How Travel Helped Me Reach My Goals

17 Apr How Travel Helped Me Reach My Goals

I’ve been driving all over the United States since I started Compete Every Day back in 2011. Like many of you, I planned out my road trips with the best music playlists & invested in XM/Sirius Satellite Radio in order to get my favorite sports talk no matter where I was. In 2013, I shifted to audiobooks, cranking out two of my favorites, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (affiliate link), & Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I loved getting lost on the open highway in a great book.

But that was simply a way to help me pass the time. It wasn’t helping me improve how I served others or how Compete Every Day operated. And then I got hooked on podcasts.

As our society becomes increasingly “on the go,” podcasts continue to grow exponentially in popularity. You can download direct to your phone from iTunes or another source. Stream the podcast while you walk, drive, or ride public transportation. Heck, you may even listen to it while working. When you find a great podcast, you begin to binge on it, just like the latest season of House of Cards on Netflix. You simply can’t get enough.

Better yet, most are chalked full of valuable information and insight from others on a similar journey as yours, who bravely share how they “did it.” I’ve almost completely stopped listening to the radio while driving and am instead listening to any one of the multiple podcasts I’ve now become addicted to. And CED has gotten a boost from the new ideas generated from simply learning from those who have traversed this path before. If you haven’t given them a listen, here’s some of my favorites that I’ll be listening to today as I drive from Dallas to Houston.

• How Did You Get Into That? – Grant Baldwin (great dude) interviews people from a variety of backgrounds and shares how they got to where they are today. Great for those searching for careers or always wondering how someone got started. (Be sure to check out episode 15 for someone you may know!)
• The Owner’s Mind – good friend Chris Brogan interviews a plethora of guests in short, bite-sized snippets. Some great content for all walks of life here.
• Barbell Shrugged – all things fitness, CrossFit, & lifting heavy. Great interviews and stories!
• The Art of Charm – I just discovered these guys & love some of their interviews. Be sure to check out the episode with Daymond John if you’re a fan (like me!) of Shark Tank.
• The James Alutcher Show – Love this guy. I discovered James’ work from Chris Brogan & have been in the midst of reading one of his Choose Yourself books. Tons of interviews that provide depth & true plans of action. This is not a “fluff” podcast.
• The Tim Ferriss Show – The author behind 4-Hour Work Week & 4 Hour Body (links) interviews guests from around the world in great detail. I was blown away by the interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger & Glenn Beck (seriously, love or hate him, it’s fascinating listen).
• Online Marketing Made Easy – Amy’s podcast is excellent for those who do online marketing – or who need to be!

And these are just a sample of the ones I’m constantly listening to and trying to learn/apply to my current lifestyle.

What are your favorite podcasts worth downloading – and what’s a good episode to start with?