If you can have enough cash flow (either from W-2 income, or stock dividend) to sustain what you need for 2-3 years, you can afford to be more aggressive on growth stocks.
When selecting dividend stocks, focus on those companies with a very long history of dividend without any cut. During bear market, these stocks may also go down with the market, but your income will not be impacted significantly.
The whole goal here is that you will not be forced to sell stocks at cheap price to riase cash