Audio books

Think of audio books as listening another reading a book for you. It’s a medium in itself. It is said that this is one of the most innovative novelty of the 20th century. The professionals involved in this industry indicated that a few hours each day in a course will be equivalent to an entire year’s worth of academic program. At times, I find myself listening in repetition in order to grasp certain ideas I may have missed, which is very common in auditory learning.

There are many kinds and topics of audio books: biographies, self-helps, academics, motivational. Etc. I’ll tackle them down in a list that I have encountered so far:

Academics: These are the usual subjects and courses that you find in your local universities (or not). One exemplary host would be from the collection of The Teaching Company series. They record exceptional and sometimes famous authors and professors during their class speeches. These are incredibly good listening and found it amusing at times.

History and literature: Thru these I’ve learned how Nero is like, the records of Herodotus, the relationship between Mozart and his father, the mind of Nietzsche, the witty conversation between Plato and Phythagoras, the story behind Dante’s Divine Comedy, from Columbus to Clinton’s America, among others.

After listening to these, one would sense a larger world with multi-events spanning geography and time aside from the world in our little room. It helps to learn the achievements and mistakes executed in certain circumstances, the experiences of others, the colorful characters, the different circumstances man is faced with or thrust into.

Religion: From fiction to real-world, the arguments of man, from Gilgamesh to Jesus, the fall of mythology, the rise of cults, from logic to rituals. It is intriguing to learn how “wise” men throughout history would dictate “God”. You might learn the background of your denomination too. Listen to The Case for Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

Science and Math: Now these topics are very entertaining (compared to the school I came from). Although I have to say I’m still confused, but what makes these fun to listen is how these professionals discuss their topics. They carry the passion in their voice in each discussion. Makes me wish I’m there. I would really love to hear them extrapolate and discuss these with visuals! Do you want to learn Quantum Physics, the Particle Zoo, Cosmology, Logistics, Chances and Theories, The 4th dimension, and Origami?

Sigh…. I still have no idea what I’m writing, but it is humbling for me to know there are guys out there that make a living just talking about these confusing stuff, no?

Novels: These are just entertaining to say the least. Biographies are one of my favorites, from actors to politicians to historical figures, try Al Gore, Christopher Reeves and even Bill O’ Reilly. Some are very inspiring, others amusing and at the same time makes you feel like you know them personally. I must also include fictions, it sounds like a radio drama I used to hear when I was a kid. Now one can riff through the daunting Star Wars novels in a breeze.

Business: These are must haves for people who want to make it big, or at least to have management skill on their finances. Key practices are: where to put insurances and investments, handling financial fears and money responsibilities, living frugally, getting out of debt and staying debt-free, advisors and money talk, and… giving. Or simply listen to their success stories, life is too short to go thru self-experience or reinventing the wheel. Listen to professionals such as Robert Kiyosaki, Napoleon Hill, Suze Orman and such.

Now most strategies are eye-openers (to me at least), but some are way too effectively simple, in fact, too simple that most people overlooked these methods.

Self helps: Some that I’ve come across: Goal Setting, Time Management and Multi-tasking, Art of Selling, Disciplines, even speed reading, memory enhancement, and etc. etc. etc. listen to the success experts and motivational speakers such as John C. Maxwell, Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Tom Hopkins, Zig Ziglar, and (again) etc. etc. etc. Obviously, no cook (audio) books here.

I'm a slow and late learner, that’s why I find audio books invaluable. It is practical and engaging. They give a sense of evolvement, gratification and fulfillment. Worthwhile energy spent.

The reason I put this up is for you guys to join in in this kind of activity. Listen and be productive. A success expert once stated “If you want to fly with the eagles, you have to stop scratching with the turkeys.” It’s safe to say that I’ve benefited much from audio books, even listening to fictional novels and children’s books, hey, its a passive activity if you want to put it that way :-) AND a very good companion for people who works long hours alone.

The next time you go out with your Mp3 players, instead of musical selections, try one of these learning audios (another one of those time management techniques!) or download an audio linguist tutorial to learn a new foreign language while traveling. I wish you well in all your endeavors. And let us do productive conversations, the sinews of life.