Daniel Roach.org

When I first got my iPod it was a much harder decision than it should have been. I weighed my options, looked at some other players, but it was this list below that sold me completely. Once I figured out exactly how much I could use this tiny device toward my own personal growth, I was hooked. I got my iPod about a year ago now and have used it for some pretty ingenious purposes. I’ve learned lines for upcoming shows, listened to personal development podcasts, books, movies, synced it up to my Tivo for shows on the go. Now it’s time for you to start getting the most out of your best improvement tool. And if you don’t have an iPod, don’t fret, many of the things on this list can be done with any other mp3 player. So for you Zen, Zune and Sansa folks out there, grab your player of choice and make an investment in your personal growth.

Let’s turn your Player into the most powerful personal development tool you’ll ever own.

1.Learn Anything For Free ? That’s right, learn anything for free. It sounds crazy, but the amount of podcasts out there that are willing to teach you anything and everything you could ever want to know is staggering. Want to learn a new language? We’ve got free podcasts for that. Want to learn Underwater Basket Weaving? They’ve probably got that too. You can get free recorded lectures from places like UC Berkeley online! If you don’t think that’s cool you’re just not nerdy enough because, trust me, it is. The sheer number of things that I can learn just by pressing play when I have a free minute is probably reason enough to have my iPod. Plus, you’ll be able to download my Personal Development Podcast, the upcoming episodes of which promise to very informative.

And for those of you who are willing to shell out a little bit of dough to learn something new, Barnes & Noble sells audio college courses taught by professors from places as prestigious as New York University. Come on, what else are you going to be doing with that time you spend waiting in line, or sitting on a bus or a train, or even in your car? Be productive, the least you could do is come out of a commute a little smarter than you went in, if not a little less frazzled.

2. Audio Books ? I really don’t think I need to say any more about that one. Audio books, that just screams useful. What’s better than being able to absorb a couple extra books a year while you?re driving or waiting or all that other good stuff I mentioned before? Is there anyone who could honestly look me in the eye and say, ?Nah, no readily accessible, entertaining knowledge for me, please. I’d rather listen to drive-time radio commercials during my commute.?

If you’re like me and thousands of other people, you can’t get through the books you have fast enough. It seems that every time you start to catch up, more books pour in. It’s hard to take in that much information quickly enough. Well that’s where my iPod comes to my rescue. I can’t tell you how much more pleasurable Stephen Fry’s reading of the Harry Potter books can make a workout. On top of all of that, many books can be found for free from places like Librivox, or even iTunes via their podcast feature. How can you say no, you get to read a book without having to read and, many times, you can do it for free. . . I really do think that pretty much sums up the nerdy coolness of audio books, don’t you?

3. Record Your Intentions or Meditations ? This may, in fact, be the most powerful use of the mp3 player, ever. Using any free audio recording software and a cheap microphone, you can record all of you goals and intentions and anything else that you want to be able to bring to the forefront of your mind during the day. Imagine spending your lunch break, being reminded of all of your intentions and having them repeated to you in a peaceful, soothing tone. Imagine the change that just a few days of frequent listening could bring! Imagine spending that bus ride, or train ride in your own little world of manifestation. You can record anything that you want to remember every day. Record your intentions, record affirmations, record a guided meditation, anything you want.

All you need is any microphone you can hook up to your computer, any free recording software found online and a little time. Just write down all the things that you want to record. Write down the goals that you are working toward. Write down all of the things you wish to bring into your life, or all of the affirmations you wish to repeat to yourself everyday. Now just record those in a soft, soothing voice. You may wish to have it play repeatedly, or put some soothing music in the background, that’s totally up to you. Just upload it to your mp3 player of choice and take it anywhere you go. All it takes is a few free minutes everyday to remind yourself of what is most important to you.

4. Brainwave Entrainment ? Okay, I’ll admit it, I have really never seen any genuine effects from brainwave entrainment, but I know many people have. I’ve tried it on numerous occasions for everything from meditation or sleep to getting rid of a headache?I think I even tried using it to stop a nose bleed once?and I can’t really recall a time when it’s worked to any measurable degree. That said, if it works for you, you need to get an mp3 player to put them on. Any brainwave software worth its salt will come with a method for exporting your tracks to either wave or mp3 files which can then be uploaded to any player and taken anywhere you go.

Now if you’re not familiar with brainwave entrainment, I’m not really the person to explain it to you. The basic theory, if I’ve got this right, is that listening to certain frequencies and binaural beats can cause your brain to react in a certain way, or elicit certain brainwave states such as Alpha, Beta, or Delta waves. Like I said, I’ve never had great results, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t. Give it a try, I know many people swear by it.

5. Personal Development Videos ? This one is only for those folks with video-mp3 players, which most of them are these days. I personally use this feature all the time. You can download and upload your own videos, which means that you can fill it to the brim with hours of personal development content. My iPod right now has The Secret (I’m not the biggest fan, but it’s still worth the watch), a Deepak Chopra television special, a few guided meditations and one or two “West Wing” episodes thrown in for good measure (the early episodes, before Sorkin left, of course).

The great thing about this feature is how versatile it is. You can upload your own videos if you wanted and make your own guided meditations, or you could download Personal Development Videocasts (hint, hint) and upload them. If you have a Tivo then life is really great because you can download anything directly off your Tivo, turn it into an iTunes file and watch it some other time. Believe me, I think that’s about as cool as it gets as far as technology goes, and I’m a complete nerd. Now you may be wondering, what do “West Wing” and Tivo have to do with personal development? Well, let’s face it, we all need a break. We get so caught up in our goals and our work that we forget to spend a little time each day doing something that’s completely frivolous like watching television. There are some people that will tell you to throw the TV out completely but remember, all work and no play didn’t do anything good for Jack Nicholson or Shelly Duvall.

So there you have it, the five reasons an iPod may be the best investment you’ll ever make from the guy who didn’t like iPods. So if you don’t have an mp3 player, or you’re only using your current player for music, what are you waiting for? This really is as passive as personal development is ever going to get. Slap on some headphones and let’s get going!

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