Before a farmer can plant a crop in the ground, the soil must first be prepared to receive the seed. Otherwise, it won't take and probably won't grow very well. The same thing happens when we try to change a behavior or attitude to a new and better one. If the old way of thinking and believing hasn't been sufficiently disrupted, it will overpower the new idea and  revert back. This is the paradigm under which we operate - the 'way things are' that we accept without thinking about. It is on this level that we must prepare our inner life to receive and nurture the better habits of thought, speech and action that we want to cultivate.