Which is why I made the latter so easy?

Changing what you have,  comes from changing who you are. And changing who you are comes from changing what and how you think.

Michal Fortin in one of his posts says "I did so in an attempt to try to find the one common denominator in all religions, in all cultures, in all societies. Some people say it’s love. That may be true, but what I have found is, in almost all cases, the common denominator has been “You are what you think"
Masaru Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health.
 
So how do we change what we think, I believe we change because we become exposed to new ideas, some that reaffirm our paradigm and others that question the paradigm of our world.
 
Education, travel, reading, and listening to others all expose us to new ideas. If we have an open mind, then we begin slowly to change our thinking and if we change our thinking then we change who we are or who we will become. If  as Masaru Emota claims we can change the shape of water  as it crystallizes by exposing it to different thoughts then can we change ourselves by our thoughts?
 
Something to think about.