In the early 2000, we had Asian financial crisis, Y2K, dotcom bomb, telecom burst, stock market crash, 9/11 attack, war in Afghanistan, SARS, launch of the Iraq invasion, outbreak of avian flu, but yet in retrospect, it was the best time to do a startup. So you can't really differentiate with good timing. But you can differentiate from bad timing. When it is difficult for you, it is also difficult for everyone else. But they don't have the same strong will to succeed as you do. By the way, if you have the luxury of pondering where or not this is the right time to leave your day job, my advise is to stay where you are and just wonder out loud what could have been and should have been. It really takes a lot to succeed in a startup. Having any backup plan is the wrong place to start. Good luck.