I'm with you, Jesus isn't the only catalyst for improving yourself. But, that's not what he's about. Jesus doesn't exist for us. He exists for him and his glory. So, the very concept of evaluating him on the basis of what he can do for us is backwards.
He does love us and wants us to be successful, but he wants us to serve him. Through that process we are improved, perhaps not in a situational sense, but in a spiritual and emotional sense.
'he wants us to serve him' I find to be very worrying, why would he want that? If you are a parent, do you want your children to serve you? I think not. You want your children to flourish and be happy, and if you really love them, then whichever path leads to their flourishing is just fine. Perhaps as a parent you want them to be a scientist, but they choose to become a lay clergyman, does that matter so long as they are following their own path, can be happy and live a fulfilled life?
Perhaps you fail to see the gravity of who we're talking about. Jesus is God. God must be worshipped and served. He commands it because he is the only One who deserves it.
Your analogy is correct to a certain extent because God identifies with us a Father and therefore the reason we want our children to succeed is because he imprinted that on us from his own character. But, primarily he is God, which means he is ultimate authority.
As a parent, I am authority for my children. If they disobey, I discipline because I love them too much to see them go wrong. But, I don't deserve their worship, because I am only their secondary authority. God deserves their worship and obedience as their primary authority and he delegates some of his authority to us as parents and leaders in society.
Bottom line: Jesus is God and God deserves worship. Regardless of what he does for you, he deserves worship because of who he is.
But if I dont worship him that should be ok with him, because if he really can see into my thoughts he knows its not a malicious or rebellious act. He knows I try to be a good person and the remorse I have when I hurt others.
Also, this life is essentially an audition for a position in the Lord's coming government and membership in His spiritual family. He needs people He can trust in those positions of responsibility. Unwillingness to enthusiastically acknowledge his authority is a key indicator that you can't be trusted with bigger things.