I regret leaving my job to start my own business

Honestly, I’ve been feeling a bit of regret about leaving my job. I know it was the right decision at the time since it was really affecting my confidence (due to toxic coworker) and my mental health. Still, I wish I had found better ways to cope with the stress back then or ways to manage it better so I could’ve kept that stable monthly income.

Building a business now has been even more challenging for my mental health and confidence. But I know this is what I really want to do than work for someone else's dream. But it’s hard, especially when you’re surrounded by people with steady jobs. You start feeling like you’re missing out or doing something wrong, even when you’re not. It’s definitely a bit of FOMO.

One thing I’ve learned is that I will never leave a job again without a backup plan, no matter how much I have saved. I really thought I’d be fine living off my savings for a while, but it’s different when you don’t have that regular income. I end up feeling lost, distracted, and constantly doubting myself, questioning whether I’m doing the right thing.

I used to think that working on my own business full time would help me focus more, since having a job seemed like a distraction. But in reality, the pressure of doing your own thing without seeing results quickly can be overwhelming. Maybe I just need to build a stronger mindset, be more patient, be consistent, practice delayed gratification, but looking back, even during my school days, I was never great at working under pressure - and working on building a business full time is a whole lot of pressure.

Has anyone else left a stable job to chase their dream, only to find it’s way harder than you expected?

I’d love to hear your experiences and any lessons you learned along the way.