​Day 362 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

 
STONE BUILDINGS
 
I carry a little stone
in my pocket.
I picked it up
on a beach in Ireland.
 
Every day, it reminds me
to build something,
never to hurt anyone and
be thankful for all that I have.
 
My little stone
will still be here
long after I am gone,
in everything I’ve created,
 
So,  I keep this little stone
in my pocket,
as a gift from the world
to be given back to the world.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What are your three daily reminders for yourself?
2. I use a little stone as a way of remembering these. What do you use? ​

​INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING

Always speak well of older people
for they have made a journey
beyond all your understanding.

​And in due course,   I hope,
that you too,   will come to see
what they already know.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How do you speak well of older people?
2. What is it that older  people  already know about the journey of life?    
3. When will you sit down and ask them? 

FUEL GUAGE
 
They don’t tell you that
every day is not the same.
That we have good days,
and not so good days.
 
We are meant to work
at full performance
 all the time,
but life isn’t like that.
 
They don’t tell you that
there will be good times,
and bad times.
All times are not the same.
 
We are meant to be
at our best
all the time,
but life isn’t like that
 
There are peaks and troughs,
ups and downs,
times when we work
on full power,
and times when
our tank is nearly empty.
 
So, remember,
when you meet with others,
that one of you
might be low on fuel.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What does your fuel gauge  say at the moment?   Are you looking after yourself?
2. What about others? Do you know anyone who needs some fuel?   How can you help them?​

​Day 359 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION
 
We have schools that are largely empty of students after 4pm each day. We have schools that are largely empty every Saturday, Sunday and school holidays. Surely, we can use these resources better to support the complete personal development of our young people?
 
Collaborative education includes all aspect of personal development including individual creativity, sports, sustainability for our planet, healthy eating, wellbeing, income generation, relationship building, personal projects, music, gaming, interpersonal skills, starting a business, global events, personal care, volunteering, project management, confidence and public speaking, tackling poverty, arts, drama, team-working, kindness, local community initiatives, home finance, fair trade, leadership, website development, etc. There is a whole new fabric to be created here!
 
So, can we encourage and help our young people to work together more, to take greater ownership of their future and become changemakers? Can we enable them to be the architects and partners of an education process that includes and promotes all students?
 
All of us can support a Collaborative Education process in a direct hands-on way. We can share our ideas, workplaces, projects and experience with young people. This is about active engagement and participation by all of us and seeing young people as partners not subjects in this process.
 
Individuals within Businesses, Community groups, Public Sector bodies, and Charities all have key roles to play here. Teachers and Parents can be the champions at the heart of this new collaboration and ensure we are meeting the needs of all children.
 
Older people and recent graduates can share their wisdom and experience. They can help to explore areas of interest, crazy ideas and the dreams of youth. They can support those who are struggling. This is intergenerational learning with a local, national and international focus. It about our role in life and our place in the world.
 
Our school-based education system needs to become a collaborative, joined-up, community-based, personal development and support framework for young people. We need to move from 19th century schoolrooms to 21st century engagement and empowerment. Collaborative Education is a process where everyone can participate, work in teams, contribute and share their skills, online and in person, to help our next generation.
 
We have the buildings. We have the students. We have the expertise. We have the technology. We have the time. Collaborative Education brings it all, and all of us, together.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What role will you play in Collaborative Education?
2. How can you begin to play your part from now? ​

​Day 358 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

THE GOOD NEWS
 
The Good News is
an understanding
and an awareness of
who we truly are.
 
We are love
and we are loved.
This love can never die.
 
Jesus overcame death
by rising from the dead
to show us this,
so that we  would
believe  in ourselves.
 
So, the Good News
is an ongoing call to believe
in the goodness of yourself.
It’s about you recognising
that you are a loving person
and a giver of love.
 
You also make sacrifices
for love and in turn, you too,
will go beyond death
and live forever.
 
The Good News is the
gift of eternal love
that asks nothing of you
but to believe in yourself.
 
With this understanding
and self awareness you can
do amazing work
in helping others and
in creating a kinder world.
 
These are the fruits
of the Good News,
the love that is each  of us
and the reason that we are here.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How do you show love?   List 5 examples
2. How do others show you love? List 5 examples
3. What could you do today to help others ? ​

​Day 357 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

WORKPIECES

Over the last thirty years
we have moved from Lifelong jobs
to Portfolio working to Workpieces.

Our​ Workpieces are the way that
we use our time.  We do freelancing, we
sell online,  we create and make,  we have
part-time jobs,  and we do ad-hoc work.  

Some of our workpieces pay us money
and some don’t - like minding our kids,
home-schooling, helping  others, 
or looking after an elderly relative.

But everything that we do is a workpiece,
including  social media,  watching sport
or the latest box set!  They are all the ways
we use our time,  at whatever age we are,
and whatever our situation.

Workpieces are proactive rather than
just reactive. They call on us to
unleash  our skills, experience, knowledge
and passions to explore and be more.
To  do what  we really want to do.

Homeworking has now taken us  out  of
the office. Couples manage  their  workpieces
and income based  on their needs  and plans.
Individually and collectively, we  are
taking more control of all that we do.

As our lives change and develop, we  need
to constantly re-evaluate and re-balance
our workpieces as best we can,
not just for income, but as the framework
of our overall health, wellbeing and
life development strategy.

Our workpieces can help us to achieve and
become all that is important to us.

​ PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. Write down all of your workpieces.
2. Which workpieces  that you would like to see, are missing?
3. Which workpieces would you like to change? ​

​​Day 356 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

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? ​

WITHIN AND WITHOUT

There is something
too deep for words
that is part of us.
There is something
too deep for thoughts
that is part of us.

​​There is something
too gentle for words
that is all around us.
There is something
too gentle for thoughts
that is all around us.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What is too deep for words or thoughts that is part of you?
2. What is too gentle for words or thoughts that is all around you?​

​Day 354 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

FACTORY RESET
 
When we are born
we consist only of love,
goodness and trust.
 
We give ourselves totally
to those around us.
For we have no choice.
 
As we grow, we develop
our own personality and ego.
We make our own choices.
 
We meet our own needs first,
often forgetting
those around us.
 
We can however,
press our factory reset button
at any time.
 
We can become love
goodness and trust
again.

​ PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. How can you become closer to your original self - full  of love, goodness and trust?
2. What is it in life,  that takes you away from  what you want to be?   Is there a way to reset  who you are? 

​Day 353 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

WHAT IS ENOUGH?
 
The greatest privilege
is to be alive
today.
And that is
enough.
 
The greatest gift
you will ever receive
is today.
And that is
enough.
 
The greatest that
you will ever be
is today.
And that is
more than enough.

​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1. What will you do with the wonderful gift that is today?
2. When will you say 'I have enough'?