I’m Grateful for My Mental Health Challenges: A Chat with John Wick About 3 Warrior Lessons
- Bruce Schutter
- Jun 30
- 5 min read
Yesterday was shaping up to be perfectly ordinary. I was at the gas station, filling up before running errands, when I heard the unmistakable roar of an engine pull in beside me. Out stepped none other than John Wick.
Apparently, even legendary assassins need gas.
We exchanged the classic gas-station nod. Then he walked over and asked, as calm as ever, “Bruce, how is the Mental Health Warrior Program going?”
John already knew my story.
For 20 years, I battled Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD. Those challenges once left me feeling so powerless that I tried to end my life. But in that darkness, I discovered something that changed everything: Mental health is the key to overcoming any challenge.
That realization led me to create the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge.
John tilted his head slightly. “So,” he said, “what Warrior wisdom do you have for me today?”
I met his gaze.
“I’m grateful for my mental health challenges.”
The Struggle Shaped the Warrior
You should have seen his face. He looked as though I had just told him I was giving up writing to pursue competitive basket weaving.
For a moment, John was stunned. But in true John Wick fashion, the surprise quickly disappeared. He crossed his arms, leaned against his car and calmly asked, “Why?”
I told him something that had taken me years to understand.
An essential part of becoming a Mental Health Warrior is developing a new mindset. That shift became the foundation of the blueprint I shared in my book, I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.
It is not about pretending the struggles never happened. It is about recognizing how those struggles shaped you.
Without Bipolar Disorder pushing me to understand my moods, PTSD forcing me to confront fear and rock bottom demanding that I change, I might never have built the life I have today.
I might never have become a Warrior.
That change in perspective revealed three powerful lessons that anyone can use to strengthen their own Warrior journey.
Lesson 1: From Powerless to Powerful
“When my mental health challenges controlled me,” I began, “I lived in survival mode. Bipolar Disorder. Anxiety. PTSD. I felt completely at their mercy.”
“But here is what changed everything: I stopped trying to eliminate my emotions — and started learning how to lead them.”
That realization gave me something I had never experienced before: a sense of direction in the middle of the chaos.
Now, when Bipolar Disorder tries to send my emotions into a whirlwind, I ground myself. I use my Warrior tools. I slow the spiral before it takes charge.
Then I remind myself: I am not powerless. I choose how I respond.
Making that choice every day did more than build strength. It also built gratitude.
Because without those battles, I might never have discovered how capable I truly am.
John’s Takeaway:
John’s eyes narrowed slightly. He understood.
“When I lost everything,” he said quietly, “there were moments when I felt completely powerless — as though the darkness had already won.”
He paused. “But I stood back up.”
Then he looked at me steadily.
“That is the difference. You cannot always choose what happens to you. But you can choose whether you stay down.”
Lesson 2: Overcome Fear and Be Proud
“Anxiety used to make my decisions for me,” I told him. “It convinced me I could not handle things. That I should stay small. That avoiding risk was the safest choice.”
I shook my head. “But eventually, I learned something powerful: fear only grows when we shrink.”
So now, I do the opposite.
I show up anyway.
I speak even when my voice shakes.
And I take pride in every bit of progress — especially the small victories.
Because when you recognize your forward movement, fear begins to lose its authority.
Even mistakes become proof that you are still trying, still learning and still in the fight.
John’s Takeaway:
John gave a slow nod.
“Fear does not disappear,” he said. “You simply decide that it no longer gets to drive.”
He leaned back against the car. “Every move forward matters. Big or small. Even the missteps prove that you have not stopped.”
Then he added quietly: “You do not conquer fear by waiting for it to leave. You conquer it by taking action.”
Lesson 3: Stop Numbing and Start Living
“I used to drink to escape my emotions,” I told him. “I believed that numbing the pain would make life easier.”
It did not. It made my life smaller.
For 18 years now, I have been sober. And one of the most important lessons I have learned is that I cannot outrun my emotions.
I have to listen to them, understand them and decide how I will respond.
And when I stopped escaping my emotions, something powerful happened: I got my full life back.
That is part of why I am grateful for the struggles. Without them, I might never have discovered how powerful it feels to be fully present, fully alive and no longer running from myself.
John’s Takeaway:
John was quiet for a moment.
“There was a time when I buried everything I felt,” he admitted. “I thought shutting it down made me stronger.”
He shook his head slightly. “It did not. It only made me empty.”
Then he looked up.
“You do not begin living when the pain disappears. You begin living when you stop running from it.”
Wrap Up
As we finished pumping gas, John Wick turned to me with that steady gaze.
“Spread the word,” he said. “People need to know they can turn their battles into strength.”
I smiled. “They can. I did.”
Before we parted ways, I handed him a copy of I Triumphed Over Bipolar, Alcoholism and Anxiety Disorder by Becoming a Mental Health Warrior.
“This is the blueprint,” I told him. “Not only for surviving your struggles — but for learning how to lead your life.”
John looked at the book, gave me a quiet nod and climbed back into his car.
Then we drove away in opposite directions — two very different Warriors, forged by different fires but living the same truth:
And if you’re in the middle of your fight right now, hear this...
Your challenges do not have to define the rest of your life.
They can teach you.
They can strengthen you.
And they can become part of the story that proves just how powerful you truly are.
Today, acknowledge what you have survived, embrace the strength you are building and take your next step toward TRIUMPH.
Bruce Schutter ⚔️
(Creator of the Mental Health Warrior Program)
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