Stuck at the Starting Line? Marvin the "Mental Health Warrior" Cat Has the Book to Get You Moving
- Bruce Schutter
- May 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 12
When Marvin the “Mental Health Warrior” Cat barged into my office (again), he was holding a copy of my newest book, Stop the Excuses, like it was a court summons. His eyes narrowed, tail flicking with dramatic flair.
“You need this,” he said flatly, dropping it on my desk with the elegance of a tiny, furry intervention.
I blinked. “I wrote that book.”
“Yes,” he replied. “And now you need to read it. Again. Because lately, you’ve been buying into the lies that excuses whisper.”
Marvin isn’t just a cat—he’s a fellow Mental Health Warrior. He’s been with me from the beginning. He knows my story: how I spent 20 years battling Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD. He saw me hit rock bottom, and knows I tried to end my life. But in that dark time, I discovered something life-changing: Mental Health is the key to overcoming any challenge.
That journey led to create the Mental Health Warrior Program — a bold new SELF-HELP approach that puts YOU in charge! So you can take charge of your emotions, triumph over challenges and build the life you really want!
Marvin was there for all of it. So, when he shows up with a book in paw and a challenge in his eyes—you listen!
When Marvin Intervenes, You Listen
You see, Marvin doesn’t suffer fools—or procrastinators—lightly. And apparently, I’d been slipping. I was back to saying things like:
“I’ll meditate tomorrow.”
“I just need to get through this week first.”
“I can’t do deep work on a Wednesday — it’s a weird day.”
Marvin was having none of it.
“I’m not even going to dive into your specific excuses,” he said, squinting like he was suppressing a gag. “There are too many. We’d need a spreadsheet and a support group.”
Instead, he flipped open the book, Stop the Excuses, and pointed to the title. “This,” he said, “is for every human who’s stuck at the starting line — or worse, stuck in neutral, clutching their excuses like emotional security blankets.”
Why Excuses Feel Safe (But Are Totally Sabotaging Us)
Here’s the problem: Excuses feel smart. Logical. Justified. But Marvin insists—and he’s annoyingly correct—that they’re really just comforting little lies dressed in grown-up words.
Excuses say things like:
“You’re too busy to deal with your mental health right now.”
“You’ll start once things calm down.”
“You’re not that bad off.”
But Marvin? He growls at that voice. Because he knows the truth:
Every day you delay taking care of your mental health is a day you stay stuck in the same cycle you swore you wanted to break.
What Happens When You Stop Making Excuses
To prove his point, Marvin gave me three examples of what happens when people actually stop making excuses and start taking small, bold action. All within the first week!
Result 1: Clarity Shows Up Like a Ninja
"When you stop saying ‘I’ll do it later,’" Marvin said, his tail flicking smugly, "you suddenly have space in your brain. It’s like decluttering your mental desktop — and boom, clarity sneaks up on you."
He described one Warrior (we’ll call her Sarah) who started journaling for just 5 minutes a day instead of doom scrolling. By the end of the week, she had clarity on a decision she’d been avoiding for months.
"She didn’t need a sign from the universe," Marvin continued. "She needed five honest minutes with herself. That’s the Warrior move."
And that’s how clarity works — it doesn’t announce itself with trumpets. It slips in quietly once you stop running and create even a little space for it to show up.
Result 2: Confidence Creeps In (and Sticks Around)
Marvin described another Warrior who used to say, “I’m not good at this emotional stuff” — his go-to excuse for avoiding feelings. But then he picked up the Swerve Tool from the 84 Mental Health Warrior Tools book and actually started using it.
"By day three," Marvin said smugly, "he felt more in control, more emotionally steady — and his confidence showed. He even caught himself smiling in the middle of the day, like he actually believed he could handle what came at him."
That’s how confidence works: it doesn’t crash through the door. It creeps in quietly each time you take action — and the more you practice, the longer it stays.
Result 3: Connections Get Real
"Excuses isolate you," Marvin said, narrowing his eyes, "because they keep you pretending everything’s fine — and everyone else at arm’s length."
But when one Warrior finally opened up to their partner — just one honest conversation instead of another “I’m tired” deflection — everything shifted. The relationship deepened immediately. They weren’t magically healed overnight, but they felt seen, and that made all the difference.
"Imagine that," Marvin said, licking his paw with mock astonishment. "Connection from communication. Revolutionary."
Real connection doesn’t come from perfect solutions — it comes from dropping the act and letting someone in, even just a little.
My Turn: Finding Time (Even When I Thought I Had None)
After Marvin’s rant—I mean intervention—I had to admit something: He was right. I’d been believing the lie that “I don’t have time.”
So I flipped it. Instead of saying “I don’t have time for my mental health,” I asked: What can I stop doing that’s stealing my time and energy?
The answer: Over checking email. Mindless doom scrolling. Rewriting the same to-do list five times.
I reclaimed just 20 minutes a day. That’s enough to:
Meditate
Journal
Go outside
Or (shocker) read my own book
Because here’s the thing: You need to stop letting lies like “later,” “maybe,” or “not now” run the show.
Excuses Sound Smart. Mental Health Is Smarter.
Marvin ended our session by jumping onto the windowsill, looking out dramatically like a feline Batman.
“Excuses are just fear wearing someone else’s glasses,” he said. They look stylish — but they blur your vision and distract you from what really matters.”
Then he handed me a sticky note that said:
🛑 Stop the Excuses. 🛠 Start the Tools. 🧠 Rebuild the Life You Want.
He told me to stick it on my mirror. (I did.)
Final Words from Marvin (and Me)
If you’re stuck at the starting line…If your brain keeps feeding you the same polished excuses dressed as truth…If you know what would help but keep saying “not yet…”
Then listen to Marvin. And grab the book.
Stop the Excuses book isn’t a lecture — it’s a refreshingly raw and hilarious self-help book that takes on the top 24 excuses keeping us stuck and shows you how to smash through them with 48 “laughter tools” that build real momentum, motivation, and mental strength.
Each chapter tackles a common excuse with punchy storytelling, laugh-out-loud honesty, and practical Mental Health Warrior strategies to help you stop surviving and start thriving.
So, whether you’re stuck at the starting line or just circling the block, this is your sign. Grab the book. Laugh at your excuses. Then leave them in the dust where they belong.
Because there’s only one path forward: Warrior Up!
Bruce Schutter
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