I believe Steemit has a great future ahead but-- like is true with many things in our fast paced world-- people lack patience and dedication.
It's like the change jar on my husband's dresser. "Saving" 30 cents and 70 cents from your pocket seems meaningless when you consider that a coffee costs $4, but if you keep throwing that change in the jar, week after week, it adds up to something. A couple of years ago when we went to Europe, that change jar gave us an extra $700 of spending money, and it felt like "found money" because it didn't really come from anywhere.
I see this community much the same way. People give us a few cents' worth of Steem for our posts and comments, which at the time may feel like nothing... and yet, ant the end of five years of sticking to it, I bet you're right that we'll all have $1000s.
Bright Blessings!