Forty days to change a trait

In his Tzetel Katan, a short list of daily practices, Rebbe Elimelech offers a practical method for character change: whatever a person's natural failing – stubbornness, laziness, unhealthy shyness, careless speech – he should consistently practice the opposite behavior for forty days in a row. The Tzetel Katan also advises sharing troubling thoughts with a trusted teacher or friend, which weakens the yetzer hara.