You haven't missed anything. Money is a measuring tool thats it. Its representative of the time youve invested into providing to others. This isnt about getting rich overnight. This is ablut taking personal responsibility over your own time and energy by no longer placing it in a thing that someone else arbitrarily creates at a whim. You have a biased lens of " i couldve got in sooner" therefore its too late to try now. 

This is a false dichotomy view to have when it comes to agency over your time. You have to step and say i no longer wish to participate in being stolen from and them telling me its good for me. You can start that journey today. It seems like a small insignificant step today, but over time those small steps add up and become large strides towards the goal youre working towards. You CAN do this, the issue is nobody can FORCE you to do this. You must make decision on your own that i wish to own myself AND my time. The only one that can make that choice is you.