Book Notes #66: 10% Happier by Dan Harris

10% Happier embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality, and discovers a way to get happier with meditation.

Title: 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head
Author: Dan Harris
Year: 2019
Pages: 272

In a world where stress and anxiety seem to be the norm, Harris’ book 10% Happier offers a refreshing perspective on how we can achieve greater happiness and inner peace through mindfulness.

In 10% Happier, Harris shares his personal journey toward meditation and how it transformed his life. As a highly successful news anchor, Harris struggled with anxiety and self-doubt that led him down a path of self-destruction. 

However, through his own exploration of mindfulness and meditation, Harris found a way to overcome his fears and achieve greater clarity and focus.

Throughout 10% Happier, Harris shares practical tips and techniques on how to incorporate meditation into your daily routine, even if you’re a skeptic or a busy professional. 

He also provides valuable insights into the science behind meditation and how it can help to rewire our brains, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost overall well-being.

But what makes 10% Happier stand out is Harris’ witty and relatable writing style. 

He doesn’t shy away from sharing his own struggles and flaws, making 10% Happier both entertaining and inspiring. 

Whether you’re a seasoned meditator or a beginner looking to dip your toes into mindfulness, 10% Happier is a must-read.

So, if you’re ready to learn how to achieve greater happiness and inner peace in your life, then grab a copy of 10% Happier by Dan Harris and join me on this journey towards mindfulness. Let’s dive in!

As a result, I gave this book a rating of 8.0/10.

For me, a book with a note 10 is one I consider reading again every year. Among the books I rank with 10, for example, is Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Key Lessons from 10% Happier

Dan Harris began his career in journalism as a local news reporter in Maine, where he worked for several years before moving on to ABC News in New York City.

During his time at ABC, Harris covered major events such as the September 11 attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and multiple presidential elections.

He eventually became a co-anchor of ABC’s “Nightline” and the weekend edition of “Good Morning America,” cementing his place as a prominent figure in the world of news broadcasting.

Despite his professional success, Harris struggled with anxiety, self-doubt, and substance abuse, which ultimately led to a panic attack on live television in 2004.

This experience was a wake-up call for Harris and prompted him to begin exploring meditation and mindfulness as a way to manage his stress and anxiety.

However, through his own exploration of mindfulness and meditation, Harris found a way to overcome his fears and achieve greater clarity and focus.

The book chronicles Harris’ journey toward mindfulness and how it transformed his life. Along the way, he shares practical tips and techniques on how to incorporate meditation into your daily routine, even if you’re a skeptic or a busy professional.

Start small and be consistent: Don’t try to meditate for hours at a time. Start with just a few minutes a day and gradually increase as you feel comfortable. The key is to make it a daily habit.

Embrace discomfort: Meditation can be uncomfortable at first, but that discomfort is a sign of progress. Learning to sit with your thoughts and emotions without judgment is a powerful tool for managing stress and anxiety.

Let go of the myth of multitasking: Our brains are not designed to focus on multiple things at once. Instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on one task at a time and give it your full attention.

Be kind to yourself: Don’t beat yourself up for having a wandering mind during meditation or for making mistakes in your daily life. Instead, practice self-compassion and treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding you would offer to a friend.

Make time for self-care: Meditation is just one aspect of self-care. Make time for activities that bring you joy and help you recharge, whether it’s spending time with loved ones, exercising, or pursuing a hobby.

Over time, Harris became a passionate advocate for meditation and mindfulness, even incorporating these practices into his journalism work.

He also provides valuable insights into the science behind meditation and how it can help to rewire our brains, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost overall well-being.

While 10% Happier by Dan Harris is primarily focused on mindfulness and meditation as tools for improving mental health and well-being, there are still several lessons that you can also apply to your career:

The importance of managing stress: Stress is a common factor in many careers, and it can have a significant impact on both mental and physical health. By incorporating mindfulness practices such as meditation, individuals can better manage their stress levels and improve their overall well-being.

The value of self-reflection: Through mindfulness, individuals can become more aware of their thoughts and behaviors, which can help them identify areas where they need to improve. This self-reflection can be valuable in professional settings, allowing individuals to identify areas for growth and development.

