It seems as though it's pretty common for a similar narrative to play out for trans* individuals. Start as a kid dressing in secret (or not so secret), keeping that part hidden, and then exploring it more and more, until you go "oh... I'm really a woman born in the wrong body." So how did you know that transitioning was right for you and not just a "phase" or something else? Making the decision to go through with transitioning carries a lot of implications and consequences with it, and it's not something you can just try for a bit then go "oh... yeah... about that... it was fun for a bit, but I'm going back to my original gender." And I ask this because going through the CD forums, talking to CD/trans people, reading posts, etc many have purged their other gender items one or more times. So how do you know that transitioning won't be a similar thing for you?
I know everybody has their own concerns and worries from career, to family, to friends, etc. And if you're going to transition you should be prepared to lose all of that. But as I explained to a friend earlier tonight is living as the wrong gender but with an otherwise successful life any different than living as the wrong gender with a hard life? To me it seems it's a wash. Either be happy in your standard CIS gender falling into the social norm and go through life feeling "off/wrong" or be happy in your identified with gender and potentially have career, relationship, family, and friends issues for life. Both those options suck. I want to be able to be the gender I feel I am AND be successful in the "traditional" view of it (good job/career, healthy relationship with one/more SO, friends, family, etc). This is where the first paragraph comes in. What was the proverbial straw that broke your back to make you know it was right for you? Or did you just say screw it and go for it and deal with the fallout as it happened?