That's an interesting way to put things up... I could say for myself that my main excuse was (and sometimes it is still) that I was living in a bad country, that didn't give me a chance to succeed... In the end, that is just another excuse, as if I was enough ready, or aware, I would find the way to succeed, or just leave and change the environment... Unfortunately, in my example, I made a change 10-15 years later than I could...
In some way, I waste my 10-15-year potential due to my insecurities...