The cassette tape I pushed into my Renault 4 radio started with the observation that the average person only reads one nonfiction book a year. As I reflected on that I had to concur that I fell into the average category. The excuse ran through my head that I simply did not have time. As if in answer to my objection, the voice from the radio said the biggest objection to reading more was a lack of time. That got my attention.
He then went on to say that if a person was to read a book a week then within a few years you would have read as much as was required for a university degree. Then he said, "If you listen to educational tapes while you drive you can turn your car into a university on wheels."
I drove a lot. As my career progressed I drove more and for longer periods of time. I started listening to as many tapes as I could find. The invention of the CD player brought a raft of new material and options and I still remember my delight at finding a complete set of Tony Robbins' Personal Power II and how challenged and encouraged I was by much of the content.
Listening to the various authors shaped and evolved my thinking. The Harvard psychologist Williams James expressed it well: "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind."
As the decades have rolled by, CDs have given way to memory sticks and in recent years everything you could possibly want is at your fingertips on the white fluffy cloud that wraps itself around the worldwide web. The options are endless.
From TED talks (mad crazy fan of these) to podcasts, to audiobooks (Audible by Amazon is my go-to) the options are endless. Time, however, remains at a premium.
If you are looking to develop and grow, the car remains an incredible vehicle to take your mind, and life, to incredible places. The medium has changed but the opportunity remains. Could you convert your driver's seat to a learning centre on wheels?
+ Mike Clark is director and lead trainer and facilitator at Think Right business training company.