> I have the feeling that I am not going to get to where I need to be before I have to be there

I totally and completely feel this.  

> There is a lot of "I will do what I want" on Steem

I have to do what I want otherwise there is exactly no point whatsoever to me being here XD Yeh, I know I'm doomed to failure :)

> Rather than learn a craft, we want others to buy our toys and fix them when they break.

I hate fixing computer issues! I get so mad as that's minutes to hours (and sometimes days! Aargh!) that I could have been drawing! And don't even get me started on the car that I literally only drive and wouldn't have a clue what to do with if something broke :S

> I am pretty sure that the people who pay upfront to post onto services like @threespeak are going to treat their content and therefore the platform with a greater level of consideration.

I really hope so! But it's also possible that they'll feel entitled to larger post payouts than whatever they get because they're paying to be there.

> I keep working as hard as I can so that I can keep opting into an ecosystem I believe will help to make the world a better place.

Seems like a good plan ^_^