​FAILURE 
 
What if our failure is in reality
our greatest success?
What if our failure is really a jolt
to get us back on track,
or a blockage to stop us
going in the wrong direction?
What if our failure is the start
of what we should be doing?
 
You see there is
no such thing as failure.
There is only
the elimination of an option,
the opportunity to start better,
or the chance to uncover more
of who we really are.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What do you consider as failures in your past? 
​2. How might you re-look at these now as 'the elimination of an option, the opportunity to start better, or the chance to uncover more of who you really are'. 

​PERSPECTIVE

​If we keep looking
in the same way,
we will keep seeing
the same things.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What might we be missing in the way that we look at things?
2. What is the one thing that could happen that might make everthing look different? 

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What is the end that you are working towards?
2. How are you making this real, right now?

BIGGER PICTURE

​Business owners typically spend
over 95% of their energy
on business growth activities.
They spend less than 5% of their priorities.
We end up working 'for' the business
rather than 'on' the business.

​RETAIL THERAPY

Years ago, our parents
went to the local Corner shop,
chatted briefly to the shopkeeper,
greeted others who were there,
and got all that they needed.
 
Now we go to the supermarket
with a trolley, and scan items
without talking with anyone,
and leaving behind,
what we really need.
 
This lack of human interaction
 is presented as a good thing.
The lack of conversation
and engagement,
is apparently saving us money.
 
But where is the welcome,
the smile or the 'thank-you'?
Shopping may be more efficient,
but have we lost the real value 
of our retail therapy?

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. How can you add value with a welcome, a smile and a 'thank-you' during your shopping trips - with other customes and staff?
​2. How might retailers re-discover the real value of retail therapy? 
3. Where can we create a real personal interaction in online shopping? ​

​BATON
 
The purpose of life
is to pass on to others
all that we learn
about life itself,
before we finish
our leg of the race.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What have you learned so far about life?
2. How will you pass on your baton? Who to? 

INTERNET OF LOVE

Websites are now
places of conversation,
​for helping, guiding
and supporting others.

Websites are our voice,
reaching out to others,
to make the world
a better place.

Some people,
even today,
still think that websites
are for selling stuff.

But we grew tired of
being told what to think
and what to buy,
many years ago.

Today, we look after each other,
and share our vision
for mutual success,
with the world.

For we know
that our websites,
are part of
the Internet of love.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What's the main purpose of your website?
2. How are you reaching out, answering key questions, building real relationships and offering to help?

LAMP

If I don’t plug it in,
it will never have power.
If I don’t switch it on,
it will never light up.
If I don’t have the light,
I will work in the dark.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. Imagine that you are a lamp. Where and how do you work? What is your work?

A DOG'S LIFE

The dog finds a stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog chases and fetches the stick.
The dog carries the stick.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. Are you ready for a rest?
2. Is it time to change what you have been repeatedly doing? 

HOMEWORK
 
One of my colleagues always
clarifies with me at the
end of the call, as to
what her homework is.
But she is not asking me
to give her homework.

She is reflecting on the
pages of notes that
she’s already taken, and
the information we have discussed.
She is processing what she
needs to do next.
 
After every conversation
and every interaction,
we too,
also have homework to do.
If we could just take a moment
to clarify, and write it down.

THE GREAT LOVE
 
Imagine that the Great Love is water.
It is everywhere.
Is in the oceans lapping up to your feet on the beach.
It is flowing from our taps and carried around in bottles.
It helps us to wash and keep clean.
It refreshes and sustains us,
for without water we would die.
 
Imagine that the Great Love is air.
It is everywhere.
Invisible and yet all powerful.
Above us and around us.
Constantly within us.
Sustaining us with every single breath,
for without air we would die.
 
Imagine that the Great Love is the sun giving us light and heat.
Imagine that the Great Love is all energy.
Imagine that the Great Love is all living things.
Imagine that the Great Love is all humanity.
Imagine that the Great Love is all of this.
Imagine that the Great Love is you.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What do you imagine the Great Love to be?
2. How can you be in this, with this, apart from this - and yet, be all that this is? ​

​
​LETTERS

I re-read some
of the letters
my Mum sent to me
when I was at college.
 
She died shortly
after I finished there,
although she never told me
that she was ill.
 
I re-read some
of the letters
to learn more of the person
between the lines.
 
Each letter gives
the latest news  on what
each person was up to.
It was her way of connecting.
 
And there was
always money enclosed,
that she earned from her
part-time job as a librarian.
 
I think now of my kids,
and maybe writing
some letters that will have
little real news.
 
