I finished the book a long time ago and had much difficulty. I kept thinking I was prepared enough to not have to read it and do everything on my own. Trust me, follow the book to the end and it will make it so much easier. I probably spent an extra 9 months before finally grasping all the techniques in the book.

Although it made the end of the book much easier because I discovered a lot of things on my own, using my own techniques.