Salvation is not merely changing your life to be like Jesus. First, God the Father must draw you to Jesus.
John 6:44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
God draws sinners to Jesus by opening their blinded eyes with the "Good News" of Christ dying for their sins and rising from the dead. As their hearts become covicted of sin, they either accept or reject the work of Jesus on the cross.
If you have been redeemed (saved) from the judgement of sin, it's because God in His grace, His mercy, and His love drew you to Jesus, and you believed in Him.
God doesn't force anyone to believe in Jesus. It's a personal decision that affects eternity-- Heaven or Hell. From start to finish, salvation is the work of the grace of God.
Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.
