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600 Personal Development Exercises

do one a day - every day!

Have you got Big, Fat, Hairy goals?

8/28/2021

 

GOAL SETTING

​My good friend, David Hyner
says ‘SMART’ goals don’t work.
You know, 'Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic, with a Target'.

You see, there’s nothing here
to get us excited. David says
​'what we all really need are
Big, Fat, Hairy goals!'

We need goals that make
us smile, fire up our energy,
and blast us forward with a
renewed sense of purpose. 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Go on! Write down some Big, Fat, Hairy goals - for the rest of you life, your work, your passion, your relationships, your wellbeing - and everything that is important to you.
2. Do these make you smile, fire up your energy and blast you forward with a

renewed sense of purpose?  Great!!​
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Day 522 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How can we begin again?

8/7/2021

 

CIRCUS TENT
 
The clown, the juggler and
the ringmaster,
are taking down the Circus tent
in the big field.
 
All of the pieces are laid out,
like the contents
of flat pack furniture,
on the grass.
 
By mid-morning everyone has gone.
All that is left are
impressions on the grass.
Signs of a magic once here.
 
It’s the planned dismantling
of what we are, in a way
that enables us to begin again,
in another field.

​​​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are all of your pieces when they are laid out on the grass? Make a list.
2. How will you put them together, so that you can begin again?

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Day 501 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Are you ready to let go?

7/15/2021

 

​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?

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Day 478 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Can we see where we are going by looking backwards?

6/15/2021

 

​THE JOURNEY OF REMINISCING
 
It is only when we look back,
years later, that we really see
where we were at that time.
 
It is only now, in this moment,
that we can understand
what happened back then.
 
And we wonder,
​what if.....?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.   What do you need to look back at?
2.  What do you now understand that you didn't back then? 
​

Day 448 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Predictive Text saying to You?

10/14/2020

 

​PREDICTIVE TEXT
 
You cannot even begin
to imagine,
what will happen
over the next 10 years.

Look at where you
were 10 years ago,
what you were doing,
and what your work was.

So be open to all possibilities.
Expect the unexpected.
Embrace all with gratitude.
This time will be truly amazing!

You cannot even begin
to predict,
the blessings that await you,
over the next 10 years.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write your thank-you's for all that has happened over the last ten years.
2. Write down all that you would like to see happen in the next ten years  - in every area of your life.


Day 204 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How should I write my Affirmations?

9/24/2020

 

AFFIRMATIONS

Every day I say my affirmations.
I call them my daily reminders as they help me
to focus on all that is important to me and
all I want to see happen in my life.

My daily reminders cover every aspect of my life
and everything I could ever hope for.
Work, opportunities, health, income, family,
personality, relationships and spirituality.

They are written in the present or past tense.
I have, I am, I own, I earn, I live….
I say my daily reminders
every morning and every night.

I can see every outcome in detail.
and watch as the results unfold.
For I am fulfilling my personal purpose
in all that I do today.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write out your daily statements in the present or past tense - I am, I have, I own, I earn. I live ...
2. Include everything that matters to you.


Day 185 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Why should I become a Landscape Architect?

9/8/2020

 

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

I am always looking ahead
thinking, what next?
Today’s plan? Next week’s activities?
Trying to schedule everything in.
 
But what I don’t do is
to look at the year ahead,
think about the next three years,
or indeed the next ten years.
 
I need to lift my thinking
to be more strategic and
not just task focused.
For life isn’t just about weeding.
 
The future is there to be imagined
And then created.
Seeds need to be planted
for the flowers I want to grow.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What's your personal strategy for the next year, the next three years, and the next ten years?
2. Write each of these down. 


Day 169 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What do we put in the Suitcase of the Future?

8/29/2020

 

SUITCASE

So much of our focus and time today
will be about the here and now.

Much of our focus will be on ourselves
and what we need to do, or
what we have to achieve.
​
We have the wrong perspective though,
for our focus and time today
should be on what comes next.

Our focus should be about
what we have to sort out
and do to get ready.

We need to work out
what we are putting in our suitcase.​

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Where are you going?
2. What are you putting in your suitcase?


Day 159 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Can we re-cycle all that we are?

8/5/2020

 
​​
RE-CYCLING

 
The priority each day
is to re-claim 
our unique raw material
and re-cycle.

It is from here that we can 
 re-think all that we are,
re-create all that we do and
re-focus on all that we will become.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Every day is a fresh start. Our old self is re-cycled to be made new again. What are you going to be today?
2. And how will you re-create yourself tomorrow?


Day 135 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Life by Numbers?

7/29/2020

 

COLOURING BY NUMBERS

When I was a child I had a book called
colouring by numbers.
The outlines of everything
were all there on the picture.
I just had to colour in the spaces.
 
Areas with ‘one’ were blue
and those with ‘two’ were yellow
and so on.
The picture came alive in front of me.
The outcome was complete and perfect!

Imagine if you could have the outline of your life
as a picture ready to be filled in now.
It would mean that we wouldn’t live
on the basis of process or journey
thinking about what happens next year
 or what our next job will be.

It’ll all be there in the outline.
We just need to follow the numbers
in any order we want.
Nothing will be left out.
All will be complete and perfect.
Draw your outline!

