Des McCabe
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600 Personal Development Exercises

do one a day - every day!

What is a blessing from the ocean?

9/2/2021

 

​ABSORPTION

I try not to think
and just absorb
like tissue paper,
all around me,
as the morning ocean
engulfs my senses.
 
I try not to think
and just absorb
like tissue paper,
all around me,
but sand tickles my nose
and I sneeze.
 
Bless you.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When did you last have a blessing? 
2. When did you lastr give a blessing to someone who sneezed?


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​Day 527 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercise

Is there always a right answer?

8/23/2021

 

​FALSE POSITIVE

Numbers that add up
do not always give
the right answer.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write down the three numbers that are most significant for you.
2. What are the events/places/times that these represent?
3. How do you feel about these?
4. In a perfect world, would you like to have a different answer?


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Day 517 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is Facial Recognition software?

8/10/2021

 

FACIAL RECOGNITION
 
Our face is a mirror
for all that we have found
in the world.
 
Our eyes are a window
for all that we are
still searching for.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What do you see when you look closely at your face in a mirror?
​2. What do you see in your eyes?

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Day 504 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is failure?

7/31/2021

 

​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'. 

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Day 494 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

​Where do Men go these days?

6/25/2021

 

ODD MAN OUT
 

Where do men go
to talk?
Where do men go
for friendship and support?
Where do men go
with their worries and fears?
 
Where do men go
to share their skills?
Where do men go
to find a place of acceptance?
Where do men go
to build their future?
 
Where do men go
to make a difference?
Where do men go
when they are on their own?
Where do men go
these days?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How might your organization or workplace offer greater development opportunities and support for men?

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​Day 458​ of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Which Strategy will you choose for today?

6/23/2021

 

​ONE DAY, TWO STRATEGIES

Some say
'Carpe Diem'.
Seize the day.
Make this day
work for you.

But others say
'Amitte Diem'.
Let go of the day.
Let this day
be what it is.

Whichever you say
all is okay.
Carpe Diem.
Amitte Diem.
Choose today.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Which strategy will you use for the rest of your day?
2. When should you 'seize the day' and when should you 'let go of the day'?

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​Day 456 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

Is it time to sit in an empty bath?

4/25/2021

 

PULLING THE PLUG

It’s as if the
plug has been pulled
out of the bath.
I’m sitting in empty space.
 
That’s how I feel today.
My brain has been emptied
of all tasks and work.
I have literally nothing to do.
 
It’s an amazing feeling!
An incredible freedom.
Is it time to pull the plug
and sit in empty space?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Are you willing to sit in an empty bath?

Day 397 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What are the Four Prisons of Self?

4/22/2021

 

FOUR PRISONS

We all have our regrets
which we hold and bury.

We all have our fears
which we manage or ignore.

We all have our secrets
which we cover or hide.

We all have our mistakes
which we repeat time and again.

We all have a view of ourselves
that can trap and restrict us.

Regrets, fears, secrets and mistakes
are the four prisons that stop us
becoming all that we should be.
 
Our transformation comes about
when we replace these with
love, joy, friendship, and trust,
 in all that we are, and do.

So replace your regrets
with joyful reminders.

Replace your fears
with trust in what is now.

Replace your secrets
with love of yourself.

Replace your mistakes
 with friendship and help for others.
 
Free yourself from the
four prisons of self,
and see the incredible person 
that you already are.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write out the regrets, fears, secrets and mistakes that you still carry.
2. Write out your new list of joy, trust, love and friendship. ​


Day 394 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

​​What is Disorderly Behaviour?

3/22/2021

 

​DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR
 
I’m thinking of everything
and then nothing.
Fully alert and
then nearly asleep.
I’m scheming about work
and then lost in daydreams.
 
My morning time
when I sit on my own,
is without order and format.
It is not planned or predictable.
I am all over the place,
with no direction or focus.
 
