Asking for feedback is a great idea -- but I caution you not to assume a story is a failure because it has only earned pennies on Medium. There's just too many variables — one suggestion I could offer is that even very personal essays offer (or should) something of value to the reader. I read your "9 Reasons" piece and I enjoyed it — but you might consider drawing some connection between your experience and how it could relate to or inform others' (and if you can figure out a way to do that in your title, even better).