years, I was what could be described as a basshead (an audio enthusiast who has a preference for high-intensity, deep, and resonant low-frequency sounds referred to as bass—often seeking car audio systems which deliver powerful, physically felt, and high-quality bass).   My fondness for this lifestyle began in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when I was introduced to a subgenre of hip hop music known as Miami bass . For instance, as I lived in apartment

[ DISCLAIMER ]   If memory serves, I met someone to whom I’ll refer as “Freckles” when living in a children’s home in 1991. Residing in my first cottage at the home, I attended Churches of Christ youth functions whereby Freckles and I became vaguely acquainted.   After I was transferred to a separate cottage of the children’s home, switching church congregations to that wherein Freckles’s granddad was the minister, she and I became better acquainted. I thought of her as inte

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   When attending the Amarillo Community Center in my youth, one of my favorite fieldtrips on which children were taken was to the Amarillo Public Library (i.e., the downtown location). There, adult volunteers read stories to children on specified days of the week.   Those were among some of the brightest moments during otherwise darkened instances of my childhood. In any event, one of my preferred stories was Where the Wild Things Are b

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   How often to you think about morals and ethics ? A “moral” is a person’s standard of behavior or belief concerning what is and isn’t acceptable for the individual and other people. Morals thus relate to what’s considered good, bad, right, wrong, or otherwise acceptable or unacceptable.   An “ethic” is a set of moral principles , especially those relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct. Whereas morals  rela

[ 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 Stoic philosopher Epictetus who stated, “Every great power is dangerous for the beginner. You must  therefore wield them as you are able, but in harmony with nat

[ DISCLAIMER ]   As a resident of a children’s home in 1992, I comprehended exploitation (the action of making use of and benefiting from resources). Specifically, I voiced my grievance to houseparents about social oppression, though I didn’t have the terminology to describe it as well as one source  does:   A common conception of social oppression is seen as when a single group in society unjustly takes advantage of, and exercises power  over, another group using dominance

[ 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 Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius  who stated, “In your actions , don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse . In your thoughts , don’t wander. In

[ 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 Stoic philosopher Epictetus who stated, “[W]hat does Socrates say? ‘Just as one person delights in improving his farm, and another his horse, so I delight in at

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Having already attained a Master of Arts in Counseling degree (2011), I sat in an office at my Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) internship sight for the final semester when earning a Master of Science in Social Work degree (2014). I then thought about the path I’d chosen.   Speaking about the field of mental, emotional, and behavioral health  (collectively “ mental health ”) with my internship preceptor (an experienced professional who mentors, trains, a

[ 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 Roman Stoic philosopher Gaius Musonius Rufus  who stated, “For I believe a good king is from the outset and by necessity a philosopher, and the philosopher is from the ou

[ DISCLAIMER ]   The American Psychological Association (APA) defines character as “the totality of an individual’s attributes and personality traits, particularly their characteristic moral , social , and religious attitudes . Character is often used synonymously with personality.”   In common parlance, character relates to the complex of mental  and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation. Regarding the APA’s allusion to personality a

[ 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 Seneca  who stated, “This is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseus —how to love my country, wife and father, and how, even after suffering shipwreck, I migh

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   In my role of one who professionally cares for the mental, emotional, and behavioral health  (collectively “ mental health ”) of others, I’ve encountered all manner of excuses from my clients regarding their refusal to adopt flexible structure and routine  for their everyday lives.   For instance, a common element of self-care which I advocate is for clients to improve their sleep hygiene . Specifically, going to bed and waking up a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Living in a children’s home in 1992, a fellow resident and friend of mine told me about how the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps  was the “most bad-ass” military branch in our nation. Although I was raised under the tenets of Jehovah’s Witnesses , what he said appealed to me.   For those who are unaware, the religious doctrine up with which I was nurtured assumes a politically neutral position and discourages military service. Still, perhaps because I had lo

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Currently, my views on religion relate to agnosticism (the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle  or unknown in fact ). However, my perspective wasn’t always as it currently is.   In both junior high and high school, I participated in Vacation Bible School  (VBS) in association with the Churches of Christ . Mainly, the congregation of which I was a member engaged in mission work in and ar

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   REBT   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 .   Authors of The Daily Stoic  quote ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus  who stated, “The task of a philosopher: we should bring our will  into harmony with w

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , artist: Jean-Simon Berthélemy , fair use   Suppose you’re faced with tasks where are complicated or complex. “Complicated” matters may have many parts, yet can be problem-solved by focusing on knowledge, wisdom, and understanding  in alignment with logical and reasonable  rules (i.e., predictable and justifiable ).   Alternatively, “complex” matters may have many interconnected parts with uncertain and emergent behaviors which require adaptive

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I recently spoke with client X who, when initially seeking care for mental, emotional, and behavioral health  (collectively “ mental health ”), used self-disturbing forms of global evaluation  (a complete appraisal of people, places, and things without considering other potential value ).   For instance, client X maintained, “I’m a bad person, because my family wants little to do with me.” Rather than considering that client X’s immediate family members app

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Years ago, when working in the field of nuclear security and after having transitioned from an hourly employee position to a salaried member of management, my coworker introduced me to a book that served as the foundation for her master’s thesis. Regarding the book, one source states:   Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life is a 1998 motivational business fable by Spencer Johnson that describes four reactions

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I don’t know to whom credit is due for originally stating, “Excuses are like assholes. Everyone has one, and they all stink.” Nevertheless, I appreciate the expression. This is the case, even if not “all” assholish excuses are invalid (e.g., missing an important date, because you died).   In common parlance, an excuse is defined as an attempt to make apology  for, to try to remove blame from, to forgive entirely or disregard as of trivial import, or to gra