I've found myself in a rut for a few days at a time but I still make a point to put up at least one post per day and be happy even if i only get $0.50 off of it. I've also taken some advice from other posters about commenting on other people's posts and how it can add up if you read the post and write a meaningful response longer than a couple of words.

About a week or two ago I made a point to start reading X number of posts per day and choosing the ones I relate to and leave a well thought out response. You have to go into this just like you would normal posts--without much expectation. This way whatever you do earn is just a bonus. That's the way I look at it. Maybe half the comments that I post as replies get upvotes / payouts but I usually get between $1-5 a day doing this which adds to the amount I earn off my own posts. So even if I don't knock it out of the park on my regular posts I still have a few dollars going into my wallet a week later.

I've also found that leaving comments on other people's posts gets you more exposure and my follower base has grown from it. I don't specifically ask for follows or upvotes but if get them then great but if not then I've still contributed to the community and whatever discussion is going on.

I do still get a little frustrated at times but that's life. I can't help but think that in a matter of years those of us who stick with it will be very happy with the way this turns out. It's still a growing community and eventually us minnows will grow up and reap bigger and bigger rewards. Also, STEEM will most likely go back up in value eventually, maybe so much that we will become wealthy if we stick with this.

Nice post about keeping it in perspective!