Yes we can, I guess

Change.

I've heard so much talk about it this past year. People like to talk about change, I think. It's one of those things that just sounds exciting. There's been a constant flow of change talk, so it's basically my turn.
The dictionary defines change as:

to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone

"if left alone" implies that change comes from outside of yourself. Perhaps people don't have the ability to change just out of sheer will-power. Or, the dictionary just doesn't know what it's talking about.

First possibility: change does not occur naturally. If you think about it, this really makes sense. Changing something means making it different than it was before, different from its natural state. Change is one of the most un-natural things, and yet it happens everyday.
Paradoxical, much? Eh, not really.
Alright, so change doesn't just happen on its own. Change has a cause. All the time.
People change for many reasons, but there is always a reason. Maybe these people do change themselves. I'm inclined to think that those kinds of changes don't last for very long.
In order to for someone to truly change through and through, there has to be an outside factor influencing the change.
Change is still a lot of work on your part, though. Change may not be easy, but it is possible.

Second possibility: the dictionary gave a bad definition, meaning that people are perfectly capable of changing themselves from within, on their own. This is really appealing for people to hear. It's nice to think that you can conquer the world --or at the very least your own life-- without anyone else to help you. I haven't found this to be the truth.
When I am in most desperate need of changing, I am also the most incapable of changing anything about myself. The little things -yeah, maybe those can be changed through will-power. But, the larger and more important things of life are the things that people actually need help to change, at least if that change is going to last.

Quote: a bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.