Thanks for being vulnerable and open about where you're at. I think you have great reasoning for all your actions, so you shouldn't have to feel bad about any of them. They're your votes to use how you want anyways, but it seems they you use them in "honorable" ways too, so nothing to be embarrassed about.

I appreciate you sharing about vote-selling. I haven't reached a level where that makes sense for me. I'm still building my base and commenting and upvoting the authors I visit is one of the main ways I gain visibility. The other way is by rewarding real people who come to my posts and leave comments. I want them to know I appreciate their visit and votes.

I'm working hard to get to the slider bar so I can do more votes of lower power and spread the votes around a little more. I have been running my VP much too low. That's changing and I'm going to target keeping above 70%.

Your posts are informative and well-written. You shouldn't have a problem continuing to grow your following. I've benefited from reading what you write and looking forward to more Steemit wisdom.