[ DISCLAIMER ]   I learned a thing or two about digging holes when residing in an all-male cottage of a children’s home during my eighth and ninth grade years. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” I was told, meaning that people with nothing to do are more likely to get into trouble, mischief, or sin.   This was expressed, because boredom was said to have opened a proverbial door to negative influences or nonadaptive behavior , supposedly acting as Satan’s tools of temptat

[ 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, “If you find something very difficult to achieve yourself, don’t imagine it impossible—for anythi

[ 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 the current psychoeducational lesson on REBT, I invite you to consider that one of the major Stoic virtues  is moderation (also referred to as temperance or self-control ). Co

[ 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 .   How do you approach the often arduous process of living from day-to-day? Unless your life is all sunshine and roses, I imagine you have some method that gets you through difficult times. P

[ DISCLAIMER ]   As far back as I can remember, following the divorce of my parents when I was three-years-old, my late mom frequently threatened to send me and my sisters to live a children’s home. It was clear that she lamented having us. Often, we’d go on car rides past the residential facility.   “One day,” my mom threatened, “I’m gonna drop y’all off and never come back!” One wonders why a Texas judge presiding over divorce proceedings of my black dad and white mom in th

[ 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 Stoic philosopher Seneca  who stated, “Think of those who, not by fault of inconsistency but by lack of effort, are too unstable to live as they wish, but o

[ DISCLAIMER ]   When at Camp Kinser  in Okinawa, Japan (1997-1999), serving as military police  (MP), I learned quite a bit about rescue —responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, removal from danger, liberation from restraint, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an incident.   For instance, hypothetically speaking, imagine there were thousands of military personnel, their dependents, and local national employees on a major logistics base at any gi

[ 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 Stoic philosopher Seneca  who stated, “Why then are we offended? Why do we complain ? This is what we’re here for” (page 176). Expanding on this perspective

[ 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 .   Have you ever had big plans  to do something, only to discover that your arrangements wouldn’t come to fruition? If so, then you may consider what ancient Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca  h

[ 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 .   In order to gain intellectual and emotional insight  through REBT practice, I invite you to consider a perspective shift —alteration of one’s point of view in order to better understand a

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit (edited), fair use   In childhood, I enjoyed playing UNO  (a shedding-type card game derived from the crazy eights family of card games). Notably, there was a “reverse” card that, in effect when played from the hand, switched the order of play directions (i.e., clockwise to counterclockwise, or vice versa).   As well, in effect as the first discard, the dealer played first while play then proceeded counterclockwise. Later in life, the UNO reverse

[ 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, “What is your vocation? To be a good person” (page 171). Regarding this perspective, I stated in

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Years ago, when employed in the field of nuclear security, I often participated in firearms training with a buddy who was my coworker. Having gone through the same Security Police Officer training class, we enjoyed plinking (recreational shooting of improvised metal targets).   While we also engaged paper targets, metal silhouettes provided instant audible feedback. That was our “why” for using metal targets which sometimes resulted in injury when bullet frag

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   When living in San Diego, California, I met person X whose dad purchased a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro for his son. Apparently, person X’s dad enjoyed muscle cars in his younger years and wanted a father-son project to work on during person X’s high school years.   Person X was an adult when we met, so I saw the completed project. It was a blue Camaro with bold white racing stripes. Although the artificial intelligence image above doesn’t qu

[ DISCLAIMER ]   The most advanced firearms training I’ve ever had occurred when I was subcontracted to the Department of Energy while working in the field of nuclear security. Regrettably, photos of that training environment weren’t allowed. Thus, I have no evidence to offer in the form of a photo.   Similarly, the second best firearms training I received was when I was under contract with the Department of Defense while affiliated with the Department of State in the field o

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Throughout my life, I’ve frequented Palo Duro Canyon (PDC) which is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon, and is the second largest canyon system in the United States. According to one source :   The canyon was formed by the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, which initially winds along the level surface of the Llano Estacado of West Texas, then suddenly and dramatically runs off the Cap

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Throughout my life, my behavior has shifted back and forth regarding the hair above my neckline (i.e., on my face and head). This issue represents a changing opinion  (a view, judgment , or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter), about which I stated in Nightshift :   When I was young, my thick and naturally curly hair grew relatively quickly. Because hairstyling was considered an unaffordable luxury, my mom favored inexpensive buzz cuts (a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I served in the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps from 1996 to 2007, with my primary billet as military police  (MP). During that time, men and women were held to different standards of physical fitness. Regarding this matter, one source claims:   While they are gaining seniority in the US military, women continue to face discrimination. As women were forging paths into the military, men sought ways to differentiate themselves and maintain their dominance in

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Growing up under the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses , my dad taught me not to believe in luck (a force that brings good fortune or adversity, and the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual). Regarding my dad’s advisement against belief in luck, one source  states:   Supernatural interpretations of luck consider it to be an attribute of a person or of an object, or the result of a favorable (or unfavorable) view manifested by a dei

[ DISCLAIMER ]   As a resident of a children’s home sponsored by a local congregation of the Churches of Christ in Bomb City , I met Jack who was an elder (a biblically qualified man who serves as a spiritual leader, overseeing and shepherding the local congregation alongside other elders).   Each time Jack greeted me, he delivered one of the most firm handshakes I’d ever experienced. His grip was downright painful, as Jack would laugh as I writhed in agony. “What’s the matt