I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, but exercise caution with this mindset.
Your projects might feel more important now, but that may not always be the case in the future.
Speaking from my experience, as a younger guy I actually kinda enjoyed the 80+ hour weeks during crunch times on my projects and I was always supremely motivated and had the mental energy to basically abandon a social life and concentrate almost entirely on the work, including the time when I had my sister banging on my door one day in tears wondering if I was even still alive since my family had not heard form me for so long.
As I've got older and got more experience, those attitudes have changed.
Work and projects are important, but don't throw everything else away to pursue them. Projects can fail (often for reasons outside of your control), and companies will often show zero loyalty when it comes to redundancies or bankruptcies. Don't pin your life and your future (financially or emotionally) on these things - the money and success will come regardless of the hours you work if you're worth it.
tl;dr - For me companionship is more important than pouring my entire self into projects or work. It wasn't always the case, but as I've got older and more experienced, the importance of my work vs my life has only decreased and I'm richer now than I've ever been.
Your projects might feel more important now, but that may not always be the case in the future.
Speaking from my experience, as a younger guy I actually kinda enjoyed the 80+ hour weeks during crunch times on my projects and I was always supremely motivated and had the mental energy to basically abandon a social life and concentrate almost entirely on the work, including the time when I had my sister banging on my door one day in tears wondering if I was even still alive since my family had not heard form me for so long.
As I've got older and got more experience, those attitudes have changed.
Work and projects are important, but don't throw everything else away to pursue them. Projects can fail (often for reasons outside of your control), and companies will often show zero loyalty when it comes to redundancies or bankruptcies. Don't pin your life and your future (financially or emotionally) on these things - the money and success will come regardless of the hours you work if you're worth it.
tl;dr - For me companionship is more important than pouring my entire self into projects or work. It wasn't always the case, but as I've got older and more experienced, the importance of my work vs my life has only decreased and I'm richer now than I've ever been.