My obsession was freedom. It wasn't working that I wanted to escape, but working for someone else. I was able to do that when I was 35.

I had my lean years and my fat years, but generally we lived well, raised two kids, had a very good life. If my wife had not been forced by illness to retire when she was 54, we would have saved plenty of money. Instead, I kept working and ended up spending the last four years as an employee again so that I could beef up our retirement funds. At 73, I had enough that I felt comfortable retiring. It's not millions, but we don't need all that much.

You like what you do, you seem not to like the chains of being an employee. Maybe you should aim for independence from employment, not independence from needing money.

It worked for me. It wasn't always easy, but I had freedom for many decades. Maybe that is what you should strive for.