I Still Got It

[DISCLAIMER]

On his 2022 album Reef the Lost Cauze IZ ALIVE, in collaboration with producer Caliph-NOW, lyricist Reef the Lost Cauze (“Reef”) released the song “A Fine Wine” that featured samples from Lee Fields and The Expressions’ song “I Still Got It” (2012). Lyrics of the latter include:

Take my hat, my shoes, my girl

I still got it (I still got it), I still got it (I still got it)

Take my car, my house, my bank

I still got it (I still got it), I still got it (I still got it)

I appreciate the old school soul music ambience of the sampled track with Reef’s updated approach to the song. For context, describing the phrase “still got it,” one source states:

It means that you continue to possess a positive skill or trait that you may have lost. For example, someone who played basketball when he was young could throw the ball into the net from a distance and say “I still got it.” He still has skill at playing basketball. Or someone who was attractive when he was younger could have someone flirt with him and say “I still got it.” He is still attractive.

Generally, this phrase refers to one who has experienced a significant passage of time or who has acquired a particular level of experience which isn’t common for people who are younger than the individual. For example, consider the following photo of me from high school:

When living in a children’s home, sponsored by Church of Christ congregations in Amarillo, Texas, I served as a Vacation Bible School (VBS) instructor for children in Las Vegas, New Mexico for stateside missionary work, as I began informally life coaching shortly before then.

In the clouds on a wall behind me in the photo are the words “go teach the world,” which reflects Mark 16:15, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Obediently, I was doing my part to disseminate information about salvation though Jesus Christ.

Unlike a number of other photos from my youth, I deliberately didn’t edit from this photo various artifacts—unwanted or visible distortions in a photograph, often resulting from the image processing, compression algorithms used, dust, or other image-degrading elements.

This purposeful decision was made, because I want to display the imperfection of life in order to make a point herein. The photo was taken during my freshmen year of high school (1992)—approximately 33 years ago. What have I done with my time since then? Well, many things!

Noteworthy, I continue to instruct people. However, unlike the task of saving souls for Christ, I now use psychoeducational lessons about Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) so that people can save themselves from the unhelpful process of self-disturbance.

This unhealthy experience occurs when fallible human beings upset themselves with irrational beliefs about the situations they encounter in life. This includes everything from imagining an undesirable event to really experiencing an unpleasant circumstance, and everything in between.

Noteworthy, attainment of perfection in human form is highly unlikely (if not outright impossible). A similar message was used when I functioned as a VBS instructor. All humans were considered sinners—transgressors against divine law through commission of immoral acts.

Now, rather than focusing on “divine” salvation, I take a humanistic approach to freeing oneself from self-disturbed damnation. Unsurprisingly, this REBT approach to rational living can be utilized by religious, spiritual, secular, atheist, and agonistic-identifying people alike.

It merely requires one to admit truth—that you are, have always been, and as long as you exist in human form will continue being imperfect, perhaps as flawed as the photo used for this post. Regarding this state of imperfection, after 33 years, “I still got it.”

Take “my hat, my shoes, my girl,” or “my car, my house, my bank,” and “I still got it.” Practice REBT, Christianity, something else, or nothing at all, and “I still got it (I still got it).” All the same, one can improve upon imperfection, as this is the lesson of the current blogpost.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

Apple Music. (n.d.). Reef the Lost Cauze Iz Alive. Apple Inc. Retrieved from https://music.apple.com/us/album/reef-the-lost-cauze-iz-alive/1610545116

Discogs. (n.d.). The Expressions. Retrieved from https://www.discogs.com/artist/445072-The-Expressions

Hollings, D. (2024, May 23). A humanistic approach to mental health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/a-humanistic-approach-to-mental-health

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2024, May 11). Fallible human being. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fallible-human-being

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2025, March 5). Five major characteristics of four major irrational beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/five-major-characteristics-of-four-major-irrational-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2023, April 24). On truth. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-truth

Hollings, D. (2023, June 3). Perfect is the enemy of good. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/perfect-is-the-enemy-of-good

Hollings, D. (2024, January 1). Psychoeducation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychoeducation

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2024, May 15). Rational living. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-living

Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Lee Fields – Topic. (2015, February 25). I Still Got It [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BBtcd75mpPM?si=QhSgHelfk4-i4VGd

LostCauzeTV. (2021, December 30). Reef the Lost Cauze “A Fine Wine” (Official video) [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/uKuFGUdlUpU?si=lrw-qEy38zB-Sh3O

Soundcloud. (n.d.). Caliph-NOW. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/CALIPHNOW

Welpmart. (2022). What does “still got it” meaning? Reddit. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/ENGLISH/comments/wwvt2t/what_does_still_got_it_meaning/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Lee Fields. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Fields

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Reef the Lost Cauze. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reef_the_Lost_Cauze