Shifting through dreams and lucid dreams is not working

I've had dreams and lucid dreams in which I say affirmations and try to summon portals, but they don't work. When I try to go through a portal, either I can't go through it, or I successfully go to my DR and realise it was just a dream. The same thing happens with affirmations. I say them, think I've successfully shifted, only to wake up here. I thought this was supposed to work? So why isn't it?