What I’ve learned from audiobooks this year

Audiobooks have become a key way that I read books these days. They allow me to pursue growth, understanding or even entertainment while I take care of other demands on my time. I can do housework or drive to my next stop while learning. I know this is true for many people these days. The main downside I have found is that I don’t always stop and reflect on what I am gleaning from the words. So I am taking some time today to reflect on what I have learned from audiobooks so far this year. Maybe you will learn something or be inspired to reflect yourself.

These are the audiobooks that I have listened to this year:

• The Explosive Child by Dr Ross W. Greene
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
• The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
• That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs
• Winning The War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel

The books on a person’s shelf can often reveal something about who they are and what life may look like. You may draw your own conclusions from these titles! The impression I am left with is a person who is eager to grow and improve but who is battling feeling overwhelmed and out of her depth. She is desperate for strategies to try and a new mindset with which to approach challenges. It’s amazing how making a simple list can draw out deep truth.

I wish I could say that listening to these books completely transformed me, that feeling of overwhelm has cleared and a new mindset is firmly in place. Oh, that it would be that simple! I am a work in progress. There are no quick fix solutions, however, these books have made a difference.

The difference these audiobooks have made

The principles and truths in these books have helped develop my vision of who I want to be as a person, a mother, wife, friend and leader. This vision becomes more clear and defined. I can then set my focus instead of being pulled in so many directions. It gives me a filter through which to make decisions and evaluate my choices and actions. Sometimes this shows how far I have to go in becoming that person. I can let that discourage me or spur me on.

The trouble comes when I stop at the point of being inspired and seeing a picture of who I want to be. I don’t always follow through on taking action on what I have learned. I have certainly implemented a few things and see a shift in my thinking patterns. However, there is still so much more gold that I can mine. Instead of seeking out my next book, I am going to pause and apply more of what I have learned already.

Here are the action steps that I am committing to:

• Winning The War In Your Mind- complete the 12 exercises in the accompanying PDF by the end of June.
• That Sounds Fun- pick up my hobby of crochet again.
• The Lazy Genius Way- Applying the principles of ‘start small’, ‘build the right routines’ and ‘schedule rest’, I will use the Lectio365 app each night before bed to wind down my brain. I will experiment with this for a week to see if it is the right fit.
• The Obstacle Is The Way- Pay attention to the story I am telling myself about events and reframe my perspective (goes hand in hand with many exercises from Winning the War In My Mind.)
• Good To Great- Start with the ‘disciplined people’ section. Identify the steps I need to take personally to become a Level 5 leader. Work with my team over the next few weeks to ensure those on the bus are the right fit and in the right places.
• The Explosive Child- This is one I have implemented most out of already. I will commit to a ‘plan b’ conversation with my daughter around an upcoming issue.

I know you probably don’t care what my action steps are going to be. This helps me to stay on the hook for the growth I want to see and hopefully encourages you to identify your own action steps. I will aim to report on my progress with these in my monthly newsletter (you can join my email community here if you want to stay in touch.)

Another audiobook for you

There is one audiobook that I haven’t put on that list that I have listened to more than all the others combined. I released the audiobook version of Stepping Up In Leadership on 18^th May. My own love for audiobooks spurred me on to get this done. It required many hours of recording, editing and figuring out technology. Those hours were worth it because they were for you. There are invitations for reflection and creating action steps throughout the audiobook (helpfully put into PDF download that is linked in the book). Maybe this is your next book to listen to and take steps to grow from what you learn.