And yet
40 years from now,
my letters could be
just what they need.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Have you written any letters to keep your children up to date with all that is happening?
2. What letters do you wish you had received? ​

 
LIFE AFTER LIFE
 
We discuss the idea
of 'life after death',
when in reality we
should say 'life after life'.
For our lives are not defined
by our final few moments.
 
Our lives are a celebration of our
stories, friendships, families,
achievements, learning, moments of
magic, changes and challenges, our
legacy, and all those we leave behind,
smothered with our love.
 
Perhaps we should change
our question and speak of
'life after life'? 
Let us allow each other to live
every moment that they have. For this
is the life, that we all continue.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Is there life after life for those who love you? 

​Day 482 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

​THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS
 
Our life is one pilgrimage.
It’s an ongoing journey
with ourselves and with others,
to places and events,
through activities and learning,
through success and failure, and 
with happiness, regret and hope.
Our life is one journey.
It’s a pilgrimage to who we are.

​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Where is your pilgrimage to?
2. What have you uncovered along the way so far, about who you are?

DISTRACTIONS
 
I can only ignore the weeds
on the path for so long.
For as they grow,
other weeds,
encouraged by this success,
get the same idea.
 
Before I know it,
they have now joined together
to form a blanket and
cover my path.
It's got to be done.
I’m weeding today.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is distracting you and covering your intended path?
2. When are you going to start weeding and clear your path?

MEMORIES

Memories,
​even painful ones,
are prayers of gratitude.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are your favourite memories?
2. What do you say 'thank-you' for?

​FLYING LESSON

If I can let go of all
that I am trying to do,
I can achieve all
that I really should.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are you desperately holding onto?
2. What are you trying to make happen?
3. What would happen if you let go of these desires?

NUMBER ONE
 
Yes, at last!
I’m number one
on the Amazon list!
 
It was announced to me
in person today by
my Amazon driver.
 
I was his first delivery
of the day,
at 4:30 this afternoon.
 
He has 75 calls to local farms
with seven minutes
between each call.
 
Will you find them? I ask.
‘Easy!’ he grins.
‘All mapped out!’
 
He laughs and says
‘You’re number one
on the Amazon list!’

SERIES TWO
 
Our lives are like
a play or a movie,
set in a particular location,
at a particular time.
 
This story has its
personalities and subplots.
We of course, are
the central character!
 
All plays and movies
have their allocated duration.
And so, the story unfolds
to its final conclusion.
 
The happy ending,
solving of the crime or
that unexpected final scene,
signal the end.
 
For those of us in
the movie or play, that’s it.
It’s over.
We are finished.
 
We just hope
that you like
the play or movie enough
to want more.
 
We can only return
for series two or
an extended run,
if such a thing exists.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How is your life story unfolding? 
2. Are you working on the plot for Series Two?​

PREOCCUPATION

What comes
before your occupation,
before your work?
 
What is within you,
that drives or leads
you to your work?
 
What is it,
that makes you choose
the work that you do?
 
What is it,
that gives purpose and
meaning to your work?
 
What is this
preoccupation, that
comes before your work?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is your preoccupation - the driver for what you do? ​

​EVERYDAY GIFTS

​Life is a gift
in every day,
in every hour, and
in every moment.
 
A gift given to us,
without expectation
or cost.
 
The purpose of life
is simply
to say thank you,
for that gift,
 
in every day,
in every hour, and
in every moment.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What would you like to say thank-you for? 
2. How can we build the practice of thank-you into our daily lives? ​

CONTRADICTION
 
Let me be old,
but keep me young.
Let me be busy, and
yet always still.
 
Let me reach out
but stay within.
Let me complete, and
yet always begin.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Are you old or young?
2. Are you busy or still? 

TAKE-AWAY
​
A popular Coaching technique
is to ask at the end of the conversation,
'What has been the biggest 'take-away'
for you from our session?'
In other words 'What is clearer for you?' or
'What is your priority for moving forward?'

We can reverse this, and ask ourselves
after every meeting or conversation
'What was my biggest take-away?'
'What have I learnt?'
'What is my key action point?'
And write down our take-away notes.

This is a practical way of harvesting
from all our activities,
as we go through our day.
In this way, we become our own Coach,
gathering value from every meeting,
every activity and every conversation.

SELF-REALIZATION

I know, I know....
I know you know.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What do you now know? 
2. What has brought about this process of realization?​

LEARNING TO WALK
​
It’s hard to walk on one leg.
That’s why we learn to put
one foot in front of the other.

Walking become so natural
that we forget about one leg leading,
and then catching up with the other.

Our inner learning and our daily
activities are like our two legs.
They lead and support each other.

Our journey with love therefore, is
not separate to what we do each day.
It is in every step that we take.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is your inner learning?
2. How does your inner learning link with your daily activities? ​