I try to listen to a podcast or Ted Talk every day, I started this about four months ago and it’s been interesting. Sometimes I listen to them while doing homework, other times I listen while writing these articles. The reason I started it are for two different ones: podcasts came into my life about two years ago with Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Startalk Radio which I fancied because of my infallible love with astronomy. Every day I listened until I reached the point where I had to wait for new episodes. So I found Literary Disco, which was appealing because of my love of books and discussion, it was always so interesting to hear their perspectives and ideas about the books they read together. Then Art of Manliness came in (listening to them while writing this article), where experts spoke about a wide array of topics, which grasped the multipotentialite within me (along with my Input strength) because it was literally about people talking about something new every week. Interesting tid bit, I almost began my own podcast show but couldn’t choose what it should be about.

I tailed off after a bit and stopped listening to podcasts for about three months until I began to watch Ted Talks. It began with Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling*, which was about multipotentialites, and where I relearned it (I’d watched the talk about a year before this, but once my career counselor pointed out I was one I rewatched it with a new lens). Since about July I’ve watched about 60+ Ted Talks, and listened to some crazy amount of podcasts. Here’s what I’ve learned from all of those (no, not everything I’ve learned from all of those…rather, what I’ve learned from listening to them so much).

First off, I have missed some days; it’s hard to keep it consistent sometimes. When I began this journey there was no underlying goal, there wasn’t an end all with it, it grew with it. Listening to podcasts or watching Ted Talks everyday has taught me that after awhile I tend to zone out while listening to them, so I trained myself so I could to pay better attention. I tend to zone out in general, I still do it often, but not as often as I had been, it’s improved a bit. Next, it gives me more fodder to speak about, to gab on with my friends about how the universe works, or why some people may be more altruistic than others and how capable most people are of altruism. They aren’t big fans of it I don’t think. But I try to absorb the information I hear, think about it and learn from it. It’s a good morning ritual honestly, fun to listen to podcasts or Ted Talks while working on a mini-project (that I’ll probably never “finish”) at four thirty in the morning. Finally, I’d recommend listening to podcasts or Ted Talks on your car rides while stuck in rush hour (might as well learn something), perhaps while cranking out an essay for class, or while cooking dinner. It’s a great way, so I’d like to think, to learn and continue learning in a fun manner. If you’re trying to get into something it may help as well.

*- This remains my favorite Ted Talk.