inquiry surrounding change

What does it mean to change? How does one determine that they have indeed gotten rid of a habit or altered the way that they handle various situations? How many examples of a certain behavior serve as validity for an actual change in ideals? I am looking to dissect what it really means to experience a transition into something completely new: actually believing and practicing something that you formerly did not. What types of episodes do we have to encounter? 

Age? No...I am not convinced that people change with age per say...of course of course, people physically change and their surroundings and occupations may change, but what proof does age offer for ethical changes? I have met 30 year olds with the maturity level of middle school children in certain aspects...and vis versa, I have met 15 year olds with very complex, mature philosophical ideas. 

Near death experiences? I've had one...and four days later, when I was coherent and able to understand what had just happened with me...I swore that I had changed...but in what respect I asked myself...I concocted a whole new plan of living...live each day as it is my last, don't trip off the small stuff....you know, all of the book titles in the Self-Help section of Cody's Books. And for the first few weeks after the blood clots invaded my lungs...I abided by these new rules and felt that it was safe to say that I had indeed changed. Lets fast forward to right now...this exact moment...can I honestly say that I still hear the titles of the Self-Help section in my head? No...I have become comfortable with my condition, and now life is quite similar to how it was prior to my invitation to the unknown. Sure, I have I had minor changes, such as being comfortable with having needles as regular visitors of my arms for weekly blood tests, but thats not an ideological change, that is practical and expected. 

Break-Ups? Umm, I highly doubt it...how many people make the same mistakes over and over again in relationships by subconscious habit even proclaiming the entire time that the previous relationship has changed them? I know I have been guilty of that...and as complicated as relationships are, of course we do learn from them...but I am unclear on how we transfer what we have learned to our ideology file. I am stabbing at the question of whether or not a person's ideological ideas can be altered, and if so...what must this person experience in order to undergo such changes? I do not believe that it is not possible...I would just like some insight of how this works...I do not

have an answer.