Life: Is it better to have a stable life with a steady income or an interesting unpredictable life of adventure which is unstable?
Actually, I have to challenge your assumption that there is a 'stable' life and 'unstable' life. Your mind believes that if I follow this course things will be stable, and if I follow this course it will be less stable. But this is just a belief, you cannot know that for sure. You don't know that choosing a career will lead to stability, or choosing to travel will lead to instability.
Life itself will necessarily manifest both stability and instability, although these words themselves are determined by your perception. Right now you are perceiving 'not knowing' as instability and 'knowing' as stability. But even though 'you know' that you will get your paycheque at the end of the month, you don't really know anything for sure. You just believe that you know.
For me we have to go a little deeper, because the stability you are talking about is the stability of the mind, that feels it can effectively predict and control events in its favour, and sees this as the ideal path for navigating life. For most beings, they either follow this path or rebel against it and deliberately choose something unstable so that they can experience some excitement.
If you just think about life on these terms you will necessarily limit yourself. You will always wonder if maybe you should have taken the other road, you will be involved with regrets or some longing.
Better than having a predictable or unpredictable life is to have a deep life, a contemplative life, a wise life, a loving life, a kind life, a blessed life. Better than having a life is to be life itself, to be one with the source of life. From the place of true self-awareness, you will see that life is just happening, it is unfolding in and as the great harmony. You will find that even challenges and upsets in your life are part of a greater harmony, and bring you wisdom and spiritual strength.
This is the real opportunity of life, more than having interesting experiences or having a comfortable or safe life. For the one who is not seeking excitement, beauty and adventure will come. For the one who is not seeking stability, the true stability of inner peace and wisdom will come. Whatever situations manifest, you will see that you are the undisturbed and unchanging one in and for whom they appear.
The best thing is to use this life to realise your true nature, then whatever 'kind' of life you live you will be happy, and you will not find yourself involved with regrets or longings but you will be a light in the world that benefits many beings, regardless of what you are doing.
May all live such lives.
Best wishes on this journey of life, which is really not a journey at all, but a momentary play in the stillness of your true being...
-Siddhartha
You miss one of the key components besides personal life and work:
Family
It's my experience that there are several factors that can be stable or unstable, yet not all at once:
Personal life
Work life
Family life
There is a relationship between the three and an interaction.
Often when one of the components is unstable (by choice or circumstances) the effect will drag into the other components. What you want to avoid is that all three aspects are affected at once.
When you are single, you have only personal life and work life. If that's the case, nothing holds you back to lead an adventurous life. There is no real insecurity in this when you have the right type of character. In the past I easily quit jobs even when I had no direct sight on a new job. I'm confident that I find a new job.
When others get involved, wife and kids, things change. When I quit my job today, my wife will experience anxiety. Because we need the money not for one but for three people (she has no income and we also need to take care of our son).
Still this would not be a problem when I would quit from a stable personal situation. By choice. And since we have our fixed expenses, I would need some money saved to bridge a short period without work.
It's an illusion to think that any of these components will remain stable. There will be an itch. A stable work environment can create the grounding when family life is unstable, a stable family can create the grounding when work is unstable. When the two of them are unstable, you need an extremely strong personality to cope with it.
My advice:
When you are single and have no other person depending on you: adventurous life
When you have or aim for a significant other:
With a spouse who's confident with an adventurous life and continue that
Settle for a more secure life when your significant other cannot handle adventurous life
When you have kids
Most likely you want to settle for a stable life
Again, when you and your significant other agree, an adventurous life is possible, even with kids. Just accept the risk.
I'd say Steve Irwin was a good example of the latter, having family life which was adventurous. You might not agree with everything he did, yet I'm sure that the world needs more people like him and his wife.
When you look good, he had a stable (and very adventurous) work life. Just not like the average corporate office worker.