Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.

Typically, people who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. It's not completely clear why. But for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.

At some point, if you're changing a really deep-seated behavior, you're going to have a moment of weakness.

Habits are malleable throughout your entire life.

For a habit to stay changed, people must believe change is possible.

Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness, or can be deliberately designed. They often occur without our permission, but can be reshaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realize—they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.

If you dress a new something in old habits, it’s easier for the public to accept it.