Stuck at the Starting Line? Marvin the "Mental Health Warrior" Cat Has the Book to Get You Moving
- Bruce Schutter
- Oct 28
- 6 min read
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 me 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.
Why Excuses Feel Safe — But Keep You Stuck
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 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.”
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.
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
Marvin isn’t immune to excuses either. For weeks, he’d been pacing around my office, grumbling about a “big decision.” Every time I asked what it was, he’d wave a paw dramatically and say, “I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
Spoiler: he did not figure it out tomorrow.
Finally, one morning, he plopped onto my desk, sighed, and opened his own Mental Health Warrior Journal. “Fine,” he muttered. “Five minutes. I’ll face it head-on — no more excuse naps.”
He scribbled. He growled. He knocked over a pen. But when he looked up, his ears perked. “Huh,” he said. “Turns out I already knew the answer — I just hadn’t stopped long enough to hear myself think.”
Then, with typical Marvin flair, he added, “I didn’t need a sign from the universe. I needed five honest minutes with myself. That’s the Warrior move.”
And that’s how clarity works — it doesn’t crash in with thunder. It sneaks up quietly, like a ninja, the moment you stop running from your own thoughts and finally take action.
Our Turn:
After watching Marvin wrestle with his “big decision,” I realized I’d been doing the same thing — just with more diet soda and fewer furballs.
I’d been circling a major project for weeks, convincing myself I needed “more time” or “the right moment.” Classic, polished excuses.
So I followed Marvin’s lead. Five minutes. One journal. No filters. I dumped the noise out of my head — and there it was: the answer I’d been avoiding.
Turns out clarity doesn’t come from overthinking. It shows up when you stop hiding behind “later” and face what’s right in front of you.
Result 2: Confidence Creeps In (and Sticks Around)
For all his tough talk, Marvin’s been known to dodge the “emotional stuff” too. His go-to excuse? “I’m not built for feelings — I’m a cat. We knock things over and move on.”
That worked fine until the day he caught himself growling at his own reflection after an argument with Percy the "PTSD" Platypus. He stalked off, muttering, “Fine. Maybe I’ll try that Swerve Tool from 84 Mental Health Warrior Tools. Once. For science.”
By day three, he strutted into my office like he owned the place. “Turns out,” he said smugly, “the more I practice emotional awareness, the less my tail puffs up during chaos.
Confidence. Who knew?”
And 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 sticks around.
Our Turn:
Watching Marvin use the Swerve Tool made me realize I’d been dodging some “emotional stuff” too — just with better vocabulary.
Instead of facing tough feelings, I’d been powering through, pretending control and confidence were the same thing. They’re not.
So I tried Marvin’s approach: pause, breathe, and use the Swerve Tool when emotions spiked. Within days, I wasn’t reacting — I was responding. That small shift changed everything.
Confidence doesn’t come from pretending you’re unshakable. It grows quietly every time you face your emotions and stay in the moment instead of running from it.
Result 3: Connections Get Real
Marvin has a bad habit of pretending everything’s fine — classic “I’m-a-tough-cat” behavior. Whenever I’d ask what was wrong, he’d stretch, yawn, and mutter, “Just tired.” Translation: emotionally unavailable.
But one night, after a long day of mentoring the crew, he sighed and finally admitted, “I think I’m burned out. I’ve been carrying too much.” It wasn’t a dramatic confession — just honest. And surprisingly, the moment he said it, Percy the "PTSD" Platypus quietly sat beside him, no advice, no judgment — just presence.
Later, Marvin told me, “That was weirdly… nice. Connection from communication. Revolutionary.”
And that’s how real connection works — it doesn’t come from perfect solutions. It comes from dropping the act and letting someone in, even just a little.
Our Turn:
Marvin’s honesty got me thinking about how often I default to “I’m fine” when I’m anything but. It’s easier to look strong than to admit you’re stretched thin.
So I tried something different. The next time I felt overwhelmed, I told a close friend instead of brushing it off. No big speech — just truth.
The result? Relief. Real connection. Sometimes you don’t need advice or solutions — just someone who sees you without the mask. That’s where healing starts.
Wrap Up
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 isn’t a lecture. It’s a refreshingly raw, laugh-out-loud self-help guide that takes on the top 24 excuses keeping us stuck and smashes through them with 48 “laughter tools” designed to build real momentum, motivation and mental strength.
Each chapter tackles a common excuse with punchy storytelling, humor that hits home, and practical Mental Health Warrior strategies to help you stop surviving and start thriving.
So whether you’re stalled 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!
Bruce Schutter
Every day is a chance to choose strength — because YOU'RE IN CHARGE!
Comments