It was a sunny Thursday afternoon, and I found myself in the local coffee shop, waiting for my iced coffee and trying to juggle about ten different thoughts in my mind, most of them on my Mental Health Warrior Program. Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me—like that sixth sense you get when someone really important is about to appear. I turned around and nearly dropped my phone.
There he was—Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the man, the myth, the Marine, standing in line for his coffee. You know him from NCIS—the guy who can solve any crime with just a glance and a head slap. His signature deadpan expression greeted me like a friendly bear trap. "Bruce Schutter," he said with the kind of casual authority that immediately made me stand up straighter. "We need to talk."
At first, I thought maybe I'd accidentally wandered into a covert operation or was under investigation for podcast-related shenanigans. But then, Gibbs smiled—sort of. A small twitch at the corner of his lips, but that counts as a full-blown grin in Gibbs-land. "I hear you’re running this Mental Health Warrior Program thing." I nodded, trying to match his cool, but let’s be real, no one can out-cool Gibbs!
“Mindset Rule 26, right?" he said, handing over his coffee loyalty card like it was part of some secret code. "Learn from your missteps, but never stop because of them."
Now, when Gibbs references your 53 Mindset Rules of a Mental Health Warrior book, you take note. We settled into a booth, and just like that, I found myself having an impromptu meeting with Gibbs himself. Was I secretly hoping for a head slap? Maybe. But instead, he leaned in and gave me a hard look, the kind that makes you question your life choices in the best way possible. "Look, Bruce," he said, “this rule, I use it every day. Let me give you three examples of how it helps me.”
Lesson 1: Learn from Your Mistakes, but Don’t Freeze Up
Gibbs took a long sip of his coffee. "I’ve made plenty of mistakes. Like that one time I misjudged a suspect’s intentions and let him walk. Turns out, he was guilty as sin. I could’ve kicked myself, but instead, I focused on how to fix it. We tracked him down, caught him two days later. The lesson? You can’t dwell on the misstep—you fix it and move forward.”
He paused, letting that sink in. "In your life, it’s the same. Maybe you mess up a job interview, blow a business opportunity, or make a decision that tanks your finances. Fine. Acknowledge it, but don’t bench yourself. Get back in the game with a new strategy."
My Takeaway:
I nodded, thinking of my own financial crises that hit after I thought I had life all figured out post-sobriety. I'd nearly benched myself for good, but Mindset Rule 26 was like a mental head slap—get back in there!
Lesson 2: Perfection Isn’t Real—Adaptation Is
"Another time," Gibbs continued, “we had a case where every lead dried up. I wanted it to go one way; it went another. I could’ve pushed for the outcome I had in my head, but the case wasn’t going to bend to my will. Instead, I adapted. Turned out, the solution was in the details we overlooked. The misstep was thinking I had to be right the first time.”
He gave me a meaningful look, one eyebrow raised. "In life, people think they can’t fail once they get on the ‘right’ path. You know that’s a lie, Bruce. People change. Circumstances change. You adapt, or you get stuck. That’s Rule 26 for you.”
My Takeaway:
It was like Gibbs was pulling a page from my own playbook. I’d thought getting sober and managing my bipolar disorder meant smooth sailing from then on. But no—challenges were part of the deal. That’s where adaptation came in, and trust me, Gibbs made sure I wasn’t forgetting that any time soon.
Lesson 3: Don’t Let Missteps Define You—Let Them Strengthen You
Gibbs leaned back, crossing his arms. "The biggest lesson? Your missteps are part of your story, but they don’t define it. I’ve lost agents, made bad calls, but if I let those moments control me, I’d never solve another case. Instead, I use them. They make me sharper, more determined."
He leaned in, his stare cutting right to my core. "You fall back, but then you come back stronger. Same thing with your mental health, Bruce. Bipolar, Anxiety, PTSD—they don’t define you. How you get back up after a bad day, that’s what defines you."
My Takeaway:
The way he said it, I knew Gibbs wasn’t just handing out advice. This was a man who lived and breathed resilience. It wasn’t a platitude; it was a lifestyle. And honestly, it sounded a lot like what I preached on the podcast. You don’t let your challenges control your life; you grab the reins and keep moving forward.
Out-the-Door Advice
We finished our coffee, and Gibbs glanced at his watch. "Well, Bruce," he said, standing up. "Crime doesn’t wait. Neither should you." Before I could respond with something witty or profound, he was halfway to the door. He paused, giving me one last look. "Oh, and Bruce… don’t bench yourself. Not even after a bad episode. I’ve read the entire 53 Mindset Rules of a Mental Health Warrior Book. Keep at it."
And just like that, Gibbs was gone, probably off to solve a case using nothing more than a knowing glance and a gut feeling. Meanwhile, I sat there, buzzing from caffeine and an unexpected dose of wisdom.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I imagined Gibbs interrogating my missteps like suspects in a high-stakes case. But that’s the beauty of Mindset Rule 26. You learn from your missteps, but you don’t let them stop you. Because, as Gibbs would say, the case of life is still wide open, and you’ve got more ground to cover as a Mental Health Warrior.
As I walked out of the coffee shop, I couldn’t help but wonder… Is this what a head slap feels like?
Bruce Schutter
Creator of Mental Health Warrior Program and Challenge Coin
Comments