The effort you put into this post is admirable you reproduced such great advice from so many people! This is why I have become addicted to steemit: the community is fantastic. Always helpful, always supportive with excellent advice. I guess I am lucky in that I have not made my first payout yet as I have only been here 5 days: I won't have seen a drop in earnings. My primary motivator isn't money but networking.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to make a regular small income from steemit as I am unable to go out to work due to my health. However I understand it's not a sprint but a marathon - and you don't win marathons without lots and lots of training.
Excellent post @sidwrites