you have a growth mindset that is why you were able to scale through, become better than most people. Many people when they see the areas that they are not good at, they accept it that way and do not work on it. But a growth mindset person like you identifies his weak areas, works on them and scale through. You know that you limit are bounded by the effort you put through.
Also as regards onboarding on Hive, I can relate a lot to how you describe it with people being patient enough and your efforts being all wasted. Hive is not an easy place to be but rewarding in the long run.
RE: Hard work increases the chance of success