In the famous words of Eric Cartman:

"Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake! BEEFCAKE!"

Only three words (well, four, but one is a contraction): DON'T GIVE UP. You know that being a *paid* writer is tough - but you must always, always, always write. Yes, something else will have to pay the bills for a while, but you know what a writer does: WRITES. Don't give up.