How do you not compare your life to people who live normal non-entrepreneurial lives?

You can do a startup without neglecting the rest of your life. Some startups require you work every hour of the day. If your startup is only moderately ambitious you can go on holiday, spend time with friends and build a family, and have hobbies on the side. You're less likely to burn out to boot.

You're probably sacrificing your social life needlessly.

Man, i can totally relate!

If you're rewarded for all your work, you'll be able to justify all the sacrifices.

If it doesn't work out, the comparison with your salaried, risk-averse peers will feel more jarring.

Since its always possible that it may not work out, it may be best to build in balance into your life right now, whether your startup is super ambitious or not.

If it works out, you'll make $ and have enjoyed yourself on the way.

If it doesn't, at least you won't feel horrible about losing out on both $ and a life.

I can totally relate. I turn 31 in a few months. It's been 9 years that I am trying to make my startup work. Got a few health issues now like blood pressure, insomnia because of the constant worrying.

Figured at this point, you have to stop sacrificing your own life. You don't want to wake up at 40 and regret the last 10 years from now. Delegate more, de-stress more. Get out more, meet friends and family, get a dog. Live a little. Be happy. Your self worth is not dependent on whether your startup fails.

Take care of your health first. Everything else comes second.

You need to calibrate accordingly.

For instance, I'm a extremely anxious person which makes me wanna win faster. So I used sleep hacking and intermittent fasting to work more hours for 2 years. But eventually, if you'll feel the famous Burnout.

Then, after you looked back, you know you did a lot of work in a small period of time. Now go waste some time with yourself. Go on a date, go to the gym, watch some series. LIVE a little. It will refresh your mind and who knows what ideas you may have.

Maybe you just need to tweak something that you're not seeing. Different perspectives, different content, and a more "happy state" may bring the final win.

And about comparing yourself with employees living a better life, remember that in order to achieve greatness you need to make sacrifices. But when the path is taking too much time, remember that your youth is passing by. There's a time where you'll have to do both (enjoy life and work). Otherwise you'll feel like you've wasted your life and this though will haunt you for the next years, crushing your productivity completely and probably reinforcing the idea that you should give up. Therefore, take 2 weeks off to enjoy life and see what happens.