make a win-win situation, save enough and leave your current company gracefully enough to come back. Think about the cost then multiply 3x to get what you need to save, then head out and give it a shot..
the piece here reminds me of an article about entrepreneurship and overconfidence. (see http://icf.som.yale.edu/pdf/overconfidence.pdf, i think). the paper writes that the most common trait among entrepreneurs is overconfidence under a kind of evolutionary understanding. paul graham writes similarly but from a different perspective when he writes about the power of the marginal (eponymous article, i think). outsiders have the naivate to understand why something novel will work, where as insiders are well-versed in the rationalizations for the status quo. i think it's the same naivate that gives outsiders that overconfidence to pursue ventures that insiders "know" will fail.
Fear is not to be feared
Conquer Fear and Fear is not your foe
Fear is your friend
My favourite phrase is "sine metū" or "no fear" ~ http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=596798 Most of what you find with Fear is really the fear of failure or unknowns. You can also use fear to your advantage by tempering your (over) confidence.
"I am pretty sure that starting a business involves some level of desperation."
I agree. People do have to be pushed up against a wall to some extent and feel they are left with few options, otherwise, it is too easy to convince yourself not to startup.
I never heard it said quite this way. It perfectly describes my situation.
Thank you, Melissa!