So I accept what comes,
what stays, what goes,
and what is.
For all is now, in this time
and all, somehow makes sense,
in this disorderly behaviour.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.  How do you make sense of all that  you are? ​

​Day 363 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercise

Is time a Commodity or a Gift?

12/28/2020

 

TIMELESS

I used to resent losing my time,
giving up an hour or a day to others,
for activities I saw had little value.
I now realise, that it’s not
my time to lose or to give up.

I used to regret wasting my time,
sitting doing nothing,
when I should have been so productive.
I now realise, that it’s not
what I think is productive that matters.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How do you view time -  as a commodity or a gift?

Day 279 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How can we stop being so busy?

12/17/2020

 

DEFROST​ 

You are not behind schedule.
You are not trying to catch up.
You do not have a mountain of work .
You do not need to go crazy.
 
No, you are exactly
where you should be.
For all else is just activity,
and not you.
 
You are okay.
All is totally fine.
You can relax.
 
What is really important
will eventually get done.
And all else will melt away
.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is making you so busy?
2. Is it time to defrost?


Day 268 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Where should Fishermen explore?

12/13/2020

 

CALM

It’s really stormy
The wind is howling.
The dark sea
throws us around.
It seems that we
are forever on this boat.
 
I wake up
relieved that I am
no longer a fisherman.
I now explore
a different world at
the bottom of the ocean.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Have you woken up yet?
2. Have you got arond to exploring a different world? 


Day 264 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How does Respite Care work for me?

12/7/2020

 

RESPITE CARE

Stop playing around with
all the different pieces of your life.
Stop trying to make this work
and that happen.

Just stop.

All of those things
are what you think
you need to make happen,
to survive and earn.

But they are not.

They are in fact consuming
your time and energy,
and taking you away
from what you should be doing.

So stop.

Go back to basics.
Go back to you.
Go back to all that you are
and let new energy emerge from here.

Look after yourse
lf.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are the pieces that you are trying to sort out?
2. Are you able to stop for a moment and go back to all that you are?


Day 258 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Are you a Beekeeper?

12/3/2020

 

BEEKEEPERS

The noise in my head is intense.
Priorities, to do lists, competing
demands, people waiting
for this and expecting that.
It’s like a glass box full of bees,
all flying around looking for space.
 
So, I open the box and
immediately the bees fly away.
They all go and find
their own space and
I am left with mine.
No noise, just peace.
 
I close the lid and
the bees cannot return.
Nor can I put any other things
into this glass box.
It remains empty and clear
I am no longer a beekeeper.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is causing noise in your glass box?
2. Can you let it escape?


Day 254 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is the Arrivals Lounge?

11/20/2020

 

​ARRIVALS LOUNGE

Sit down.
Put the phone down.
Put the book down.
Put the pen down.
Breathe out.
Relax.
Smile.
You have arrived.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is the Arrivals Lounge? 

Day 241 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How can we get Time to think?

11/10/2020

 

MINDFUL

I am busy all of the time.
There is just so much to do.
My mind never stops.
I’m always thinking
about this and that,
and whatever comes along.
 
My head is packed with
information, ideas and plans.
I have created
a detention centre for my brain.
How can I get my life back?
Where is my rehabilitation program?
 
How can I enjoy every day
as if it is the only day I’ll ever have?
How can I be grateful and happy
for all that I’ve been given?
How can I find space not to think,
not to plan and not to be so busy?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When and where do you find space and time not to think?

Day 231 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

What is your Work-Life balance?

11/6/2020

 
​
WORK LIFE BALANCE


My bike has a rickety wheel.
It jolts me unpredictably
from side to side.
Like I am forever on a rocky beach.
 
I balance as best I can,
sometimes stopping to put one foot down.
But I’m still here thankfully,
on my bike with the rickety wheel.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. How would you describe your work life balance? 


Day 227 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Isn't it time to change your Outlook?

10/26/2020

 

OUTLOOK

​​It’s just so great to sit here
and not have to think about work,
​or all the tasks I need to do.
There are still there of course,
but in these moments
there is nothing to do.
 
