This may sound like a dumb comment, but it took me a while to figure it out so I'm sharing. (Yeah, I'm slow sometimes.)
Sailing and
living aboard (and long distance cruising) are compatible but different activities. Not all sailors
live aboard, and not all liveaboards sail.
So, to get to the point, start by getting a variety of experience to figure which aspects of the lifestyle appeal to you before dropping a load of
money on something that may or may not
work out.