Updated November 27,2021
I’ve been getting into mediation to reduce stress. Dan Harris’ book on meditation was great for this. Ok, you might think “Wow great review, Ryan. (sarcasm)” This book was really good. Thanks!”
But seriously, there are a bajillion books on mediation. This one is a novel book on mediation (a novel book? that’s a new one ;)) because it goes through Dan Harris’ personal story, with great insights to boot. Harris’ career is on an upward trajectory, but in the high-pressure of working in the media, he suffers a panic attack on live TV, which you can see in the video below:
Harris eventually stumbles upon meditation and seeks out world leaders in the field, and shares with readers what he learns and picks up along the way.
My Biggest Takeaway from 10% Happier
I agree with Dan Harris that mediation has a place in people’s lives. Partly because of this book, I’ve been meditating every day for 8 minutes for 32 days in a row and counting!
–>You heard Dan. Get 10% Happier today!<–
I Never Thought about Mediation That Way
Dan Harris shares that at first he was skeptical about meditating, but gave it a shot and began to love it. When he started sharing his new hobby and lifestyle with people, he’d get skeptical or awkward comments. People began to think he was weird. Then one day he told someone his new habit was making him 10% happier. This stuck, and people’s reactions to mediation shifted from feeling awkward to being intrigued. He even got some of his friends to try meditating.
In his title, he talked about “losing my edge” but I never thought of mediation as “losing an edge.” He claims being “too zen” could cause you to appear like you don’t care about anything and you are not ambitious in your career. I don’t necessarily agree with this, but it was interesting-I’ve never thought of meditation that way.
How Many Stars?
4.5 🙂
I really enjoyed this book, it was part personal story part “how to” book on meditation. The personal story and sharing from Dan definitely made it stand out from normal meditation books, and I appreciated Dan’s vulnerability and honesty in the book. Check it out and start changing your life today!
BOOK DETAILS ONE MORE TIME
Title: 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story
Author: Dan Harris
Publish Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 0062917609 ISBN-13:978-0062917607
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:
Ryan’s Reading Reviewsis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.