You're not alone. There are many of us in the same shoes. I know this sounds like a lame Dutch comfort but it is true.
Write and keep writing for the love of it. It takes sometime to warm up here at Steemit. I've been here for more than a year and you should take a look at my wallet. I could earn 100x more working at the dreaded MacD.
I'm still here and writing and writing and writing....
You did the right thing to vote yourself first, which is recommended and encouraged by Steemit.
So cheer up Sis!
"... that you can be happy right here, not tomorrow,
not in ten minutes, but now. You can be happy right now." ~ Neal Donald Walsch
Lol maybe its Steemit's way of telling us to work harder because if we're doing it for the money, we're not doing it for the love of writing. Thanks for the assurance I needed to hear that!