Having personal projects is hard.  Especially when you have a family.  Depending on the size of those personal projects, they may be unrealistic to achieve given certain time-frames.<p>Starting a successful software company is hard.  Building one that sustains you and grows 10% ARR is hard, building one that grows 5% MRR is much much harder.  Starting a software company--unless you stumble upon it--is NOT a side project.<p>The Longfellow poem resonated with me as well, but what I&#x27;ve come to realize is that the source of my happiness has shifted.  Rather than focusing on the things that make ME happy, I prefer--and like--to focus on the things that make members of my family happy.  This in turn, brings me (more) happiness.<p>Being my own boss was something I wanted to focus on.  I&#x27;m VERY fortunate to be able to live in the SF Bay Area and have a spouse that earns enough so I can work on running my own business.  There is no way my company would be where it is now if it were a side project.  It required full-time(+plus) dedication to get it up and running, and now rolling.<p>I do look back and realize there are (literal) mountains I have not climbed or cars I have not bought, but if my kids can have happier and better lives, that&#x27;s what I want more than anything else, and taking steps to that end bring me contentment.