I volunteered at the Bloomsburg Public Library to give a talk about getting started in writing. I had no idea of the number of people who would come or what ages they would be. So you try to be prepared, give yourself lectures about staying cool. As I was getting ready I kept asking myself: "Why am I doing all this work for something that will not pay me anything?" Then I remembered an article I read in a writers' magazine about the intrinsic value of doing things for free. In the arts it can be a valuable way into the life of your community, to let people know you're a writer. This experience turned out to be better than I had planned--22 people, parents with their kids, and a Cub Scout troop! The kids were great, and five people asked if I could teach more in the future.
You gotta have faith.