Thanks for the detailed responses everyone, this is so pleasantly encouraging that we are all on the same page. I am going to read through what everyone wrote in depth and ponder it and post some more thoughts at a later date. I can't promise how soon I will embark upon this "adventure", because I am busy enjoying a lot of other positive changes in my life right now, and I don't want to rush into anything without detailed planning, otherwise I'll likely give up at the first significant obstacle.
I'm definitely not scared of pain or nastiness though. Especially if it's for a good purpose.