The timing of Mel’s workbook is divine. I’m meandering through the Yuletide season, reflecting on omens and utilizing the creative energy of the season.

The energy of the twelve days of Christmas enables you to forecast the future twelve months. I’m also reflecting on the year that is coming to a close, and asking myself hard questions that migrate beyond what did I achieve.

I started by asking myself what am I in control of? What brings me undone?

What tools do I have to shake the shizzle off when those moments arrive?

Are there any big feelings lurking in the shadows that require quiet contemplation?

What stress management mechanisms worked for me this year as I continued the balance between entrepreneur and mother?

What did I get right, and what were the circumstances that allowed success or failure?

Could I change anything about those scenarios?

This isn’t a shaming exercise, it’s critical thinking so I can plan for more success moving forward.

Most importantly, I ask myself what didn’t work in my life, my career, my parenting, and relationshipping. What doesn’t serve me well? And let’s be frank here, what was a pain in the arse that I can stop doing??

One of the traditions I have gifted myself over the years is permission to create an annual intention, instead of a new year resolution. The intention allows me something to work towards. Whereas the resolution feels like a punishment, that if I don’t first succeed, then I risk perceiving that I’m a failure.

Mel’s digital workbook is a modern ‘wheel of life’ exploration of the various facets of your life — health, relationships, career, and so on. It is written in a way that enables you to explore quite deeply. But there is one strategic thing missing — there is no prompt to connect you to your feelings.

It’s one thing to write what you think you’ve learned or want from life. The answers come from your head. It’s another experience to create a sensory experience that connects you to your dream life.

For example, do you have a vision of a new car? Of course, everyone has their ideal make, model, and color — am I right?

But when you can picture yourself living and doing and include sensory experiences like imagining what it feels like to touch the new car, to smell the new car smell, to sit in the warmed seats, to hear the music blaring out of the speakers, to touch all the buttons…you’re sensing yourself in the car right now rather than just looking at an external picture of it.

Be sure to ask yourself the question what did you survive this year that was hard? What did you learn from that experience? Have you experienced an event that enables you the gift of ‘never again will I do that’?

Perhaps you learned about the need for new boundaries about where or how you invest your time and energy.

Maybe you learned skills or language to say “no” or variations of that “Can I get back to you on that?”.

You may have developed an understanding of what you are actually in control of. Or perhaps you learned how to regain control when feeling triggered with new coping strategies and tools?

When answering these questions, are you then able to sit and complete Mel’s workbook with a fresh perspective of what feelings you desire? Might this instigate creating motivation that generates change now that you understand what triggers you or what brings you joy?

When you can comprehend what you’re really in control of or with, you can relax and flow more towards living the dream life you so desperately crave.

Perhaps you too will gift yourself an intention for the coming year, and allow yourself an entire year to fulfill and achieve all that it can deliver you in terms of experience!

Conclusion

We often experience joy after we have gained an understanding of what is or feels hard, uncomfortable, or awkward. Otherwise, how would we know what good feels like if we haven’t counter-experienced the opposite? So be sure to delve into the hard questions!