Powering up is a good decision but you don't really need to invest anything in order to gain on Hive. It will help you with resource and hive power but without contributing to the network through curation (not just content creation), it won't amount to anything.

If you truly love what you do and you're not here just for the earnings, it's pretty easy go up and earn. Just be yourself, express your interests and enjoy the journey of exploring other people's content while sharing yours— the stats will follow.

Content and the Appreciation of it are the true currencies of Hive. By protecting the network and making it stronger, you will also be rewarded.

It will take time (rewards are paid after several days, and conversions not instant) but it's been designed that way to keep it strong.

In short: just have fun!