Action Is the Antidote to Being Stuck: Marvin the “Mental Health Warrior” Cat and Stop the Excuses

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 is not just a cat — he is a fellow Mental Health Warrior.

He knows my story: how I spent 20 years battling Bipolar, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders and PTSD from my time as an EMT during high school and college. He knows those challenges left me feeling so powerless that 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.

Armed with that knowledge, I created 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.

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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 deal with my emotions tomorrow.”

• “I just need to get through this week first.”

• "I’ll start taking action when things calm down."

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 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 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 shared three actions he took to stop making excuses and start moving forward.

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Action 1: Five Minutes of Clarity

Marvin is not immune to excuses either. For weeks, he had been pacing around my office, grumbling about a “big decision.” Every time I asked what it was, he would 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 Mental Health Warrior Journal. He wrote for five minutes, then looked up and said, “Turns out I already knew the answer — I just hadn’t stopped long enough to hear myself think.”

That is how clarity works. It does not crash in with thunder. It shows up the moment you stop hiding behind excuses, face your thoughts and take action.

Our Turn:

After watching Marvin wrestle with his “big decision,” I realized I had been doing the same thing — just with more diet soda and fewer furballs.

I had been circling a major project for weeks, telling 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 had been avoiding.

Clarity shows up when you stop hiding behind “later” and face what is right in front of you.

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Action 2: Daily Practice Brings Confidence

For all his tough talk, Marvin has 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 another Mental Health Warrior tool. For science.”

But two days later, he strutted into my office like he owned the place. “Turns out,” he said smugly, “the more I practice emotional awareness and take action, the more confident I feel each day.”

Our Turn:

Watching Marvin use his Warrior tools made me realize I had been dodging some “emotional stuff” too — just with better vocabulary.

Instead of facing tough feelings, I had been powering through, pretending control and confidence were the same thing. They are not.

So I tried Marvin’s approach: pause, breathe and take action with a Warrior tool when emotions spiked. Within days, I was responding — not reacting. That small shift changed everything.

Confidence does not come from pretending you are unshakable. It grows every time you face your emotions and stay in the moment instead of running from it.

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Action 3: Honest Connection Fuels Healing

Marvin has a bad habit of pretending everything is fine — classic “I’m-a-tough-cat” behavior. Whenever I asked what was wrong, he would 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 was not 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.”

That is how healing begins — when you drop the act and let 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 am anything but. It is easier to look strong than to admit you are 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. I realized that being honest did not make me weaker — it gave me the space to begin healing.

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Wrap Up

At that point, Marvin said the ball was in my court to take action — but he also knew I could do it. Plus, he had to get back to work helping solve another crisis. Typical Marvin.

Then he did something funny but poignant: he handed me his well-worn, earmarked copy of my own book, Stop the Excuses.

He reminded me that it is a refreshingly raw, laugh-out-loud self-help guide that takes on 24 of the most common excuses and smashes through them with 48 laughter tools designed to build real momentum, motivation and mental strength. He also reminded me that I should probably put it on this week’s reading list.

He was right — excuses keep you stuck, but action moves you forward.

So if you are stalled at the starting line or just circling the block, this is your Marvin-inspired wake-up call.

Take action today — and leave your excuses in the rearview mirror where they belong!

Bruce Schutter ⚔️

Every day is a chance to choose strength — because YOU'RE IN CHARGE!