[ 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

[ DISCLAIMER ]   Perhaps of little surprise to anyone who knows me, I don’t like groups (any collection or assemblage, particularly of items or individuals) or group counseling  (a method of providing guidance and support for clients organized as a group, as opposed to individual counseling).   There’s no profound explanation necessary for the admission, no need for careful analysis to determine what’s supposedly wrong with me. Much in the way that I don’t appreciate the ta

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo credit , fair use   In a blogpost entitled Unconditional Acceptance , I shared an aphorism from my late stepmom. She was a religious individual, as I also subscribed to the tenets of Christianity back then. Thus, from time to time, she’d say, “I didn’t write the book [Bible], and it’s a good thing I didn’t.”   What was meant by this adage is that my stepmom recognized her fallibility . Unlike Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, or other names attributed to deities 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 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 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 ]   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 ]   When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy  (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves  through use of irrational beliefs ). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model  of wellness .   For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable A ction occurs and you B elieve an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable a

[ DISCLAIMER ]   When serving in the United States Marine Corps (1996-2007) in the billet of military police (MP), I was introduced to the concept of muscle memory . Regarding this topic, one source states:   Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition, which has been used synonymously with motor learning.   When a movement is repeated over time, the brain creates a long-term muscle memory for

[ DISCLAIMER ]   As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy  (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy , this blog entry is part of an ongoing...

[ DISCLAIMER ]   * Highest 2 Lowest  (2025) spoilers contained herein. Photo credit , property of A24 and Apple Original Films, fair use...

[ DISCLAIMER ]   As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy  (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy , this blog entry is part of an ongoing...

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I recall working in a loss prevention role for a major retailer many years ago. Part of my duties entailed a tedious...

[ DISCLAIMER ]   I often hear people discuss a misperceived Action-Consequence (A-C) connection , rather than a Belief-Consequence (B-C)...

[ DISCLAIMER ] Photo from Eternia’s MySpace page circa 2009 (edited), fair use   By the time I was active on MySpace in 2009, I’d already...