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A lot of people like to claim that audiobooks “don’t count” and aren’t “real books”, but I’m here to challenge that statement and endorse the fact that audiobooks do count as books and can change your life for the better. I was skeptical at first, feeling hesitant to go against traditional reading and start listening to audiobooks. But once I got over those feelings and gave audiobooks a try, my life was changed for the better. No, I didn’t give up traditional reading, I’ve only given myself a way to consume 2x as many books in less time.
I use Audible to listen to my audiobooks and recommend it to anyone who wants to start listening to audiobooks. They are directly connected to your Amazon account for ease of use, and have TONS of Audible exclusive books that you won’t find anywhere else!
Untapped Personal Growth & Development Tools
If you are at any stage of a personal growth and development journey and haven’t listened to any audiobooks, you are missing out on an untapped wealth of personal growth and development support and enhancement.
Do you have a wish list of personal development books waiting for you to have time to sit down and read them? Imagine being able to absorb the knowledge of them into your mind while also moving around and accomplishing your daily tasks, or even during your daily commute to and from work. Sure, audiobooks don’t work like how plants absorb sunlight, but they are essentially hands free books that allow you to consume their knowledge without needing to stop the flow of your day in some cases.
I recommend the book The 5 Second Rule, by Mel Robbins as a great personal development book and tool! Read my review of her book here.
I have listened to at least a dozen personal growth and development books in the past year, that I wouldn’t have otherwise had time to sit down and read. Better yet, stay awake while reading. Either due to exhaustion at the end of my day or sheer monotony of the book’s vibe on paper. I will say, often times audiobooks are narrated by the author themselves. This, to me, makes the book that much more enticing to listen to.
Audiobooks are a personal growth hack because they allow you to maximize your time while still consuming the knowledge of the personal development book that you’re listening to. You could be cleaning your kitchen, doing some yoga, driving to work, folding laundry, etc, and have your audiobook playing all the while and have it completed by the end of the week.
Audiobooks are a Wealth of Knowledge
In addition to personal development books, there are so many audiobooks out there that can open your eyes to things you never knew that you needed to know. Is there a topic of interest that you’ve always wanted to learn about but either haven’t had the time to look into or the attention span to keep yourself focused on a printed book about the matter? I’m sure there is.
I discovered that I love to listen to autobiographies by celebrities! More often than not they are the ones narrating their own book and that in itself makes it that much better of an experience. You’ll learn a lot about their lives, careers, and so much more! Celebrities aren’t the only ones writing and narrating autobiographies either. There are political figures, authors, scientists, and so many others out there who have written books and narrated them on audiobooks.
*Attention fellow Outlander fans out there.*
If you are ready to give autobiographies a try with audiobooks I HIGHLY recommend Waypoints:My Scottish Journey, by Sam Heughan. Yes, he narrates all 7 hours and 47 minutes of his book! *swoon*
There is probably an audiobook out there for any area of interest that you would like to learn about. Correct me if I’m wrong, but do you not find it easier to keep your attention to someone talking about interesting topics than to read about them after a long day of work? I know that’s definitely true for me.
Some people are visual learners rather than auditory, so having a physical book makes sense when it comes to learning about something new. I will say, with Kindle Unlimited there is often an audio option available, either for free or just a couple extra dollars, included with a book that I download. Definitely an option that allows you to get the best of both worlds!
Audiobooks Can Promote Relaxation and Decrease Stress
Do you remember being a kid and feeling relaxed when your parent would read you a bedtime story? I don’t think we ever lose that as we grow older. Sure, the audiobook author isn’t our parent or anyone we know for that matter. But having. story read to you can still be a relaxing/soothing experience as an adult.
That depends on the book you’re listening to of course. But you know yourself, and if listening to a horror story or suspenseful novel makes you feel relaxed, then that’s exactly what you should do! I know of myself, I enjoy a good detective book (aka police procedural) to help me feel relaxed. By that, I mean taking a break from stressful day to day things to focus on the mystery we are trying to solve in the book. Typically a murder mystery!
Ready to give audiobooks a try? I recommended starting with Audible, free for 30 days
What are your thoughts on audiobooks? Are you team audiobooks-don’t-count or do you accept them as a form of book consumption? Do you already listen to audiobooks, and if so on what platform?
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