September 21, 2005

My “Broken Records”

On my iPod and around my apartment I have several audio books that I would call my “broken records.” These are audiobooks that I’ll throw on somewhat continuously in the background when I’m walking places, cleaning, making something to eat, etc. I don’t necessarily listen to them in a linear, start-to-finish fashion. Rather I’ll just pick them up whereever I happen to be and listen to them for 10 to 20 minutes or longer.

With many audio books it’s hard to do this because there is some sort of sequencing required and if you pick them up mid-way through you don’t really have the proper context. And of course with many audio books you really don’t have much need to listen to them more than once. But my “broken records” are titles that I honestly don’t feel I could listen to too much. They serve as almost a kind of spoken word “soundtrack” for my life.

So without further ado, let me present to you my list of broken records along with some comments. I hope some of you will order these and allow yourself to become immersed in them as well. They contain timeless wisdom and are a great alternative to having the TV or radio blaring in the background during daily life:

My Broken Records

• Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill’s classic on achieving financial success. What I love about this book is that there is so much in here that can contribute to success in all areas of life.
• How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie’s classic tome on interpersonal relationships is a favorite of mine despite the somewhat cheesy title. What’s amazing is the fact that the vast majority of the advice in this book is common sense and yet it’s rarely practiced by most people.
• The Secrets of the Power of Intention, There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem and It’s Never Crowded Along the Extra Mile by Wayne Dyer – Dyer probably consumes a good 20% of the space on my iPod. He has a magical voice and I truly feel that listening to him is a superior experience to reading his books. His live stuff is particularly good and there is so much incredible wisdom in here that, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself returning to it over and over again.
• The Bible – I certainly don’t listen to it as much as I should but I do find that having the Bible on my iPod makes it convenient for me to return to it when I have a few minutes waiting in line somewhere. (I don’t know exactly which version is on my iPod so I just linked above to our super cool “The Bible on Audio” page where dozens of audio versions of the Bible and individual books.)

I have a couple other broken records that run in the background as well during specific times of my day. Wayne Dyer’s 101 Ways to Transform Your Life wakes me up each morning from the stereo system in my bedroom. Pimsleur’s Spanish I runs in my bathroom while I’m taking a shower or brushing my teeth. Yup, I’m pretty much addicted to this stuff…not that that’s a bad thing.

Feel free to let me know if you’ve got other suggestions for broken records. I’d love to get your take on this.