With the passing of my mother last Sunday, Im beginning to piece together the future, both immediate and long-term. I need to make changes. Significant ones. I put them off because I didnt want to produce more anxiety in the household while my mother was sick. It wasnt the right time to take some chances and I preferred to keep a reliable income in case my mother needed financial help.

For several years I have been unhappy with my job. Ive worked for my father for 11 years and its...