The concept of changing your thinking to change your life is not fully developed. When times are rough, emotionally, economically, and physically there is no pleasant solution, this is where self-help fails because thinking positively and changing your thoughts with the expectation that the environment will change doesnt work, and if you are already under duress any undertaking to find an answer germinates from a confused and divided mind. In order to prepare for activities, the military and athletes will drill, and use practice to address performance rather than thinking because thinking doesnt handle situations well. If you dont already have the life you desire, what reason is there to believe a book has the answer for you? Reducing your suffering may arise from realizing that having what you want doesnt matter, maybe it never mattered, it was simply an attachment we developed and cultivated throughout life that hinders rather than helps achieve balance in our existence.