Thanks.

If you do something for fun then you don't have the cognitive dissonance that comes from what you perceive as being poor pay for work.

The value comes from the activity itself. That is why I do photography as a hobby - I love doing it.

If I had to do it as a job then I don't think I would enjoy it as much. I would have to do something else to replace it as a hobby.

I would not suggest anyone treating Steemit like a job - I don't think it is ready for that yet.

You will always have the odd case or exception of someone who has been able to do it (e.g. Heidi or Anwen) but those people are the exception to the rule and I think they would tell you that too.

Look at it as a hobby, something extra. You will have a better time. Also persistence really pays. I get good payouts for my posts most of the time but it wasn't always that way.

Up until recently I was lucky to get a dollar (and that was when the price of Steem was much higher).

Further I still get the odd post which I put a lot of effort into and it seems to get substantially less payouts than the other ones. It happens to everyone.

The thing is it still often gets me something that is potentially even more valuable:-

More followers and more engagement with the community.

Sometimes the lowest paying posts are the ones with the most discussion and debate.

SD/Steem are not the only capital here:

The intellectual and social capital are just as important and potentially equally valuable - they just don't pay out right away but they will eventually.