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600 Personal Development Exercises

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Is there an Inclusion prayer?

5/31/2021

 

THE INCLUSION PRAYER
 

I always pray for everyone
in the world.
‘Please help everyone’
It's  an easy prayer!
 
It’s not that I’m lazy.
It’s just that I know
that for all to be well,
we all need to be well.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What's your Prayer? 

Day 433 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your Great Transformation?

5/30/2021

 

THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION

The great transformation
of your life is about to begin.
You will see things
in a different way.
You will think about things
in a different way.
You will relate to others
in a different way.
 
And there are no words
to describe this transformation.
For all words limit, and reduce
what you are about to become.
 
Your transformation has begun.
Hold the seed gently.
Be quiet. Walk slowly.
Give this process a chance
to take root in your busy brain,
and predictable life.
 
For you will never think
the same again.
You will never act
the same again.
You will never be
the same again.
 
Today you have received
the invitation of all invitations.
Begin to get ready.
Clear the decks.
Be willing to grow.
For everything you do
from now on, will speak
to you of transformation.
 
The words you hear
will be of encouragement
for your transformation.
The people you meet
will be the helpers
for your transformation
 
And every day will give you
the next stage,
the next piece, and
the next step forward
in your transformation.
 
You have nothing to do
but to be ready,
to be open, and
to say yes each day,
to your great transformation.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How can you begin, in this moment, your Great Transformation?

Day 432 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Time Play?

5/29/2021

 

TIME PLAY
 
Time Play is a personal development
application, when we recall an event
or a time from our past,
and place it in the present.
Something from ten years ago
for example, becomes relevant now.
 
The process gives us a
more complete picture of our life
and a broader context of
what was going on at that time.
Time Play also offers us fresh
insights on our current situation.
 
Places, people, relationships
and activities from our past,
are present with us today.
All become re-discovered,
re-created and re-positioned.
Our past and present are one.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Try the Time Play application. Recall a significant event from your past.
2. Place this in the current context. 
3. What does this suggest for your view of the past, for your present and for your life as a whole. 


Day 431 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Do you use the God word?

5/28/2021

 

THE GOD WORD
 
God is everything
and yet, nothing.
God is what we know
and what we don’t know.
God is what we believe
and what we don’t believe.
God is the word that is 
beyond and within all words.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When did you last use the God word?
2. How might  you break free of outdated concepts and allow the God word to open up new possibilities for you ?


Day 430 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your Pet Project?

5/27/2021

 

PET PROJECT
 
I dropped off my car as usual,
 at my local garage for its service.
Yaz and the boys always
look after me.
 
I asked Yaz about his red TR5
that still sits aloft, overlooking
us all, covered in a dust sheet.
It’s Yaz’s pet refurbishment project.
 
I get a similar response every year when
I ask ‘How’s the TR5 coming along?’
‘Too busy mate. Too much to do.’
He sighs.
 
I know how much Yaz loves
that  bright red iconic car...
Sometimes we are all too busy
to focus on our pet project.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is your Pet Project?
2. What is the dream that you would still love to see happen?


Day 429 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Situational Leadership?

5/26/2021

 

SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP
 
We all behave differently
in different situations,
and with different people.
We are not the same person
at work, as we are at home.
It’s like when we play cards.
We respond to the hand that
we are faced with.

​ We adapt to situations,
the culture, the key factors,
and the expectations of others.
But what do we do, when their
values do not align with ours?
What do we do, when we disagree
with what is said, or expected of us?
Do we twist or stick?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When do you  stick - i.e., go along with what is happening?
2. When do you twist - i.e., say this is not the way that you work, or what you agree with?


Day 428 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Can we Speak Without Words?

5/25/2021

 

SPEAKING WITHOUT WORDS
 

When my dad was getting older,
we used to meet up
every few days, for a coffee
in the local café.
 
He didn’t have much news
for me, and I’m not sure
that my updates were
really that riveting for him!
 
But we read the papers together,
commented on the football,
and both knew that
 we didn’t need to talk.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. When and where do you speak without words?
2. Who is with you? 


Day 427 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Spiritual Duality?

5/24/2021

 

SPIRITUAL DUALITY

Spirituality talks of exploring
and developing an understanding,
of the duality of human nature. 

The focus of this can be known
as God, or Love, or simply
the  Ultimate Reality of everything. 
For all are one and the same. 

Our Spirituality asks 
how can we experience God
in times of need, or in everyday
events, or with others?
 
But spirituality is also about us
in the presence of God’s life.
How can we be with him
beyond all that we are?

This is about us going to his place
and not just him coming to us.
 
