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600 Personal Development Exercises

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What is the direct marketing?

9/8/2021

 

DIRECT MARKETING

If you really want
to make an impact.
If you really want
to get that sale.
If you really want
to build your business.
If you really want
to achieve a new position.
If you really want
to win someone’s support.
 
Send a hand-written letter.

​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When might you use direct marketing - that is truly personal?
2. Who do you really need to make an impact with? 


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Day 533 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What does Self-employment really mean?

9/6/2021

 

SELF-EMPLOYMENT

We no longer work for companies.
They now work for us,
to help us achieve our plan,
as we build our future.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Who are the companies, businesses and individuals that are working for you?
2. How is each one giving you income, support and help as you to build your future? 

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​Day 531 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Which business model will you choose?

8/11/2021

 

​BUSINESS MODELS
 
In every business transaction
we choose to be helpful
and kind,
or not.
 
We choose
to smile and
say thank-you,
or not.
 
We choose
to try and make life easier
 for the other person,
or not.
 
In every business transaction
we choose a nicer way of
 of working together,
or not.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Which business model will you choose?
2. How will you change your interactions to create a nicer way of working? 


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​

Day 505 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What does a garden hose turn into?

8/5/2021

 

CATERPILLAR THINKING
​

The caterpillar is crawling
along the garden hose.
He has never seen or met
anyone like this before.

​So much stronger and longer,
than him,
stretching out for miles
across the lawn.

Our caterpillar wishes
that one day, he too, 
​might become a garden hose.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is your ambition for the next phase of your life?
2. Can you imagine something unimaginable? How will you fly?
3. How can we ensure that we do not limit our thinking to garden hoses? 
​

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​Day 499 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Are you still throwing away your best business relationships?

8/3/2021

 

EMAIL MARKETING
 
If you throw a plate load
of spaghetti at your wall,
a couple of pieces might stick.
 
But you have wasted
a plate full
of the very best spaghetti.
 
Of course, you can reuse it,
but we all know
it’s been on the floor.
 
Email marketing software
is like you throwing
your best spaghetti at a wall.
 
There is no better way
of telling your contacts, that you
are totally disinterested in them.

Authenticity, respect and real
interactions are now driving our 
mutual success - not spaghetti. 

​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How can you develop the quality of your interactions with your contacts?
​2. How can you gain a competitive advantage by being authentic and real? 

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Day 497 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What happened to Retail Therapy?

7/27/2021

 

​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? 
​

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Day 490 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Am I really number one on the Amazon list?

7/14/2021

 

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!’

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How well have you mapped out your day to achieve your objectives?
2. How enthusiastic are you about what you have to do today?
3. How positive and motivating will you be with the people you meet today?

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Day 477 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What will you learn today?

7/6/2021

 

GROWTH RATE
 
If we want to move forward,
if we want to grow,
if we want to become more,
then we must
do something new today.
 
Something fresh or different.
Something fun or challenging.
Something exciting or overdue.
Somthing unplanned or unexpected.
Something that brings us joy.
 
For every day holds for us
our new times of doing,
our new chapter of learning,
our new moments of discovery,
and our new space for growth.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What will you learn today? Where will you visit? Who will you meet? What will you discover? 
2. What is your Personal Growth plan for today?
​

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Day 469 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercise

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 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

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

What is Career Swapping?

4/11/2021

 
​
​CAREER SWAPPING

The Monks give their lives to God.
Their worldly aspirations and desires
for self-fulfilment are left behind.

And yet the monastery requires
income to survive, and so monks
must integrate with the world.

They need to sell their beer,
and open their café and shop.
They become reluctant businessmen.

We, are on the other hand,
strive to develop our future and
provide for our longer-term needs.

We are immersed in the busyness of life.
as we look after our loved ones
and build our career.

As we grow older, however, we are
forced to address a different reality.
We become reluctant monks.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 
1. Where are you at this stage of your life, on the 'business-monk' scale?

Day 383 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises
​

How do I become a Self-Publishing Author?

4/8/2021

 

​SELF-PUBLISHING AUTHOR
 
You sit
and you write.
You capture
what comes.
 
You walk
and you speak.
You gather
what comes.
 
You type
and you organise.
You sort
what comes.
 
You print
and you publish.
You share
what comes.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Have a notebook and write something every day. Just write what comes.

​Day 380 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises
​

What is Spiritual Tourism?

4/6/2021

 
​
​SPIRITUAL TOURISM


​We visit sacred sites,
old churches and temples
from different traditions.
 
We see others praying there,
as we take our photos
and visit the shop.
 
It’s easy to be a tourist in life,
to pass through and
miss the meaning.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Where are you visiting today? ​

​Day 378 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises​

What is Dynamic Interplay?

3/15/2021

 

DYNAMIC INTERPLAY

We sometimes think of love as not
the most practical of things.
We see love as an emotional connection or
something we need more of in the world.
 
But love is real within each of us,
in every moment, as our inspiration,
our guide, our teacher, our helper,
our personal assistant and our friend.
 
Love sits within us and with us,
as a dynamic interplay
that gives us ideas and direction,
comfort us and keeps us safe.
 
It is a priceless resource
that is available and
working for us,
in every moment of our lives
 
Love is our personal group of experts,
our own support network and
our team of freelancers,
all working tirelessly for us.
 
But often they work in the dark,
for we do not actively engage
with all the resources and expertise
at our disposal.
 
And because love is given
to us freely, it is easy for us
not to value it, in the ordinary
and mundane activities of life.
 
Yet love is there,
in our lives, our work, our
relationships, our family and
in all that we are.
 
