Great way to look at the platform rather than getting bogged down by the payouts on certain posts and looking at others in envy.
I've said from the beginning that I'll not focus on the money. Just purely because it's going to become detrimental in the near future if I begin to gain more influence and start to pull in more interest.
But... taking the compound interest factor into account I can shift my focus onto increasing my SP every week by 10% and the money doesn't become a means to pay myself, just a target for my investments.
Getting discouraged early on because of the learning curve is quite common. There is so many guides and articles out there, like your own, that give you such a better understanding of Steem to prevent this from being a concern. People just have to read.
Money is a by product of the actions one takes on here. It is basic: the more active one is in creating quality contributions, the higher the payouts will eventually be.
There is really no need to rethink the process...it is simple in nature to understand and follow.
I get you. Stay active & keep on giving.