Hey @cryptojenn! I definitely feel you that it has not been a walk in the park. Steemit definitely requires a constant and vigilant work ethic to get going. I've read a lot of successful Steemians posts and they agreed, it's a heavy lift but if you keep at it every day you can make it!
And agreed, there's always ways to improve. Thankfully we can now do that as a community, which will be an interesting thing.
Wishing you the best on here!