[pudley4]

1 - You're not as good as you think you are. (No one is, but newer players are especially susceptible to the "I've been running well and am a poker god" mentality)

2 - Before you even think about playing for a living you need several things: A) Several months of proven success. Not just "I win more than I lose" or "I had a good few weeks". Documentation of exactly how much you're winning/losing is essential. B) Several months of expenses which are separate from your bankroll. You will absolutely go through losing streaks and months where you don't win enough to cover the bills (and some months where you don't win, period). You cannot afford to dip into your bankroll to cover these expenses, as that will open you up to a bigger disaster - busting out. C)You need a bankroll which is separate from your spending money. 300 BB is the normal suggestion, but 500 BB is much better. This should allow you a bigger cushion against the inevitable downswing, and can prevent you from having to drop down in limits when you start losing.

3 - Playing online for a living is significantly easier than trying to play in a cardroom. You can play any hours you'd like; you don't have to drive to the room and then wait for a seat; you can play multiple tables at the same time; you can get rakebacks and bonuses which add to your earnings; you can use programs like Pokertracker and Playerview/PokerAce to help track your play and your opponent's play.

4 - Go to the archives, search for all posts by davidross. He started his poker career over 2 years ago and gave weekly updates for the first year about his journey. It's a great read and will give you a lot of insight into the difficulties of becoming a professional.