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

I picked up the kindle version of this book when it was offered at a super low price, partly because I've been curious about meditation, partly because the idea of increasing my happiness by even 10% was very attractive, but mostly because I'd heard stories of Dan Harris' on-air panic attack and I was curious to learn more. This book is more memoir than how-to, and I'm okay with that. As an ABC viewer it was interesting to read stories of people I'd watched on tv for years. The writing style appealed to me - it is intelligent but self deprecating, with an off beat sense of humor. I enjoyed seeing how his journey (sorry for the woo woo word) progressed through stages, from skeptic to cautious interest to serious practitioner and near-believer. It made sense to me, and I recognized myself in many of his descriptions, especially the cacophony of my inner voice and the tendency to default to worst case scenario. I see this book as a stepping stone, an introduction to meditation. Its purpose is not to teach meditation, but to explain its benefits and convince the reader that meditation is worth pursuing. There were several insights that were clearly explained, and I've shared several aha moments from the book with those around me. (To me that's the sign of a good book; to my friends and family it's a bit of an annoyance.) I learned some important things that I've already tried to put to use, but I recognize that I need to study and practice more before applying these ideas can happen smoothly and instinctively. I have high hopes that it can be done - after all, if the guy at the beginning of this book could become the guy at the end, there's a good chance I can make some changes for the better too. One thing to note for kindle readers: the kindle told me I was at the end of the book and popped me to the "review me" screen, but curiosity led me to read through the acknowledgments. I was surprised to find an appendix after the acknowledgments. This is one of the biggest downfalls of ereaders, because with a physical book I would have seen the many pages remaining and investigated. Be sure to read the appendix! It distills the best of the meditation parts of the book into a manageable and encouraging guide.

Near the middle of this well-written, engaging, useful book, the author is describing persons at a meditation retreat as looking like they are from "the loony bin". It is a funny book, and I know he was going for humor, but.....please. (My mother, who was born in 1923, used this expression. No one should be using it in 2014.) Dan Harris is an intelligent reporter, knowledgeable about so many subjects, and I'm sure he must have an awareness of brain disorders and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, for which people often need to be hospitalized. If not, he can get info from NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) about their excellent "Stigma Busters" program. (Maybe he could do a story about this for ABC.) As someone who has worked and volunteered in psychiatric hospitals for many years, it saddened me to see this carelessness and implied disrespect for people who, through no fault of their own, are ill. He wouldn't say cancer patients are from "a malignancy bin"!!! Language is powerful; there are many ways to be funny without harm. OK, off my soapbox. It really is a wonderfully informative book and it held my interest from page 1. I loved his personal story, and the honesty with which he moves it forward. He is great at description and anecdotes, and he writes about other people in the news business, and about meditation experts, with candor and just enough restraint. Highly recommended. Mary Lee Moser PS A week or so later--my husband is reading it now, and we have both started to meditate in the mornings, inspired by this book.

Mr Harris is a gifted writer. His journey is a honest, sometimes humorous, look at the means to and benefits to meditation. And an inside look at tv journalism. A good read in itself. I will be recommending this book to family and friends....and as Mr Harris says.....try not to be a jerk

Dan Harris's 10% Happier is one of the greatest reading experiences with resonating practical usefulness I can recall having in a very long time. It did not take me a 10th of the book to say to myself, (if I could write, that is), "I could be writing this. This guy is me. I so recognize this man's experiences, though different in profession, etc..., that it, to use the cliché (though true), it was as though he wrote it for me. A well read person across many genres, but certainly my share of the so-called 'self-help' field, I can confidently say that Harris's writing style flows, his story line is well ordered, there is some suspense, hilarity, and some surprise turns and episodes. But, at the end of the day what makes the book so excellent is that is balances wisdom with practical realities. Too many seek the sole all-encompassing 'unifying theory' answer to challenges of faith or personal growth or neuroses, etc... In doing so, most run aground somewhere eventually. Harris looks at Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Mark Epstein, the cabal of "Jewish-Buddhists" like Kornfield, Salzberg, etc..., and arrives at, again, eminently practical and elegant case for what he calls a 'radical internal jujitsu move that (is) supposed to allow you to face the a--hole in your head, and peacefully disarm him".....meditation. Those disinclined towards or in any way previously turned off by "self-help", should know that this book, while qualifying sure, does not really fall into that "kind" of book. Sure it is, but its as much as anything a highly interesting memoir of am ambitious broadcast news journalist, war correspondent, former druggie and sufferer of anxiety and depression. While readers may have or not have the same or similar daemons its a great read. The practical utility of the call to practice mindfulness --- through meditation is proverbial icing on the cake. We live in a particularly buzzing, blooming, confusing world. Its increasingly difficult to travel it with equanity, grace, and serenity while maintaining great aims. One need not rush off to Indian subcontinent or rural US ashrams. One need not become an emotional drone. One need not, also, as Harris points out, be fooled or go broke over faux guru chasing. This book is more than worth the purchase. It can truly add to the welfare of its readers. For that reason, I will recommend it to friends and family as well.

