Well put, Malkynn.
As they say, luck is opportunity meeting a prepared mind.
I never set out to do this, I just kept seeing the same problem over and over. I thought, well, if no one else is going to solve it, it might as well be me. But it did take the preparation steps.
I hear you too SC93, but consider that you might have already been prepared for your action, your research was sort of "built in" and you could just go for it.
The other things here:
1. No amount of money is worth it if its not fun/satisfying for you. Sure, there is some awesome, immediately actionable thing that could net you millions. But it could also make you a miserable and unkind know it all. I mean, my chosen profession ( high barrier of entry) could net me millions at this stage, but to do that, I would stop enjoying life. I still make an obscene amount of money, but I get to explore other things that give me joy and keep me from turning into a dickhead.
2. At some level, we all have some association with money equalling happiness/freedom...and it does have some bearing. At my advanced age...I feel that money is a powerful tool when you have enough, but when you are building it, it is a representation of the energy you are willing to give up. You can never get that time or that energy back.
3. There are many paths.