Hey Pal,
I dare you to be a maverick. I dare you to live a life unorthodox and one that brings you joy. Days will be hard and they'll get long and you'll ask God why he put that dream, that vision and that calling on your heart but when he paints the sky at night and it gives you goosebumps, you listen to the rain hit the tin roof on a 100 year old log cabin homestead, and you swing your leg over a good looking bay it'll start to make a little more sense.
I know it's easier to take the route that mom and dad encouraged - the route of pensions, 401K's, full benefits, and consistent paychecks... but as easy as it seems on paper the reality sucks. It sucks to feel like you're loosing your individuality, loosing your spark and wanderlust for life. Don't trade in those day dreams for nightmares masked as "the dream."
Stay the course, stay anchored, stay unorthodox. Be a maverick.