Hi there Chris and welcome to the community,
I believe we can only work on ourself and although I cannot answer your specific questions here is what I have found:-
We live in an attraction–based universe - we are like magnets and we can only pull things and experiences toward ourselves – we cannot push them away.
I totally believe that what we focus on and think about mostly, we bring about.
As Dennis Waitley says "If you go there in the mind, you will go there in the body. When we are really focused we become like a heat seeking missile towards our target.
Whatever you constantly focus your thoughts and emotions on, good or bad, you bring about. Wherever you are right now has been manifested by your own past thoughts and emotions.
As Winston Churchill stated “You create your own Universe as you go along.”
Majjhima Nikaya stated "If you want to know the past, to know what has caused you, look at yourself in the PRESENT, for that is the past's effect. "If you want to know your future, then look at yourself in the
PRESENT, for that is the cause of the future."
William Henley also stated “You are the master of your own fate and the captain of your own soul” and Napoleon Hill added to this “because you have the power to control your thoughts.”
If you focus on bills, debts and worries, with fear and anxiety you will only attract more of these to yourself, but if you focus on the things that you want in your life with joy and enthusiasm you will also draw those things into your life.
There are so many true stories of people who have overcome the worst kind of adversities by using the power of the mind and visualisation and there are many who have achieved things that seemed impossible to the majority.
There is much more in-depth information within various threads in the law of attraction section.
One last thing I would like to offer from my own personal and humble opinion:-
When people buy things in the pursuit of happiness (some call it retail therapy) they may feel happy for a little while but this is always short lived. Some people even buy mansions, flash cars etc. only to realise it doesn’t mean much to them.
However, when you have an important worthwhile purpose for what you want and you create this to happen it’s really magical, lasting and very special. What’s more when you’ve done it once, you know you can do it again because you know we all possess this amazing power. I wish you an abundance of peace and joy
P.S. I would also suggest that through regular meditation you can get rid of many self limiting beliefs, increase confidance, compassion and great insights to discover what is really important to you