These two sets of experiences
and learning, are not separate or
parallel, but are entwined.
This is the duality of human existence.

​The two paths are one.
For every road enables us to go,
and to come back
​from our destination.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. What is the focus of your Duality?
2. Is your journey to be with God, or Love, or the Ultimate Reality of everything?​


Day 426 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Where there really Fires at Pentecost?

5/23/2021

 

WILDFIRES AT PENTECOST
 
Let us each be the protector
for the spark of love,
that is in all of us.
 
Let us each be the fuel
for the flame of love,
growing in each of us.
 
Let us each burn brightly
as wildfires of love,
consuming all of us together.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. Have you the spark of Love within you?
2. Can you help to fuel the flame of Love within you?
3. Can we become wildfires of Love together? 


Day 425 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Can we have Unity and Uniformity?

5/22/2021

 

UNITY AND UNIFORMITY 

Uniformity is where we
want and require
everyone to be the same.
To wear the same shirt.
 
Unity is where we
actively encourage everyone
to come together.
In their own clothes.
 
Uniformity puts us all
into a box created by others.
Unity allow us
​to bring our own box.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. How do you bring people together? 
2. What team are you seeking to build at the moment? 
3. How might you incorporate Unity and Uniformity together?


Day 424 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How do you Verify your Identity?

5/21/2021

 

IDENTITY VERIFICATION
​

​If you define yourself
as a teacher,
what do you share?
Who do you help?
 
If you define yourself
as a leader,
what cause do you champion?
Who do you help?
 
If you define yourself
as a writer,
what do you say?
Who do you help?
 
If you define yourself
as a friend,
what do you do?
Who do you help?
 
If you define yourself
​as love,
what are you?
Who do you help?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. How do you define who you are
2. What do you do?


Day 423 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What colour are Oranges?

5/20/2021

 

ORANGES
 

We are more than one thing.
We are not defined by our job,
or the work that we do.
 
Each of us is like an orange
that we can divide gently
into separate segments.
 
Each segment is a different piece
of who we are.
Each piece looks the same
from the outside.
And each piece fits together
as one.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. What are your segments?​

Day 422 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What are the Three Elements of a Personal Daily Impact Framework?

5/19/2021

 

DON'T LOSE YOUR DAY
 
Do not let your day
become a list of things
to do, or meetings to
attend, or people to talk with..
 
For when our day is over,
all we will have achieved
are some 'ticks',
against our 'to do' list.
 
Start with meaning,
and look at all
that this day,
can offer you.
 
See every ACTIVITY
as your moment,
to make the world
a better place.

 
See every TASK
as an invitation,
to explore a new aspect
of yourself.
 
See every CONVERSATION
as your opportunity,
to build love through
   everything that you are.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. Replace your daily to-to list with a​ personal impact list.
2. Capture the results of every activity, task and conversation. 


Day 421 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What happens when Nothing happens?

5/18/2021

 
 
NOTHING
 

It is when there is no activity,
that all activity happens.
 
It is when there are no outcomes,
that the real outcomes occur.
 
It is when there is no thinking,
that there is no need to think.
 
It is when nothing gets done,
that everything is done.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. What  does nothing mean to you - in all aspects of your life and who you are?​ 

Day 420 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Have you tried a different Conditioner?

5/17/2021

 

A DIFFERENT CONDITIONER 
 
The phone pings
and I don’t lift it up,
or even look at it.
 
The phone pings again
and I consciously ignore it.
I am somewhere else.
 
The bell rings
and Pavlov’s dog salivates.
In the hope that food is coming.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. What is managing how you respond - phone, habits, others?  
2. How much of your life is in reactive mode (conditioned responses) and how much is in proactive (inner) mode? ​


Day 419 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is New Leadership?

5/16/2021

 

NEW LEADERSHIP

​When we lead from the front
we need to keep stopping,
from time to time.
We need to look behind
and check if others
are still following us.
 
If they are not there,
it’s pretty clear that we
are not much of a leader.
 
And if others are there,
 they will think that we are
not much of a leader,
if we keep looking
over our shoulder, and checking
that they are still there.
 
If we lead from the back, we
encourage everybody to move
 forward, including ourselves.

 We can see everyone,
the whole picture, and we can
help those who may stumble.
The New Leaders are starting 
 from where they are now,
From the back. 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. How can you start to build and lead others today - from where you are now? 

Day 418 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What are the top four Hearing Aids?

5/15/2021

 

HEARING AIDS
 
Our priority today is
to sit and listen,
to walk and listen,
to read and listen,
to watch and listen.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. How can you use your top four hearing aids today?

