Oh wow Wil, I so feel you in this post. You are quite passionate and believe in the power of Hive. I feel the same way too,nothing worthwhile comes without dedication, passion and hardwork. And you are totally right, it might not pay off at first , but the momentum is building up and pretty soon we will reap the benefits. The same thing I told Nathan Mars, he is very passionate and active on twitter letting people know how he feels about hive. Definitely there will be challenges like the low paying posts, the falling prices and the naysayers or haters;however we have to keep going.
You know some evenings when Iam tired, I don't feel like posting but somehow I push myself to do it and when its all said and done I feel happy I posted. So I think it is important not to lose focus and be like that guy digging a tunnel and then quits when he is about to get to the gold.
Thank you for sharing and happy weekend :}