The fear of death or the stone-cold facts doesn’t help change people’s minds. Wield these weapons as you will, they will prove to be ineffective at the least.
Aside from a spiritual change from within which tends to happen somewhat sporadically, or at least in ways that we cannot predict, are there things you or I can even do to change our behaviors?
I’ve concluded (at present, at least) that the best tools you can employ to change behavior are three things:
1. Relationships
Add relationships into your life which will push you into the behavior you wish to start/stop. i.e. want to workout consistently, sign up for Cross Fit. Want to lose weight join a club or sign up to run a marathon, etc…
2. Practice
Practice the new behavior. Hint: having a community or relationships that practice the new behavior helps with this step. The hardest part of going to the gym is putting on your shoes. So create the routine that leads to you getting the shoes on and do it over and over every day.
3. Announce Change
Identify as someone who now does that new behavior. The publically you can announce your new mode of thinking & behavior pattern, the more likely you’ll be to stick with it.
In short, you need to create the discipline to practice the new behavior over and over again. The best way to do that is to announce your new behavior to everyone and find a community with whom you will be extra motivated to create the change you wish.