It's 2016! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Does everybody have their New Year's resolutions set? If not you're in luck! If you do have one, then this article will help you actually keep it for more than just a couple of weeks.

First let me tell you a story (if you don't want to read my story you can skip the next couple of paragraphs). For years I always told myself that I would get better grades (this never happened).Then in high school and my early years of college I told myself I would be less shy and actually talk to people (this worked a little bit but not to the level I wanted). It wasn't until last year that I decided I wasn't going to make a New Year's resolution. Instead, I was going to make a life-changing decision. I told myself this, "In 2015 I do not want to be comfortable." If you don't understand what I mean let me explain this to you. During the past year, I devoted my time to putting myself into situations where I was extremely uncomfortable, sometimes even terrified.

The very first thing that I did in 2015 was I took a three day trip (by myself) to Penn State University to participate in the Northeast Horn Workshop. Basically, it's a bunch of French Horn players who get together, listen to lectures, listen to performances, meet superstar performers and a slew of other fun activities. You can think of it as a small version of Comic Con for French Horn players. I decided a couple months before that I would sign myself up for the college level solo competition. Even though I didn't advance to the next round this was still something that I will never forget it.

I won't lie when I say that I was terrified during the first hour of the trip there. However the more I thought about it, the more excited I got because I was doing something that I honestly have never done before. During the span of those three days, I learned so much about french horn playing, being a professional musician and I even became friends with a bunch of people. One of the people I met even helped me get into contact with the French Horn Professor at Yale! During the workshop, I often thought to myself that if I didn't go to this I would most likely be in my room watching YouTube videos or playing video games.

Now I'm not telling you that you need to take a three-day trip somewhere by yourself. I will, however say, that if you like challenges, try it and you may be surprised how much fun you have.

Now let's get back to the point of this article! The point that I'm getting at, is that having a New Year's resolution is fine, but you have to make it more specific than, "I want to get better grades" or "I want to have a better social life." One of the biggest resolutions people have is that they want to get in shape or they want to lose weight. If you are one of those people then that's great! You're taking the first step in getting the life that you want. However, most people start by getting a gym membership, going to the gym, and by the time that it's February life starts to "get in the way" or, at least, that's what you tell yourself. Trust me, I've done the same thing!

What's made a difference in my life is that I've been studying how to form positive habits and it has seriously begun to turn my life around. Not only did I end this semester without having an emotional breakdown, but I was able to sleep in, workout and get papers and projects done days before they were due. If you want to start getting tasks done, then you only have to follow one simple trick.

START SMALL.

That's it! Just start small. EVERYONE wants to be in shape. Who doesn't? The trick is having a daily workout. Start with just one exercise like ten push-ups. Make it so easy that you don't even have to think about it. The more you think about it, the more you're going to think about not doing it, or reasons why you can't. I've gotten to the point where I can do 40 push-ups, which is only a portion of a full on workout (see the bottom for full workout) that I do every morning. When I decided to do a morning workout, I started with 15 push-ups, 20 squats, and 20 calf raises. This was super easy for me, so it wasn't hard to get started. When I felt that 15 push-ups were getting easy, I moved up to 20, then 25, and so on and so on.

Even doing chores around the house will help you get more active than sitting down and binge watching "Myth Busters" or "How I Met Your Mother."

I hope this tip helps you in becoming more active. If you are looking for more tips in how to be more productive, most of my articles will be dedicated to tips, websites and apps that promote productivity.

Be aware that my workout is always changing, but at the current moment this is my morning workout:

10 minutes of stretching (get everything loose)

40 Calf Raises

200 Punches

35 Squats

40 Push-ups

30 Second Assisted Hand Stand Hold

2 Hand Stand Push-ups

40 Second Plank

35 Mountain Climbers (counting on every other leg)