How many times have I heard this from planktons and minnows who would spout flowery words of thanks to Dolphins and Whales whenever they get an upvote that they start expecting it even if they post crappy content or those endless challenges and when the patronage is removed they start bad mouthing the person.
They should have been grateful for the time of the upvotes and made sure to have created good quality content, created connections outside of their starting circles and forged relationships and a presence.
I have seen far many people rest in their laurels and be happy to be fed by whale and just be content in their circle of fellow minnows and get angry when people leave.
At our little Ohana at @steemitfamilyph we try to nurture them to be self reliant and stand on their own merit and talent. We encourage them to be themselves and write about things they want. Be authentic humans who connect and create for themselves not because it is trending, or because it will be upvoted by a whale.
So many are obsessed with getting votes and getting paid that it starts to put pressure on them to go to what will be voted. They lose their individuality and that for me is sad.
I see that the most successful people are those that engage people well. That write unique stuff and generally like what they are doing. They are authentic and without pretense.
P.S. The Shia killed me there haha because Yes Do It!!!!
<3 <3 <3