Day 417 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What Time is it?

5/14/2021

 

TIME  
 
Time to re-set.
Not to continue as before.
Time to re-frame.
Not to continue as before.
Time to rejoice.
Not to continue as before.
Time to renew
Not to continue as before.
Time to start again.
And not, to continue as before.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. How can you re-set, re-frame, rejoice, renew and be ready to start again?​

Day 416 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the best Client Development Strategy?

5/13/2021

 


​CLIENT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Imagine if your
customers and clients,
were your best friends.
 
Imagine how that would transform
a one-dimensional business relationship,
into something of real potential.
 
Start now to reimagine your
customer and client relationships,
as friendships.
 
Begin to reposition, redefine,
play, explore and create
something amazing together.
 
For together, with all of our
past and present clients and customers,
we have a new way. 
 
It’s an invitation beyond
business and sales. It's an opportunity 
as vast as our imagination.

​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1.  Use your imagination! How might you work in a different way with some of your customers and clients?
2.  What is the 'something amazing' you could create together? 
​

​Day 415 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What are the Four Laws of Leadership?

5/12/2021

 

THE FOUR LAWS OF LEADERSHIP
 
Try to serve and help others,
in their own space.
 
Try not to lead others,
into your space.
 
Try not to talk to others
about you, or your space.
 
Focus on others,
in their space.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. Take each of these four laws of Leadership and apply them to a situation in your life. 
2. How can you become a better leader?


Day 414 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Are you living in the Real World?

5/11/2021

 

LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD
 
It is only in the place
of total silence,
that we can hear
words spoken without sound.
 
It is only in the place
of total darkness,
that we can  become
the brightest light.
 
It is only in the place
of total emptiness,
that we can touch
what is really here.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE?
1. What do you hear in total silence?
2. What do you see in total darkness?
3. What do you touch in total emptiness?​


Day 413 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Dual Responsibility?

5/10/2021

 

DUAL RESPONSIBILITY

We must love others
as we love ourselves.
This is called
dual responsibility.

This is a personal and
proactive approach to inclusion,
where we work with,
and support all others.
 
Dual responsibility is our
individual way of working.
It is us reaching in, and
reaching out, at the same time.
 
For when
we reach out to help others,
we become problem solvers,
connectors, and creators.

We get out of our heads
to explore, make new links and
find new possibilities.
We  make life better for everyone. 
 
Dual responsibility is so much more
than simply helping others.
You see, with every interaction,
we are building a kinder world

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Start a new discussions with others. Find out how they are, what they are doing or what their current challenge is. See if you can suggest some ideas to help them. Explore the possibility of working together to make it happen.

Day 412 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is an Everlasting Grant?

5/9/2021

 

EVERLASTING GRANTS 

Many voluntary organizations
and community groups,
are trapped on the
hamster wheel of grants.

They work on applications.
They apply and get funding.
They spend it.
They go again.

They work on applications.
They apply and get funding.
They spend it.
They go again.

But we can step off
the hamster wheel,
with an Everlasting Grant.

You see, every grant offers
the opportunity to create a product
or service, at the same time
as we deliver the work.

Your training course, your support
service, your advice, your report and
case studies, can all be captured,
and then shared.

Every grant offers us the potential
to create new products, share
our experience and bring us
income on an ongoing basis.

Everlasting Grants are stepping
stones to financial sustainability,
If only we can
get off the hamster wheel.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What products or service can you create with your current grant? 
2. Look through all of your previous grants. What can you harvest from this work to create new products and services? ​


Day 411 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Do you believe in Love?

5/8/2021

 

THE HOLDALL 
 
Love holds those
of all faiths and no faith
together as one.
Love is all faith,
open to all and 
freely available.
 
Love holds those
of all belief and non-belief
together as one.
Love is all belief,
open to all and 
freely available.
 
Love holds all those
with faith and no faith,
with belief and non-belief,
together as one.
 Love holds all of us
together as one.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Are you totally at one with those from other beliefs or non belief, or from other faiths or no faith?   
2. Can you see all of us as one in holdall of Love?   ​


Day 410 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your Ongoing Conversation?

5/7/2021

 

THE ONGOING CONVERSATION

The words are
simply an output.
The work is
simply an output.
The activity is
simply an output.
The way forward is
simply an output.
 
My success and
my failure.
My sadness
and my joy.
All simply outputs.
I keep looking at outputs
and missing the
ongoing conversation.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How would you describe your internal conversation and your dialogue with yourself?
2. Is this spoken, secret, acknowledged or cherished? ​


Day 409 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises
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