Excuses are dream-killers. Every dream worth chasing will eventually run into resistance in various shapes and sizes. Some of those obstacles are real, but excuses become dangerous when they convince us we no longer have agency over what happens next, or when we lean into the easy out they offer. Greatness is forged in the valleys, not on the mountaintops. It requires trading “I can’t because…” for “I will until…” and then continuing to put one foot in front of the other.