Thank you @bashadow for using me and @briancourteau's story as a beautiful example of what a community actually looks like here! I'm so glad that you are a part of ours :)
@talkingwiseshit, I'm not too sure how long you have been here, but here's a little analogy I've used in a past post to explain my take on steemit and why commenting is so very important (as opposed to blogging) to develop your community here:
Imagine moving to a new town where you don't know a soul. You're so excited to be there, so you decide to throw a party. You meticulously plan everything, you buy and prepare food and drinks for everyone, and you even decorate. It takes a lot of time and effort, but that's ok, because when the night of the party arrives, everything is perfect. Your house looks great, the food and drinks look awesome, and you even look like a million bucks. It's all ready. So you open your front door and you wait, and wait, and wait...
...and not a single soul shows up. Absolutely no one.
Of course there are those here who focus on themselves and the money they can make. I choose to focus on like-minded indivduals who want to develop genuine relationships, and like @bashadow suggested, there are a lot of groups like @newbieresteemday whose focus is on community and welcoming and supporting folks here. I am a member of several and would gladly extend an invitation to you if you are interested.
I'm glad you are going to stick it out; trust me, it is worth it :)