“I did finally come to the realization that I’ll never be a rock star.”
That’s a great first step. Now you have to get to where you realize that, if you had become a rock star, you would have hated it.
Third and final step: play your instrument anyway.
Funny you should mention that...
Now that I have a real job and a somewhat disposable income, I have purchased the dream gear I always wanted when I was younger --a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall tube amplifier. Now, I know these two pieces of gear will never see a lighted stage, nonetheless, they are what I've already wanted.
For me, playing my guitar is stress relief. Believe me, when my wife grabs her purse and heads to the mall, I look at my watch and count off five minutes. Then the Marshall gets turned on (gotta let those tubes warm up) and the Les Paul gets plugged in. I tap my wah pedal and wail away in thundering bliss.
And in those moments, in my solitude, I am a rock star! :-)