Day 904 - Cautious and daring - https://golifelog.com/posts/cautious-and-daring-1687505889067
A bit of an inside, dark humour sort of joke I have with my wife is how I basically "asked for it" by choosing to go serious on indie solopreneurship right around the same time as having a kid for the first time, and during a global pandemic crisis, and a recession after.
Making a huge career change, from ground up, right around the when everyone's trying to protect their own jobs, businesses shutting down, is just silly. Top that off with sleep-deprived nights and the teething issues of beocming a new dad (mind you, not the baby's teething issues).
My sense of timing couldn't be more off on this occasion, to say the least.
Why make things doubly, triply hard on myself when the smart thing is to lay low for a bit, put the ambition aside, and just get through it with as little drama and stress as possible? If I went back to a government job during the pandemic, I'd have a stable salary, be able to work from home anyway and be a present dad, and wouldn't be as stressed. I could have avoided all that drama, and then when the conditions are ripe again, quit and start over as an indie. Like now.
*Why? Why then? Why now?*
I asked myself those questions pretty often.
I don't know but I feel my path often has a life of its own. First, the soul does what it needs for growth, for reinvention. Then the mind and other worldly needs follow.
I'll find a way to survive and feed the family.
But the growth process doesn't stop.
I think this about sums it up:
> "One of the great balancing acts in life is to be cautious and daring at the same time.
Cautious enough to avoid stupid mistakes, prevent burnout, and maintain a margin of safety.
>
> Daring enough to bet on yourself, to do the things you would regret leaving undone, and to be willing to be uncomfortable in the short term so you can learn and grow in the long term." – [James Clear](https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/june-22-2023)
I did what was needed to be cautious enough, even though I was taking a daring leap of faith into the unknown of indie hacking. I continued consulting, I opened myself up for coaching and training, I did random gigs, a few hundred dollars here, another thousand there. I survived. My family survived. I did what was temporary, to get towards what was permanent.
Cautious *and* daring.
Now, to just keep the faith, stay the path.
Making a huge career change, from ground up, right around the when everyone's trying to protect their own jobs, businesses shutting down, is just silly. Top that off with sleep-deprived nights and the teething issues of beocming a new dad (mind you, not the baby's teething issues).
My sense of timing couldn't be more off on this occasion, to say the least.
Why make things doubly, triply hard on myself when the smart thing is to lay low for a bit, put the ambition aside, and just get through it with as little drama and stress as possible? If I went back to a government job during the pandemic, I'd have a stable salary, be able to work from home anyway and be a present dad, and wouldn't be as stressed. I could have avoided all that drama, and then when the conditions are ripe again, quit and start over as an indie. Like now.
*Why? Why then? Why now?*
I asked myself those questions pretty often.
I don't know but I feel my path often has a life of its own. First, the soul does what it needs for growth, for reinvention. Then the mind and other worldly needs follow.
I'll find a way to survive and feed the family.
But the growth process doesn't stop.
I think this about sums it up:
> "One of the great balancing acts in life is to be cautious and daring at the same time.
Cautious enough to avoid stupid mistakes, prevent burnout, and maintain a margin of safety.
>
> Daring enough to bet on yourself, to do the things you would regret leaving undone, and to be willing to be uncomfortable in the short term so you can learn and grow in the long term." – [James Clear](https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/june-22-2023)
I did what was needed to be cautious enough, even though I was taking a daring leap of faith into the unknown of indie hacking. I continued consulting, I opened myself up for coaching and training, I did random gigs, a few hundred dollars here, another thousand there. I survived. My family survived. I did what was temporary, to get towards what was permanent.
Cautious *and* daring.
Now, to just keep the faith, stay the path.