You don't have to worry about these things yet.
Although a lot of what is going on here is still a mystery to me, i do remember what it was like when i just started out. There is so much to discover, and such a lot to learn. There were plenty of times that i had the feeling I would never be able to use the platform without getting lost.
But I made a deal with myself that i'd try to learn something new every day. I still believe that if I keep that up, there might come a day that i completely get it all :0)

Just take it one step at a time; SteemIt has a steep learning curve, but if you push through, you'll get there eventually.

And you are probably right about sticking to your principles. If only my principles would allow me to earn truckloads of money, lol