The harsh reality of excuses is that they are powerful enough to kill any ambition. It doesn’t matter how great the goal or how noble the cause—the excuse wins every time. You could have a goal to end world hunger or cure cancer, but if you wake up with a runny nose, you can make the excuse that you don’t have to work toward that goal today.

This is an extreme example, but many of us have set ambitious goals in our lives and fallen to excuses that eventually caused us to give up. Some goals are health-related, financial, relational, or educational. The simple, relatable example is waking up early to work out: when the alarm goes off, we find a reason not to move. No matter how strong your “why” is, that pillow can still win if you let it.

There seems to be a relationship between what we want to achieve and what we’re actually willing to do to achieve it. If we have a goal but aren’t willing to do what it takes, then we really only have a few options:

When the pain of not achieving the ambition outweighs the pain of the work required, you will finally achieve it. If it doesn’t, then we have to be honest and say, “I don’t want this badly enough,” and adjust our ambitions and goals.

For example, if someone is hyper-focused on getting back into shape but isn’t willing to do anything about it, that person is setting themselves up for failure and frustration. A more honest example from my own life is starting a business. I’ve wanted to build something of my own for over a decade—no exaggeration. I’ve talked about it, researched it, dreamed about it, and even planned it… but I always had an excuse. Not the right time. I’m too busy. I need more money. I need more knowledge.

For ten years, I convinced myself that I was “preparing,” when in reality, I was avoiding the vulnerability and risk it takes to actually begin. It wasn’t until recently that I finally realized this: my excuses weren’t protecting me—they were preventing me. Once I accepted that, I stopped waiting for the perfect moment and simply took action. The goal didn’t change. What changed was my willingness to start.

The other side of the coin is when someone has every excuse not to achieve a goal…. yet still does. There are countless examples of this. When life hits hard and gives you every reason to quit, some people still act. They still show up. They still put systems in place and choose discipline. Sometimes the smallest action gets you one step closer. And when your ambition is strong enough, excuses fade and solutions appear.

Here are a few extreme examples of people who had every excuse to quit—and didn’t: click their names for more info.

This is where a few simple truths matter:

This oversimplification might sound insulting, but it’s true. If your ambition is strong enough, you will stop making excuses. You will find a way. The reality is that we can shape and change our ambitions. Call it “giving up” or “adjusting goals,” but it happens. My ambitions at 21 were drastically different from my ambitions at 31. Some people keep the same ambitions from age 13 to 63. Both are fine—just be honest about it.

This concept also connects to previous newsletters about choices and trade-offs. We must choose our ambitions wisely because we can do anything, but not everything. There are natural limitations—time, energy, responsibilities. Every ambition requires sacrifice, discipline, and has a thousand reasons not to act.

To summarize:

To be honest, I’m not sure whether this newsletter motivates you to build systems and chase your most ambitious goals… or convinces you to give up on dreams you don’t truly want. Either way, I hope it gives you clarity—about what you want, what it takes, and the excuses you’ve let win for far too long.