Unlock Your Growth Potential with Podcasts! ????
In today's increasingly busy world, finding time to mentally compartmentalize and reflect can be challenging. One effective way to disconnect from the overwhelming distractions of daily life is by listening to podcasts. Far from being just a way to pass the time, podcasts offer a powerful escape that can provide numerous benefits, including education, imaginative journeys, lifestyle insights, and even mental well-being.
In my blog this month, I'm going to discuss the positives of listening to podcasts and the many advantages they can bring to your personal and professional life.
Mental Health Advantages of Podcast Listening:
Various parts of your brain are being activated while listening to a podcast, this information consumed is engaging your mesolimbic pathway (known as the “reward pathway”) releasing dopamine throughout the brain and chemically sparking the “feel good” pleasures.
Listening to a variety of podcast genres can engage different parts of the brain. For instance, comedy uses your frontal lobe to “decode” whether the joke is funny (or not) which sends a message to your cerebral cortex which then triggers a laugh. In contrast, a true crime episode interprets the suspenseful information through the medulla oblongata, which produces adrenaline triggering a “fight or flight” response!
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Personal Growth:
Podcasts offer a vast array of genres that can contribute significantly to personal development:
-??????? Learning: Expand your knowledge, challenge existing paradigms, and stay informed by learning from industry leaders and experts.
-??????? Critical Thinking: Regular listening can sharpen critical thinking skills, essential for making informed decisions and engaging in meaningful discussions.
-??????? Imagination: Podcasts stimulate mental imagery, fostering creativity and imagination.
-??????? Self-Improvement: Gain insights into personal development, motivation, and empowerment from seasoned professionals.
-??????? Professional Skills: Engage with online communities, participate in discussions, and share knowledge with fellow listeners.
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Improving Listening Skills
Podcast listening is more than just a passive activity; it actively refines auditory processing and attention skills. Regular listeners often become adept at interpreting vocal nuances and grasping complex spoken ideas, enhancing their communication abilities in a personal and professional setting.
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Maximizing Time with Multitasking
One of the greatest advantages of podcasts is their ability to engage your mind without demanding your full attention. Unlike reading or watching videos, podcasts can be enjoyed while multitasking—whether you’re exercising, cleaning, or commuting.
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Personal Perspective:
As an avid podcast listener, I love listening to a variety of podcasters and topics from self-development, inspirational stories, tech pods, expert leaders, politics, health, exercise and nutrition experts, sports podcasts, and global trends. I’m constantly writing notes, quotes and scribbling ideas from all these fields to take on myself to further educate and improve myself from a personal and professional perspective having learnt many lessons from a variety of different hosts and guests.
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I predominantly have fixed settings while listening to pods typically when I’m in the gym, walking to the beach, or driving to a destination. During these moments, I create an imagery spider-web wall that has a number of different quotes, thoughts, perspectives and learnings that I can take into my life.
Having the headphones in, it feels like you have the host speaking directly to you in your ear and the guest in the other with you as the audience member in between speaking to you.
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As mentioned, there are hundreds and thousands of different genres and podcast types however I thought I’d suggest my personal favourites and episodes. (You may then get a short insight into me as a person from what I listen to ;) enjoy!
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My Personal Favourite Podcasts:
·??????? The High-Performance Podcast
·??????? ReThinking with Adam Grant
领英推荐
·??????? On Purpose with Jay Shetty
·??????? The Science of Success by Matt Bodnar
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My Favourite Episode Listens (in no order):
·??????? Alastair Campbell: Winning in Politics, Sport, and Business
o?? How to build a short, medium, and long-term plan through the method using: Opportunity, Strategy, Tactics (OST)
·??????? Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley on Why Mistakes Are Our Greatest Teachers
o?? “We avoid them like the plague. And chess players understand that mistakes are our greatest teachers. We embrace our mistakes. We want to know what exactly is the nature of the error I made, and why I made it?”
·??????? Dr Rangan Chatterjee: 3 Steps To “Core” Happiness - The Diary of a CEO
o?? How core happiness is built upon three principles: Alignment, Contentment, and Control
·??????? JRE MMA Show #99 with Francis Ngannou
o?? One of the most inspiring stories of overcoming near-death challenges and being able to reach the very top of his sport (MMA) while being very humble and
·??????? Eddie Jones: “I want to Coach the Perfect Game” on The High-Performance Podcast
o?? Importance in how we communicate with people. How every conversation/interaction with someone can either lead to a positive or negative impression.
·??????? James Corden: How to Know When the Time is Right to Let Go On Purpose with Jay Shetty
o?? “Holding onto a moment like a balloon, it's great to have the balloon but things don’t last forever. Let the balloon go and chase another one because you need a new moment”
o?? “How much of tomorrow do you want to borrow”
·??????? #824 – Ross Edgley – 317 Miles: Breaking the Longest Non-Stop Swim Record
o?? How to overcome negative thoughts but embrace them and address them by answering them with a question. “Dismiss them like a cloud passing in the wind.”