I spent four years trying to get my startup to revenue. I created something that I thought would be useful for its niche audience, but nobody wanted it in the end.

I was so burned-out from the experience that I had to stop for my own mental health. I got a normal job three years ago.

Since putting the startup on indefinite hold, I've been able to learn new sports, buy a home, and generally enjoy my life without the constant feeling that I had to be working more and spending less. My life got dramatically better.

So while I would have preferred that the startup succeeded, walking away after four years was far better than continuing down that path. And because the technology I had built was really impressive, it only took a couple months for me to get a job paying more than I ever had before.