The benefits of focused attention: Mindfulness practices can help individuals develop better focus and concentration, which can be valuable in a variety of professional settings. By improving their ability to concentrate, individuals can be more productive and efficient in their work.

The importance of compassion and empathy: Mindfulness practices can help individuals develop greater compassion and empathy towards others, which can be valuable in a professional setting. By being more understanding and supportive of colleagues, individuals can create a more positive and productive work environment.

The power of resilience: Mindfulness practices can help individuals develop greater resilience in the face of challenges or setbacks. This resilience can be valuable in professional settings, allowing individuals to bounce back from setbacks and persevere in the face of adversity.

My Book Highlights & Quotes

Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy. Because many people live habitually as if the present moment were an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to the next moment. And imagine living your whole life like that, where always this moment is never quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one. That is continuous stress

When you have one foot in the future and the other in the past, you piss on the present

What mindfulness does is create some space in your head so you can, as the Buddhists say, “respond” rather than simply “react.” In the Buddhist view, you can’t control what comes up in your head; it all arises out of a mysterious void. We spend a lot of time judging ourselves harshly for feelings that we had no role in summoning. The only thing you can control is how you handle it

There’s no point in being unhappy about things you can’t change, and no point being unhappy about things you can

Striving is fine, as long as it’s tempered by the realization that, in an entropic universe, the final outcome is out of your control. If you don’t waste your energy on variables you cannot influence, you can focus much more effectively on those you can. When you are wisely ambitious, you do everything you can to succeed, but you are not attached to the outcome—so that if you fail, you will be maximally resilient, able to get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the fray. That, to use a loaded term, is enlightened self-interest

Pursuit of happiness becomes the source of our unhappiness

Meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It’s about feeling the way you feel

Everything in the world is ultimately unsatisfying and unreliable because it won’t last

The fact that you exist is a highly statistically improbable event, and if you are not perpetually surprised by the fact that you exist you don’t deserve to be here

The ego is never satisfied. No matter how much stuff we buy, no matter how many arguments we win or delicious meals we consume, the ego never feels complete

We live so much of our lives pushed forward by these “if only” thoughts, and yet the itch remains. The pursuit of happiness becomes the source of our unhappiness

Picture the mind like a waterfall, they said: the water is the torrent of thoughts and emotions; mindfulness is the space behind the waterfall. Again, elegant theory – but, easier said than done

If you stay in the moment, you’ll have what is called spontaneous right action, which is intuitive, which is creative, which is visionary, which eavesdrops on the mind of the universe

In a nutshell, mindfulness is the ability to recognize what is happening in your mind right now—anger, jealousy, sadness, the pain of a stubbed toe, whatever—without getting carried away by it. According to the Buddha, we have three habitual responses to everything we experience. We want it, reject it, or we zone out. Cookies: I want. Mosquitoes: I reject. The safety instructions the flight attendants read aloud on an airplane: I zone out. Mindfulness is a fourth option, a way to view the contents of our mind with nonjudgmental remove

All successful people fail. If you can create an inner environment where your mistakes are forgiven and flaws are candidly confronted, your resilience expands exponentially

I looked into it and found there was science to suggest that pausing could be a key ingredient in creativity and innovation. Studies showed that the best way to engineer an epiphany was to work hard, focus, research, and think about a problem – and then let go. Do something else

Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy

Through his personal journey and insights, Harris has shown us that meditation is not just a practice for hippies or monks – it’s something that anyone can incorporate into their daily routine to achieve a more fulfilling and joyful life.

From reducing stress and anxiety to improving focus and creativity, the benefits of meditation are undeniable.

So, whether you’re a busy professional or just looking for a way to improve your mental health and well-being, I highly recommend giving 10% Happier a read.

Harris’ witty and relatable writing style will keep you engaged and inspired, while his practical tips and techniques will help you incorporate meditation into your life.

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with distractions and stressors, it’s more important than ever to prioritize our mental health and well-being.

And 10% Happier is the perfect guide to help you do just that.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a copy today and start your journey toward greater happiness and inner peace!

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