Bruce and Lee Schutter Smash Excuse 6: Mental Health Disorders Mean My Life Is Limited
- Bruce Schutter
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
There is an excuse I used to believe with award-winning dedication.
I mean full-blown, trophy-polishing, standing-on-the-podium-while-the-national-anthem-of-self-doubt-played belief.
The excuse was this: Mental health disorders mean my life is limited.
And for a long time, I let that excuse run my life.
It told me I could not do much.
It told me I had to stay small.
It told me my struggles were too big, my emotions were too powerful and my future was already decided.
And the worst part? I believed it.
My Excuses Took Control
For over 20 years, I struggled with Bipolar Disorder, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD. During that time, my emotions often felt like they had grabbed the steering wheel, kicked me into the back seat and were now driving my life through a demolition derby.
I did not just feel stuck. I felt powerless.
And when I stopped taking action, that powerless feeling grew. The more I listened to my excuses, the smaller my world became. The less I did, the more hopeless I felt. And the more hopeless I felt, the more I believed the lie that my life would never change.
Eventually, that darkness took me to the point where I tried to end my life.
That is hard to say. But it is important.
Because I know what it feels like when mental health struggles convince you there is no way forward. I know what it feels like when excuses stop sounding like excuses and start sounding like facts. I know what it feels like when your mind tells you your life is limited, broken and beyond repair.
But I am still here.
And the reason I am still here is not because life suddenly became easy. It is because I learned a new truth: Mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.
And by mental health, I mean our emotions.
Because when our emotions are controlling us, everything feels impossible. But when we learn how to respond instead of react, take action instead of shut down and build strength instead of excuses, we begin to take our lives back.
The Warrior Solution
That realization became the foundation for the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge.
Not because life stops being challenging.
Not because symptoms disappear forever.
Not because I suddenly became a calm, enlightened mountain monk who never gets irritated in traffic. (Trust me, that version of Bruce has not arrived yet.)
The Mental Health Warrior Program was created because I needed real tools to manage my emotions, overcome challenges and build the life I actually wanted.
I needed action. I needed humor. I needed a way to stop letting my struggles define what was possible. And that is also why I wrote my book Stop the Excuses.
Stop the Excuses takes 24 common excuses I used to believe and smashes them with humor, truth and Warrior action.
Because let’s be honest: some of the excuses I believed were so off base, they needed more than a gentle correction.
They needed a helmet, a whistle and maybe a referee throwing a flag for emotional nonsense.
In the book, I look back at these excuses and show how wrong I was to let them limit my life. Then I share 48 laughter tools that help us break free, laugh at the lies our struggles tell us and turn those struggles into strength.
And Excuse 6 — Mental Health Disorders Mean My Life Is Limited — is one of the big ones.
Because if I had kept believing that excuse, my wife and I would have missed out on something that has become a powerful part of our lives.
Sandbags, Soccer and Showing Up
Today, part of our Warrior life includes doing sandbag workouts at Shippensburg University. Yes, sandbags.
Because apparently, my healing journey now includes carrying awkward bags of weight around campus while trying not to look like I am losing a wrestling match with a sack of gravel.
But those workouts have become about more than fitness.
Each day, as we stop by campus and put in our workout, the Shippensburg University girls soccer team is often practicing nearby. They run intricate skills drills, pass, sprint, communicate and push themselves to improve.
And while they train, we train too.
They are working on soccer. We are working on strength, resilience and not dropping a sandbag on our toes.
Their effort motivates us to put in a good workout. Their discipline reminds us that progress comes from showing up. And we get the chance to greet them, cheer them on and bring enthusiasm into their day.
Hopefully, our encouragement helps them feel excited to face their own challenges — in school, in sports and in life.
And the best part? We get to support them at games too.
That is what this excuse would have stolen from us.
If we had listened to “my life is limited,” we would have stayed home. We would have missed the workouts, the conversations, the energy, the connection and the joy of being part of something positive.
But Warriors know better.
And these three lessons can help us stop the excuses, take action and start living the life we really want.
Lesson 1: Your Diagnosis May Explain the Challenge — But It Does Not Define the Life
Mental health disorders are real. They affect our emotions, thoughts, energy, relationships and decisions. But they are not the final author of our story.
For years, I thought my struggles meant I had to lower my expectations for life.
That was the trap.
But the Warrior mindset says: My challenge explains what I face, but it does not decide who I become.
Every sandbag workout proves that. Every walk onto the Shippensburg campus proves that. Every hello to the soccer team proves that.
We are not hiding from life.
We are not letting excuses decide what we can do.
We are taking action.
And that is the first Warrior power we unlock when we stop this excuse: We reclaim the power to choose who we are!
Lesson 2: Action Unlocks Energy That Excuses Keep Trapped
Excuses are sneaky because they sound protective.
“Stay home. It’s safer.”
“Don’t try. It’s too much.”
“Wait until you feel better.”
At first, those thoughts may sound comforting. But over time, they build walls. And the more we listen, the smaller our world becomes.
That is why action matters.
When my wife and I bring the sandbags to campus, we are not always overflowing with motivation. Some days, motivation is missing entirely. It has packed a lunch, left town and refused to answer texts.
But we show up anyway. And something positive happens once we start moving.
The mind clears.
The emotions settle.
The day shifts.
Then we look over and see the soccer team pushing through drills, building skills and working together, and their energy adds fuel to ours. And hopefully, our enthusiasm gives something back.
Because connection works both ways.
That is the second Warrior power we unlock when we stop this excuse: We create momentum that keeps us moving forward each day.
Lesson 3: When You Stop the Excuse, You Start Living the Life You Really Want
The goal of the Mental Health Warrior Program is not just to survive symptoms.
It is to take charge of your emotions, triumph over challenges and build the life you really want.
And for us, that life includes sandbag workouts, outdoor movement, campus energy, soccer practices, conversations, laughter and supporting the team at games.
That may sound simple. But simple does not mean small.
Because when you have spent years fighting your mind, being able to show up, engage with others and enjoy the day is a victory worth celebrating.
Every time we step onto that campus, we prove Excuse 6 wrong.
Because Warriors are in charge. We make choices that move us toward the life we want to live.
And that is the third Warrior power we unlock when we stop believing our excuses: We stop surviving on the sidelines and start living our lives!
Wrap Up
Excuse 6 says: Mental Health Disorders Mean My Life Is Limited.
But the Warrior answer is simple: No, they do not!
That is why Stop the Excuses matters. It helps us laugh at the lies, challenge the limits and use Warrior action to turn struggles into strength.
So the next time your mind says, “You can’t do that because of your mental health,” pause and challenge it.
Then take one Warrior step. Go for the walk. Say hello. Cheer someone on. Show up for your life.
That’s how you build the life you really want!
Bruce Schutter ⚔️
Every day is a chance to choose strength — because YOU'RE IN CHARGE!
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