I do agree that people need to stick to the platform, because for most, the climb to the top is long and arduous and requires a lot of work. I think the reason why some people question themselves on here though, isn't necessarily because they suck at Steemit, but because they see people who have started around the same time as them jump to practically instant fame. There are a variety of reasons for this. First, if people are popular on another platform, the whales all pitch in to immediately boost their SP so they don't get frustrated and leave (I have mixed feelings about that, but another topic for another day). Another reason people might skyrocket quickly is if someone already doing well brought them to the platform and introduced them to all of their followers. The last reason may indeed be sheer, dumb luck, haha. But all things combined can make someone busting ass on here feel pretty discouraged by newbies who come and are already at a 52 SP in less than a week. I really want to believe that Steemit is all just about putting in your hard work and reaping your reward, but I am so not seeing that for a lot of people, and I can see why they get discouraged. In a way, it's kind of a double edged sword. People are looked down upon seemingly if they come here to make money, but then people are also encouraged to spend hours a day writing great content and socializing with others, and certainly most people can't afford to do that for nothing. If Steemit is to be the Libertarian dream Utopia that my close friends hope for, then it has to figure out how to better reward its creators. In that way, it's not a monopoly, but it's definitely not a very fair system. I suppose it's much like the real world. You gotta know somebody to be somebody, and even better if you start here with money, because you can just buy your way into wealth and power. But, since I have spent most of my adult life pouring my heart into platforms that I never got a dime from, I still have faith that Steemit is better than most social media, and is at least worth a temporary investment of my time. Nice article. Thanks for the insight.