You're exactly right. Alas, we seem to live increasingly in the age of the "lottery effect;" people all have expectations of "the big score" and underrate the value of "chipping away at it," as you said.
Consistency will actually get you remarkably far.
Oh, and welcome to Steemit @livetorise!
Definitely, people seem to expect a great deal without having to put in time or effort.
Thank you!