​Day 446 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

 THE GREATEST  PRAYER
 
The greatest prayer
is in our silence
where we have no words
and no thoughts.
Where nothing happens.
 
So, sit and say nothing.
Think of nothing,
as best you can.
And just be there
with the love you are.
 
For prayer
is not about religion,
nor any set of words.
Prayer is the place of love
within each of us.

​Day 445 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

EQUALITY FOR STRAWBERRIES​
 
It’s time to give equality
back to strawberries.
You see, years ago we could just
buy a punnet of strawberries.
 
Now we have labelled our
favourite summer fruit and
separated former friends and
family, into at least four categories.
 
Those at their peak
come with the highest price.
Those in their later days
get rapidly discounted,
and have a reduced label
plastered across their front.
 
Those with disabilities
are called ‘wonky’, as we highlight
some perceived ‘imperfection’.
And those who have less,
become ‘essentials’ or own brand.
 
I bought these four different
packets of strawberries and
emptied them into a bowl.
They all looked fabulous together
and tasted wonderful!

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Find and celebrate what might be seen as different or imperfect in all that you encounter today. Take a photo or write down what you see....​

​BABY LOVE​
 
I marvel at the helplessness
and trust of your little baby girl,
who is totally dependent
on you for everything.
 
This is the same relationship
that we all have with love.
We too, live totally unaware
of all that sustains us.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.   Who is the one who looks after us? ​

​Day 443 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

 APPRECIATION   RATE
​
When others show their
appreciation for us,
our energy is boosted and
our relationship is strengthened.
We go forward, together.
 
Being taken for granted,
on the other hand,
takes away our energy,
drains our enthusiasm and
leaves us    disappointed.

We can all share and enjoy
the gift of appreciation,
in every conversation.
Let's ​increase our Appreciation Rate
 and    build a kinder world.

SOFT  THINKING
 
The frame of our thinking
can be made of iron,
holding all fixed and secure,
difficult to move and
keeping all else out.
 
The frame of our thinking
can be made of wool,
holding all gently and
moving with the wind,
to greet all that comes.
 
Sometimes our perceived
strength is a real weakness,
and our real growth may be
in softness, flexibility and
a different type of thinking.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.   Is  your thinking framed by iron or wool? 
2. In what situations might you begin to think, interpret and respond in different ways? 

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

When I sit down at my desk
in the morning, it’s like
taking my seat at Mission Control.

For this is no ordinary desk.
It has a laptop that connects me
to the world!

I power up the machine and
all is laid out before me.
What shall we do today?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How is your laptop at the heart of your Mission Control? 
2. What  is your Mission?
​3.   What shall you do today?​

​Day 440 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

SELF-SCULPTURE

​ Personal development, is
about chipping away
at the pieces we do not like,
about ourselves.
 
It’s about using a selection
of tools, from heavy duty drills
to fine chisels, as we get closer
to what we might be.
 
For deep inside our concrete exterior
is our real self, looking to be freed.
Our perfect ‘me’ is already within us,
and so, we chip away.
 
You see, personal development
is not only  about learning
new skills, or adding more layers,
to what we already are.
 
Personal development is about
chipping away to uncover
what is already here,
and to become what we really are. 

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How is your Self-Sculpture coming along?
​2.   What tools are you using ? What are your heavy duty drills and fine chisels? 

​Day 439 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

CONSULTANCY SKILLS
 
It’s sometimes hard
to be a leader,
to stand out  and
to stand alone.
 
This is the primary role
of a Consultant.
To have a perspective
and to lead.
 
Our role is to challenge
the value system,
for how else can we
give value for money?
 
And how else
will we enable others
to make changes,
that can make a difference?
 
We will not always
win the contract, for many
do not want to  listen,
or change.
 
At times, we are all
called as Consultants,
to stand out  and 
to stand alone.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. When did you last take a stand or give a different opinion to others? 
​2.   What are your core values?  Write these down.....​

​Day 438 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

PEN NAME

Our God comes with
no baggage or history,
no image or place,
no authority or stories,
no religion or belief.
For our God has no name,
but love.

​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What does your God come with?
​2.   What do you call love? 

​Day 437 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

THE FIRST RULE OF COACHING

​Coaching is not a dominant relationship.
The Coach is not in charge.
The Coach is meant to facilitate, encourage
and enable progress to be made.
This means that the Coach is
also part of the coaching process.
 
 In other words, the person being coached,
should also be coaching the Coach.
For example, this can be as simple as
‘What is your key priority this week?’ or
‘What is the one thing you need
to achieve by our next session?’
 
In other words, being accountable
 to your Client makes you real.
 It makes the relationship
more equitable.
It makes the struggle a ‘two-way’
rather than ‘one-way’ process.
It ensures that you are embedded in,
and not detached from the process.
 
So real coaching, is two-way not one.
The coach has to invest in the process.
It has to be a journey for them.
The learning, benefits and outcomes then
are not only for your Client,  but also,
for  you as Coach, and for the journey
that you undertake together

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How can you apply the first rule of Coaching at work, with your family,  and  with   your friends and colleagues? 
2. How might we  journey better together?