So, talk to your team every day.
Listen to them.
Tell them all that you need.
 
They are excited
to be working with you, in this
ongoing dynamic interplay
that is your amazing life.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How can you develop your dynamic interplay with love?
2. When do you talk, listen and tell love what you need? ​


Day 356 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the best advice for the Self-Employed?

3/11/2021

 

SELF-EMPLOYED

When you’re self-employed
the focus can be on cash flow,
finding new business,
and keeping current clients.
In all of this juggling,
it’s easy to get lost in the money trap.
We can end up chasing business
rather than building our dream.

So, our priority must be
to focus on our purpose and
to work on activities
that take us forward, every day.
And if we share our vision with others,
they too can help us.
We can do more than make a living.
We can be delivering our dream today.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write down your dream. Describe it in detail. Read this description each day. 
2. Now be determined to do something every day to make your dream a reality. Make this your daily priority. Make this  your new habit!


Day 352 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the most important Keyword?

2/24/2021

 

KEYWORD

Imagine if we could find a way to work together
that was for the benefit of those most in need,
as well as our own personal interests.
 
Imagine if governments across the world were to
work collaboratively, not on the basis of trade,
but in looking after everyone on our planet.
 
Imagine if all religions and beliefs were to act
together, to help all of those in need.
 
Imagine if all situations of conflict could
be transformed, now, to communities of peace.
 
Imagine if we could understands our true purpose,
and could live this in every moment.
 
Imagine if we could find something so precious
that we give our whole life to it.
 
Imagine that one word
holds the key to all of this.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is this keyword for you? 
2. Now that you know this keyword, what are you going to do? ​


Day 337 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the best approach for effective Teamwork?

2/18/2021

 

​TEAMWORK

You must work with us.
If you go off on your own
to do your own thing,
then it’s solely about you.
 
If we could all work together
then everything becomes about us,
We can help each other
to achieve all that we should.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Who is on your team? 
2. How are you helping them to achieve all that they should? 


Day 331 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How do you write a Signature Speech in Three Words?

2/2/2021

 

​SIGNATURE SPEECH
 

Your signature speech
is the last two or three words
in every conversation.
 
Your signature speech
is how you sign-off
your emails.
 
It used to be
Yours Sincerely,
Yours Faithfully,
Yours Truly,
Kind regards or
Best wishes.
 
Now we say:
Take care.
Enjoy your day.
God bless.
Look after yourself.
Keep well.
 
Your signature speech
is your opportunity to
show some kindness
in two or three words.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What is your signature speech?

Day 315 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the best Property Management Strategy?

1/11/2021

 

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

If the sea was grass
we could walk on water.
 
If the world lost its gravity
we could fly.
 
Nothing is impossible
If we change properties.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. Describe the property that you would like to have.


Day 293 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What are the five key questions on Management Accounts?

11/5/2020

 

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS

Please submit your Management Accounts
for the past week.

Tell me how you have been kind to others.
Tell me when you have helped others.
Tell me where the gentleness in your life is.
Tell me where you need help or support.
Tell me how you are managing at the moment.

Your accounts should be submitted
to the Chief Accountant
within the next ten minutes.
​Thank you. 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
Complete your Management Accounts and answer the five key questions:
1. Tell me how you have been kind to others.
2. Tell me when you have helped others.
3. Tell me where the gentleness in your life is.
4. Tell me where you need help or support.
5. Tell me how you are managing at the moment.


Day 226 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the most popular Business Tip?

11/4/2020

 
​
TIP


If we seek to gain something
by delivering good service,
 then we lose the true value of service.
We simply exchange service for money.
 
If we can view service
as an opportunity for giving,
without thoughts of return or benefit,
then we will receive more than we can imagine.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What does service really mean?

2. What does it take to make service exceptional for you? 


Day 225 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What are Personal Standard Operating Procedures?

10/6/2020

 

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE​
 
For twenty years I cut the grass the same way
from the back door to the beach and back again,
stripes leading outwards from the back door
taking me to the beach and back again.
 
Today I cut the grass a different way.
I don't know why - it just happened.
I cut the grass from the left to right
and then right to the left.
 
Starting at the back door and
slowly getting closer to the beach
without going back to the house.
I had stripes across the lawn
rather than up and down.
 
Today, after twenty years
I cut the grass in a different way.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is your routine or standard operating procedure?
2. What might you change - just to get a different perspective? 


Day 197 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What's your Special Offer?

9/26/2020

 

SPECIAL OFFER
 
Buy one and get one free.
Green Shield Stamps.
Nectar Card.
Air Miles.
 
Smart Rewards.
Two for the price of one.
Premier Points.
Avios.
 
Clubcard.
Loyalty rewards.
Tiger Tokens.
50% off.
 
Last minute.
Weekend Special.
Happy Hour.
Member Offer.
 
Double points.
Gift Certificates.
Cashback.
Frequent Flyer.
 
Christmas Club.
Introductory Bonus.
Buy three - cheapest one free.
Trading Stamps.
 
Free gift.
Sale price.
Buy one - get one half price.
Blue cross day.
 
Why do more
of the same?
 Make an offer
that really matters.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is your offer? 
2. Why does it really matter?


Day 187 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your Lifetime Cashflow position?

9/23/2020

 
​
CASH FLOW

 
The birds of the air
get their food.
The money will come.
 
The fish in the water
get their food.
The money will come
 
All of my life
I’ve had food.
The money has come.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What does your life cash flow look like? 
2. Where and how has the money come?
3. What does this say to you about your future hopes and dreams?


Day 184 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises
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