A big part of the problem is that a lot of success you see is due to non-linear outcomes with high upside. However, we humans are predisposed to thinking linear

A big part of the problem is that a lot of success you see is due to non-linear outcomes with high upside. However, we humans are predisposed to thinking linearly, I.e 2x the effort leads to 2x the outcome. This cognitive dissonance makes us unhappy. For example anything produced with code or most digital media have these effects. Your Tycoon game example is this: it seems like such an incredible thing for one man to not only accomplish, but also for you to have discovered and enjoyed it. If you apply linear thinking when comparing yourself to someone with non-linear output, you will feel like you could never reproduce that in 10 or 100 lifetimes. And you would be right! But bear in mind the only reason they could have that success is because they chose to work on something with a non-linear outcome. And the only way to be like them is for you to chose to expose yourself to similar upside, and the risk that comes with it. For more on this topic, read Taleb's Antifragile (and other books in his series). Reading his books led to a paradigm shift in my mind that made this way of thinking no longer an issue for me.