I try to resist the urge, but yes, I notice.

Sometimes I think it's that I haven't gotten my search muscles built enough, and am looking just at "new" instead of "new/life" or more filtered lists. For me, it's that I like to write and I like to win. Focusing on the money seems like the best way to earn curation rewards and feel like a winner of the money game.

But I don't let myself look there first because I want to develop a more sophisticated style and world. I'd much rather use my minnow's upvote for good content, as it seems you would too.

No shame in noticing the money, though. I think it gamifies the experience of blogging and makes it more fun. It looks like you have some interesting articles. I'll follow and read up!