In the 19th century, there was a hydraulic model of how to be a good person. There are all

these torrents of passion flowing through you. Your job, as captain of your soul, is to erect dams to keep these passions in check. Your job is to just say no to laziness, temptation, greed, drug use and the other sins. Praying could really help. They could help you identify sin. Preachers could persuade you to exercise the willpower you need to guard against temptation. These days that model is out of fashion. You usually cant change your behavior. by simply resolving to do something. If that were true, New Years resolutions would actually work. Your willpower is not like a dam that can block the torrent of self-indulgence. Its more like a muscle, which tires easily. People can change their lives, but ordering change is not simple because many things, even within ourselves, are beyond our direct control.