Thought the same when I was starting out. It was much easier to become a Dolphin then than it is now because there were a lot fewer people make then, but now, with more people coming in almost everyday, the total reward pool is widely distributed making it harder for the new folks to grow faster.
That's why getting involved in projects like the one mentioned in this post is one of the best ways to speed up your growth on Steemit. Good luck with the platform, buddy.