That's the secret to enjoying any kind of fishing Dave - set your own values, your own standards, and don't be too influenced by what others are catching.
Which doesn't mean you shouldn't aim to catch a 40lb carp if that's what you want, just that waiting for the best swims and putting in lots of time go with the territory, for most anyway, and that's something you have to accept or you shouldn't be doing it.
Simple really, do what you're happy doing and let that be enough.
These days a lot of my carp fishing is floater fishing, because that's what I enjoy most. I'm not likely to catch the biggest fish in the lake with that method, but do I care? Do I hell!
I learned a long time ago that the fish in my landing net should be the result of how much I enjoyed myself trying to catch it, and not just the result of a determined ambition to catch the biggest.
I hope that makes sense.