Attained a special skill/eduction only to abandon it?

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I hold an ARCT in piano performance and played professionally for 10 years
Taught lessons, played on cruise lines, in a few bands and as a soloist in hotels/restaurants/private events and a few small festivals.

Did this mainly in my late teens through late 20s.

Left music because I no longer felt challenged and grew somewhat bored. I reached a level of technical proficiency that I was satisfied with and that told me I was already 'good enough'. I was 'good enough' by my standards.
I also found it difficult to profit from any of my original compositions. (no radio play, no sales)
I grew tired of playing cover songs in hotel bars. (Taking requests and playing other peoples music)

One thing I'm asked if people hear me play the piano is why I am not playing more.
Some people seem to believe that I am wasting my talent.

It's my choice how I use my time and I certainly dedicated myself to attain a high standard through years of practice.

It's not a waste when you have already gone further than most and are at peace with your decision.
(I am not thrilled TBH that I am not active in music, but I have little motivation to continue as I know through experience I've explored the field thoroughly)

I never had much success in getting paid for my musical skills and services, so I had little choice but to use my science skills to bring in the money. There were aspects of science that I enjoyed a lot, but music floats my boat much better. I guess I compromised, but it was either that or live like a pauper.

When I was a child I made the mistake for showing off on the piano with a short boogie woogie riff my cousin taught me. My parents were told that I should be given piano lessons. For four years a brutal piano teacher would take my fingers and crush them into the keys. I could pick put a melody and hammer away at some chords, but I was never able to integrate them. I told my parents that the could punish me any way they wanted to, they could even kill me, but I wouldn't play the piano anymore. It was interesting to see the shift in parent child power dynamics, so thus ended my career as a musician. It was a brutal way to learn not to show off.

I had a friend once who was a piano man (ala Billy Joel) who found fulfillment in taking advantage of drunk single women. I thought that was sad and I would assume ultimately unfulfilling.

I still like music and thought if I was younger, might take a stab at the composition that is now possible through electronics. A while back there was a song, Classical Gas, that was based on an introduction and then a revelation of numerous additional instruments. To me this was like the Phil Specter "Wall of Sound" technique.

If you still have an interest in music, you might experiment with multi-instrument compositions. The Moody Blues did a lot with the Mellotron.