When Is It Time To Try Something New?

My husband would very much like me to quit my day job and work on following my passion instead. I am much too practical to drop a steady paying job--even if it sometimes drives me crazy--for something that is unlikely to provide any immediate income. In fact, doing this would cut our household income about 40%.

The problem is, with my full time job, my almost hour each way commute and maintaining a house, yard and exercise, I don't have a lot of energy left--mental or physical--to dedicate to trying to turn my writing hobby into a career.  I think it would be fair at this point to call me more of a dabbler.

I won't do my current employer the disservice of complaining. That is not the point anyways. The point is that my husband wants me to take a giant leap of faith and hope the money follows and I've never been one for blind leaps. I am the practical type. The kind of person who looks for the stairs or the parachute before making that jump. But am I doing myself a disservice? 

He is absolutely right that my job absorbs most of my time and energy right now; that I have been known to come home horribly stressed out. Does it necessarily follow though, that the lack of that job would mean I would get more done and success would follow? I might end up sitting around for hours getting nothing done through sheer inertia. Ever heard the saying, "If you want something done, ask a busy person?" Ever found yourself spending hours doing nothing knowing full well you have things to do? 

So when is it time to try something new?  When it makes sense financially? When I have more time? When I am mentally prepared?  If we only used those benchmarks, a lot of things would never get tried; never get done. A lot of babies would never be born.

When it comes down to it, I am just not prepared to make that leap at this time. I have started towards my goal. I have some books out and several more waiting for some serious editing. I have taken some baby steps.

I need to take some adult sized ones.

However, I am just not ready to take that giant leap.  Maybe I'm wrong to wait, to try to do it in pieces, but that is who I am.  I'm a practical dreamer. I just hope I am not being so practical that I forget the dreamer part.