There is no clamour, no burden
no pressure and no stress.
In these moments,
I can just sit here in a gentle way,
looking in a different way,
in a different direction.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE. ​
1. What is your outlook on life at the moment? 


Day 216 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How long is a Settling-In Period?

10/7/2020

 

PROBATION PERIOD 

We’ve only been here
for a few days,
but it feels like months.
I feel like we are now well settled
in this place.
 
We’ve been in this house
for a few years,
but it seems like a lifetime.
I feel like we are now well settled
in  the area.
 
Although I’ve been around
for fifty years or so,
it all seems like yesterday.
I feel like I’m only just settling
into my life.
 
I’m just starting to feel comfortable
with what is going on,
and who I am.
I feel like I’m beginning to settle
into my life.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How well are you settling into your life?
2. What areas are you comfortable with?
3. What  areas are you not totally at ease with yet? 


Day 198 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How can we reduce Stress in our Lives?

9/30/2020

 

​STRESS MANAGEMENT

When I get overwhelmed,
thinking about all that
I have to do,
I now stop and smile.

You see I’ve learned,
that although it all seems
so important now,
it will be different next week.

I step back and smile.
I decide to do what I can,
go with the flow,
and just be happy in myself.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When do you tend to feel overwhelmed?
2. What will it all look like next week?


Day 191 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

How are your eight Friends today?

9/11/2020

 

HOUSE PARTY

My mind is buzzing.
My brain is creating.

My ego is expanding.
My conscience is questioning.

My heart is beating.
My soul is too quiet.

My self is in doubt.
My body is restless.

There’s a lot going on 
in the house today.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What's happening in your house today? 
2. How are your eight friends - your mind, your brain, your ego, your conscience, your heart, your soul, your self and your body? 


Day 172 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Is it time to think about your next Holiday?

8/20/2020

 

HOLIDAY
 
My mind is busy running over
all of the current activities.
It’s as if I’m living in them
rather than just completing them
and moving on.
 
I seem to want to hold
it all in my head and
replay the elements over and over again.
Where I did well
or where I messed up.
 
I shift down a gear
 and leave all the daily activity to one side.
Travelling slower, I can plan and organise.
There is more space for thinking here.
It is quieter.
 
And then I go even slower
and bring the car to a halt.
Leaving all thinking behind.
Sitting quietly by the shore
and looking out to sea.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Are you holding anything in your head to replay over and over again? 
2. When is your next 'holiday' moment - when you can sit quietly and look out to sea....? 

Day 150 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

When should we Start Again?

8/8/2020

 

STARTER
 
We mess up.
We learn.
We start again.
 
We got it wrong.
We think about it.
We start again.
 
We let others down.
We are disappointed.
We start again.
 
We failed to deliver.
We are annoyed.
We start again.
 
We got caught out.
We are embarrassed.
We start again.
 
We missed the opportunity.
We are frustrated.
We start again.
 
We see it fall apart.
We are devastated.
We start again.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Is there anything that you need to forgive yourself for? You can start again.
2. Is there anything that you need to forgive others for? You can start again. It's never too late. Be the starter!


Day 138 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

Have you written your personal Operations Manual?

7/21/2020

 

OPERATIONS MANUAL

Today I’m going to be a bit radical.
I’m going to break my rules.
I’m going to do things differently.
I’m not going to follow
my normal routine.
 
Today will take on a life
and a process and a
perfect purpose of its own.
Whatever happens, happens.
If it feels right, I’ll do it.
 
Today I’m going to trust
in the deeper part of myself,
the one that is so often trapped
or locked away.
Today will see a different me.
 
I’m re-writing my Operations Manual.
Looking at the sky,
walking somewhere different,
just smiling and loving
being with myself.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write the contents page of your personal Operations Manual.
2. Now write the Introduction as if you were talking to yourself.


Day 120 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises
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