Maximize your clout (TM).

Don't worry, I already rolled my eyes at myself for you for that sentence.

But seriously, 2018 has the potential to be a great year. I mean after the depressing, lukewarm, underwhelming year of 2017, we can only go up, right? Hopefully. In honor of the New Year, I've naturally done a lot of reflecting, a lot of thinking about the past, the present, the future. Needless to say, 2017 shoved a bucket-load of lessons down my throat, and it resulted in quite a few of my own new Hopes, Goals, and Aspirations for 2018.

HGA's are basically lower-pressure, more tangible and goal-oriented resolutions, but I hate the word "resolutions," because of my current track record with them. I feel like using "resolutions" to describe my goals for the year just sets me up for failure at this point. The simple word association set up in my brain between "resolution" and "will never complete them" means I'm ready to give up on them before the year even begins. So, here's hoping the new phrasing will at least motivate me to try a little harder.

Of course, a new year is also the perfect time to reset your mindset, to help you reach those goals and meet those resolutions. When you set the goal to lose weight in 2018, you inherently have to reset your mindset from "I'm fine like this, this is fine," to "I want to make a change in myself and this is what I'm going to do to make that change."

With the HGA's that I have in mind, I need a bit more of a fundamental schema shift in my outlook on life. There are a few things I learned this past year that when I adopt them as habits, they will (hopefully) change life for the better. These four attitude shifts will raise your happiness quotient, and that is a guarantee.

1. Circle of control

Don't mess with things that are out of your control. It is a waste of valuable, precious time. Listen, some things in life are not going to work out. You'll put your all into them and you still won't get the result you wanted. All that matters is if you truly believe that you did your best with it. What happens after is not your business and it's not worth fretting over. Let bygones be bygones.

If you spend all your time and energy worrying over ifs and buts and hypotheticals and things that you yourself cannot alter, you won't have any energy or mental faculties left to do the things you do have control over. You have to swing hard, but you have to swing accurately too. This year, redraw your circle of control and try your hardest to stay inside of it.

2. Let your work speak for itself

This is a lesson in humility and humbleness. Let your work, what you've actually accomplished, speak for you and your talents and your greatness. Don't show off, brag, or put your work in front of other people in order to prove your worth. You have nothing to prove. You are valuable. And if you're not, stop trying to be a fraud because everyone will see right through you. But you are valuable, so let your work speak for you. Diligent, hard work will pay off so much more than you trying to flaunt your success.

It's all about the psychology of the people around you. As soon as you start bragging about the good things in your life, people will automatically start comparing themselves to you, because that's just a human habit we all have. Then, they'll either find that they come up short and then they'll get defensive and begin thinking negatively about you, like that you're arrogant, full of yourself, etc. Or they'll find that they're much more successful and they'll begin to trivialize you and your work. Either way, it's lose-lose for you.

Be proud of what you've accomplished and present it to the world, but do not flaunt or brag. It's just not worth it. If you've accomplished something truly great, the world will acknowledge you and will respect you. What's more important is whether or not you respect yourself.

3. Relate positively to other people

People like to be made to feel special. Admit it, you like when someone makes a fuss over you or when someone tells you you're important in their lives. It makes you feel valued, which is an end-goal (a life HGA) for most people. Well, here comes back that age-old adage you first heard in elementary school: Treat others how you want to be treated.

You want to feel valued in life, so you need to properly value the people in your life. Not only that, you need to radiate that value and that positivity to them. Make the important people in your life feel special when you're with them. Greet them with the enthusiasm of a thousand golden suns. Give them your undivided attention. Show them you love them first, and then tell them you love them, because sometimes people don't always pick up on it when you show them.

And even with the people who aren't as prevalent in your life, it's still important to relate positively to them. Don't even talk bad about someone behind their back, because karma is real and comes back to bite you. But even besides that, talking shit creates so much negative energy around you that ultimately just weighs you down. See the best in people, even when it's difficult. The world isn't big, bad, mean and out to get you. Your mentality is.

4. Enjoy the ride.

My all-time favorite quote from How I Met Your Mother is, "Just because you know how it's going to end doesn't mean you can't enjoy the ride." Ted has so much to teach us here in this one quote and it's so... profound. I would take it a step farther even and say, "Even if you don't know how it's going to end, you can still enjoy the ride." Trust in the process.

Life is short, as the cliche goes. You can worry about the endings and the milestones and the, "I know they're going to leave me, I know college is going to end, I know this is a pointless thing to do, I know blah blah blah," or you can just enjoy where you are. Soak up the beauty of the path you know you have to take. Be alive in the moment to make as many memories as you possibly can before it's over.

Memories are what you take with you no matter. Photos might get lost, people might leave, but your memories are yours forever. Don't miss out on the chance to make them just because you thought something else was more important.

Take the time out to watch your favorite movies, read good books, write, make art, sing, make music. Whatever it is that makes your ride smoother, engage in it. Do it. Don't let it go. Make memories.

Make 2018 the year you want, the year you deserve.