Hi Braxton. I wanted to say two things:

1. There are multiple ways to "be succesful" on steemit. You could invest some SPARE money to your account (only an amount you can really afford to miss! And if that's nothing, it's nothing.) You could also write some really interesting, or funny, content. That gains you an audience of followers, all of whom could upvote you. Or comment on influential people: that's actually quite interesting as you'll learn about their perspective. How to succeed is up to you, but the key issue is: be creative! (Think, think, think).
2. That's a really cute dog in your photo! First thing I noticed!

See ya...