looking for some tourney advice

[doubleatrain 0]

I've been getting more into the really cheap tourneys on PokerStars lately so I can try to improve my tourney play. The last two I played in, I finished in 113/2197 and 116/2049. The other times I've cashed in this kind of tournament, it's been basically the same story. It just seems like every time I do end up cashing, I get there through a lot of being short-stacked and scraping and clawing my way up to some degree, and I rarely am in a chip position in which I feel comfortable stealing or actually playing poker post-flop.In general, my game has ended up being tight all the way through, generally playing quality hands, with a few loose calls in position and some blind steals to stay afloat when I have an opportunity.My main question is, what kinds of adjustments should be made earlier on so as to amass a decent stack? Should I be playing slightly faster, taking more gambles to increase my chances of winning, or should I be staying dormant, waiting for the huge field to self-destruct?Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!