A worthy discussion!
You mentioned more than a years salary, as I just did an an income analysis vs the expected value of participating in the Daily Steemit Selfie Contest - I can say that I live a very happy and fulfilled life (ie I am not starving or living on the streets) and this is 10.8 years of combined household income.
Remember that 'money' is not something to seek after - what you can trade it for varies widely based on where in the world you are ;p