Living off Steem isn't living off what comes out of the pool (although many believe this and once upon a time I did too), living off steem is building the stake to solidify the blockchain and then using it to empower the Steem blockchain to become the entrepreneur's and the venture capitalist's dream come true in so many ways. The income streams aren't from the Steem pool, the income is going to come from the startups and businesses that the Steem community invests into for a percentage return.

This.

I’m now (just barely) within the top 1,000 hodlers of Steem Power. Ideally, I’ll never power it down, just skim off an income stream.

I’m convinced that Steem has the potential to be better than a goldmine. Even the most productive mines eventually get stripped bare. Steem can keep going.