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What would you include in your picture?
2. Is it about events, people, success, happiness - and what’s the background?
3. Who else is in the picture?


Day 128 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Can Tea Bags help to predict the Future?

6/18/2020

 
 
TEA BAGS
 
When you sit and look
into your cup of tea
what do you see
when it is finished?
 
Years ago, fortune tellers
would predict our future
by looking at the pattern of the leaves
resting at the bottom of the cup.
 
Tea bags now mean that we
throw away our tea leaves
before we drink our tea,
leaving no clues, no predictions.
 
So, as you gently dispose
of your tea bag today,
take a moment to imagine your future 

and how your story will unfold.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Can you imagine how your life might unfold in terms of work, relationships and all that is important to you?
2. What is the one surprise or unexpected event? 

3. Write out the perfect story for your future. 


Day 87 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is an Annual Performance Review?

6/17/2020

 

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW
 
Your time is running out.
Another year has gone.
Your life is passing by.
 
It is here now.
The moment to grasp
all that is meant to be.
 
The whole purpose
and meaning
of your life.
 
Your time is running out.
Another year has gone.
Your life is passing by.
 
It is here now.
The moment to grasp
all that is meant to be

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. This is the key moment in your life. What will you grasp?
2. What will you achieve by this time next year – at your next annual performance review?


Day 86 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the New Normal?

5/18/2020

 

MINIMUM WAGE
 
As we emerge cautiously into
a different world, what will we
bring to this new normal?
 
What have we learned
that will now make life better
for us, our family and for others?
 
How will we relate
to all others without regard
for status, income or position?
 
For we have learned that those
who were paid nothing or so little
 have become our champions.
 
They have turned our thinking
upside down and empowered us
with compassion to change everything.
 
So, as we emerge cautiously into
a different world, what will we
bring to this new normal?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Kindness and compassion don't often get onto job descriptions. Where do they sit in your role? 
2. How have you changed over recent weeks? What have you learned?
3. What will you bring to the 'new normal'?
​

Day 56 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your Different Future?

5/4/2020

 

REWIND
 
Let us not go back to how it was.
Let us not go back to our old way.
For our future is forwards
not backwards.
Let us not repeat it all again
for we will never be the same again.
 
New ways of working,
new ways of communicating,
new ways of living,
new ways of thinking,
and a different way of being
are now part of each of us.
 
When we step out through the door
we can plan a different future.
And then, when we look back
we will see
that this was the moment
w
hen we changed.
The moment we changed everything.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How have you changed over the last 42 days?
2. What is different about the way you work, the way you communicate, the way you live  and the way you think about everything?
3. What is your different future? 


Day 42 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is a Personal Stocktake?

4/21/2020

 

STOCKTAKE
 
My display until date is Thursday
My best before date is Friday
My use by date is Saturday
My recycling date is Sunday

When should I take stock?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are you including in your next personal Stocktake?
2. What are you counting and measuring?
3. How often do you need to Stocktake? 


Day 29 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What does Leapfrog mean for us?

4/15/2020

 

​LEAP YEAR
 
The core personal development question is
‘what am I really capable of?’
And the answer is not
just about business or work or money.
 
It’s about who we are and
looking beyond our perceived limitations.
It’s about growing into our capacity
even if we cannot perceive it fully.
 
This is the search for something
we never thought we would look at
even though deep down
we know we have the potential.
 
This is the leapfrog.
It’s not linear or cumulative or predictable.
It’s about us leaving our lily pad
and just going.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are you really capable of? 
2. What have you never thought you could do? 
3. What does your new lily pad look like? 


Day 23 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your New Beginning?

4/12/2020

 

EASTER SUNDAY

The front door will open soon
and we shall walk out
with gratitude and joy.
Off for a coffee.
To meet up with friends,
to be together and laugh again.
 
The front door will open soon
and we shall walk out
with gratitude and joy.
Remembering all.
To a different life, a better way
and our new beginning.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When Covid-19 has passed what will be your gratitude and joy?
2. What will be your new beginning?


Day 20 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the Fifteen Year Plan?

4/6/2020

 

​LOCKDOWN

Peter May wrote a book
in 2005 called Lockdown.
It was rejected by publishers
for being ‘extremely unrealistic
and unreasonable’.

For fifteen years his story
about a virus transforming all our lives
could not be imagined.
And then, a week ago
Lockdown was finally published. 

So how do we imagine
the next fifteen years
for our lives, for our family,
for starving children, for our planet,
for society and for peace?

For Lockdown is more than a book
or a state of social isolation.
Lockdown is our freedom
to create the ‘extremely unrealistic
and unreasonable’.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What's the 'extremely unrealistic and unreasonable' future that you would like to see unfold?
2. Write down your story... please!


Day 14 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Personal Asset Management?

3/24/2020

 

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Imagine if your new work
coincided completely
with what you
really wanted to do.

Imagine if you could
use your gifts and skills
to achieve all that
really mattered to you.

Imagine if you could
design your future
rather than wait
to see what happens.

Imagine if you used
all that you are and
all that you have learned
in new ways.​

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 
1. What do you really want to do?
2. What are your assets - your skills, experience, knowledge and interests?
3. How can you use these in different and new ways? 


Day 1 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

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