Change is always difficult and takes discipline and persistence.    This is why the Serenity Prayer is so potentant.   This next section shares some princlples that may help you make changes you want to make.   Change is a complex thing.   You cannot affectively make any changes unless you are willing to make changes for yourself.   Making changes because others want you to change will not work.   You can do anything for a little while to please another person, but you cannot do it indefinitely.   You have probably heard this saying, "you can please all the people some of the time; you can please some of the people all of the time;  but you can't please all of the people all of the time". 

Many people try to change their actions to change their results. This may work for a little while but ultimately they will revert back to their old pattern because their actions are mainly driven by emotions which are produced by their beliefs.

If you want to change your results you must change your beliefs.

Take your results (circumstances) and go backwards. See if you can trace it to a belief.

An easy way to remember this concept is to read the first letter of each word in reverse order which spells BEAR.

Big changes are overwhelming and very rarely happen apart from the miraculous change God makes in you when you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior.  What is effective is small changes on a constant basis.  Small changes make huge differences over time.

What small - repeat - small changes are you willing to begin right now? Don’t put down anything real broad like “how I think”, “my circumstances”, “quit smoking”. These are “mountain” changes. You conquer a T-bone steak one small bite at a time.

Some people only see the forest (change) big and overwhelming.  Some people only see the trees (details) and get lost in them.  Those who are successful in solving problems see both (balance) and plan a path through the details to make the change. (This also applies to problem solving.)