​Day 402 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

NEGATIVE CONDITIONING

Much of our conditioning
about God has come
through the media and religions,
with their view of what is truth.

Much of our conditioning about
talking with God,
has come through concepts
such as prayer or meditation.

But what if we made a fresh start,
and built our own understanding
and personal relationship, with
whatever we perceive God to be?

For God is really
the unknown that is out there,
beyond us and yet in each of us,
and all of us.

Imagine then, if we
could go beyond 
all that negative conditioning
and talk with love and kindness,

To ourselves
and to others.
 to all that we know,
and don’t know.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.  How do you imagine a God that is unknow but yet within you and part of you? 
2. How can you begin to develop a relationship   with your God?​

​Day 401 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

THREE YEAR  PLAN
 
Have you created the picture
of what your life
will look like ,
three years from now?
 
Can you see
where you are living,
who you are with, and
the work that you are doing?
 
Can you imagine how you feel,
what your health is like,
what is happening around you,
and what is bringing you joy?
 
It’s time to draw,
to map out in words,
exactly what your life will be
three years from now.
 
For if you do not know
who you will be, or
where you are going,
then how will you get there?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.  Who will you be in three years time?
2. What will you be doing in three years time? ​

​Day 400 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

WHITE SPACE 
 
When I feel the automatic urge
to pick up my phone, switch on
the TV, or browse the net,
I now pause.
 
For I realise that these are
habits I’ve learned.
I fill my brain and use up my time,
with activities.
 
It’s all other people’s content,
and although some is good,
to be honest, most is not really
the food of life!
 
I 'm trying not to give away
my time and my focus to external
content. I'm learning to be
more selective in my choices.
 
My freelance graphic designer
has spent years telling me
about white space, and urging
me to see things differently.
 
‘You don’t need to fill
every piece of the page
with text, images are content,’
she says.
 
I’m now leaving empty spaces
in my day, replacing the urge
to fill every moment.
It’s my white space time.

​​Day 399 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

 A NEW NOTEBOOK

It’s always a strange feeling
starting a new notebook, and
writing on that first page.
 
It’s like a new baby,
full of potential and ready
to tell all her stories.
 
It’s the same routine for both,
daily feeds and each day,
a new chapter unfolds.
 
Your notebook and your baby,
both reflections of you
in their own way.

​Day 398 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

THE RULE OF ONE

The centre of the universe
and of everything
is in each of us.

All power and powerlessness
lies within each of us,
in our own measure.

All resources and lack of resources
 lie within each of us,
in our own measure.

All opportunity and struggle
 lies within  each of us,
in our own measure.

All joy and pain
lies within each of us,
in our own measure.

All hope and hopelessness
 lies within  each of us,
in our own measure

All love rests within each of us,
overflowing beyond all imagination,
embracing each of us,
without measure.

​Day 397 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

​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 396 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

CATERPILLAR TRACKS
 
I am a caterpillar among
millions of caterpillars.
Some of them talk of breaking free
and living in a different way.
 
But I have much to do
as a caterpillar.
All talk of freedom and flying
is for butterflies.

​Day 395 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

PHASES OF LIFE

​As we go through life,
it’s easy to see it all
as one journey.

And yet, if we stop
and look back,
we can notice
​different periods.

A time when we did this.
A time when we were that.

So, look at the present time
and realise that this too,
is a period of transition,
and transformation.

You are in the middle
of something now.
And soon it will end.

And then you will be
into the next phase
of your journey.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.   What are the key characteristics of this Phase of your life?
​2.   What do you think your next Phase will look like? 

​Day 394 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

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 393 of Des McCabe's Personal Development Exercises

FUTURE SELF

Write yourself a key message for today.
It’s a message from your future self.

Write a message to encourage you,
 lift you and inspire you.

It’s a message to focus on what matters, 
reset your direction, and    sort out your future .

Your future self is reaching backwards,
 smiling as you are handed this message.

Write yourself  a key message for today.
What is your future self saying to you?

​​PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE
1.   Write out a message  right now, from you future self?
2.    How exactly are you going to act on this? ​​