I'm starting to feel like this is a natural part of being on Steem. Many of us had the privilege of rather huge supporters or delegators that suddenly dropped away, almost forcing a reevaluation and deep reflection about what is really important and hanging on despite the apparent sadness of the situation.
Though I struggle with it at times it just feels like I constantly need to reinvent myself and to drive the content ever closer to how I really see things and what I can offer.

As for the time aspect you mentioned: I have this odd feeling that we can't really weigh time on steem against time out there so much. Maybe it's the knowledge I like to believe I have on the eventually collapsing system structure but this time invested here with people, posts and content we care about will go A LONG WAY in the long run. Compare it to the time it took to mine BTC in the very beginning and still having those coins today, not to mention all we have learned here on the way and the connections we made.

I wholeheartedly agree as well: Let's each find our own pace.
Much continued success to you Norman!