About this time last year I decided I wanted to learn how to meditate. I came to the conclusion that my stressful work days and busy personal life filled with relentless obligations had started to make me lose my cool. Seemingly small things would cause me to erupt like a volcano and I would find myself wondering just what the hell happened a few minutes later. In short, I was becoming my dad who would yell obscenities for a few minutes in our kitchen just because he dropped his spoon. The thought of one day becoming that made me grimace. Plus I didn't want my wife being one of those women who complained about her husbands' temper during a girls’ night out. I knew I had to do something. My searches around the net for meditation information was more confusing than enlightening. Vague words like mindfulness, heart chakras, and loving-kindness were thrown around like crazy and then I tried to read one of the most critically acclaimed and loved books on being present and what I thought was about meditation but turned out it wasn’t, Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, only to be disappointed again by vague concepts, made up woo woo terminology that truly did not make any sense at all, and no concrete advice given to gain Tolle’s “enlightenment.” I lost count of the times I had to go back and re-read a sentence or even a paragraph just to understand what the heck Tolle was saying. Don’t get me wrong there were certainly strong points to the text but it just felt like I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get to something of practical substance. And then I found Victor Davich’s 8 Minute Meditation and Dan Harris’ 10% Happier and cut through all the crap and started meditating every day and have never looked back. I’m much more focused, creative, and relaxed than before. Don’t get me wrong it definitely took a while to get where I’m at. The first couple of weeks were a pain in the butt. Trying to get over the fact that yes my mind wanders and that it’s really not that big of a deal takes time. You learn to forgive yourself and you try to gain focus again, even if for only a short while. That’s really what meditation is all about and that’s why I couldn’t wait to read this book by Mr. Harris. I’m pretty sure his story of becoming a meditator is very similar to a lot of people’s out there, just on a much grander (and funnier) scale. I can relate to his panic attack that he suffered on air. I suffered one not that long ago in a hotel bedroom in Boise, Id. His search for help with his anxiety is also something I’m sure everyone has experienced only to be let down by traditional western medicine’s answer of a pill that will solve all your problems. And lastly I’m sure you’ll find, just as he did, that if you stick with it long enough this meditation thing really isn’t that complicated but that it really does have a lot to offer. So maybe you haven’t gone through all this stuff yet like Harris, myself, and a bunch of other people already have. First, count yourself lucky and second, save yourself the confusion and anxiety and just read this book in advance before you really need it. Like me, I’m sure you’ll be glad you did. Lastly take his instructions and tips at the end of the book seriously and practice them religiously. He’s giving you pearls here and these techniques and mindsets are a godsend. Thank you Dan for writing your hysterical, honest, and most importantly insightful story.

Although the title sounds like pop self-help, the book is not. The author is not telling us that he has found the perfect solution to stress, anxiety and adversity, that he has reached Nirvana. But if you employ the practices and ideas described in the book, you may very well become more than the titular 10% happier. This is a personal story about the author's introduction and exposure to mindfulness, meditation and Buddhist philosophy in the course of his business as a television journalist. Unlike many self= help books, this one does not prescribe what you need to do nor give lessons and homework in how to be an enlightened person. It is a personal account from a journalist of how some of his assignments in the topical areas affected his life and how the same may help the reader. What further distinguishes the book from the self-help genre is that it is well written by a person who writes for a living., that is, it is not written by an expert in the field whose writing skills are secondary. There are parts that are LOL funny. There are tales that are interesting and unembroidered. The journalistic style makes the account credible. The description of some of the charlatans in the philosophical field, the comments, pro and con, about some of the bigger names involved (Tolle, Chopra) provide an evaluation and critique of the players that allows the reader to judge for himself. I was at least 10% happier that I read the book than before I had picked it up. If I were to follow some of the observations and techniques described about Mindfulness, I have no doubt that I could increase that percentage even more.

If you are like me have this 'chatter' going on in your head - this book is so worth reading. The way it's written is to give you the 'why' before the 'how'. It's done this way so you find the scientific validation along with Dan Harris ability to write his impressions of finding his way about calming the chatter in his head. He calls it the monkey brain and I so get that. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an understanding of why we have the chatter and how to slow it down so we have time to 'respond' instead of 'react' to situations. For those with trauma, ADD, ADHD, or any of the other things that cause our brains to shift into overdrive - leaving us little time to actually 'think thru something' without the constant 'reviewer in our head' or are looking for a way to slow your brain down... read this book starting with page 1 to the end. It has helped me beyond words. And more importantly it has helped my relationship with my husband because he suffers from trauma. I bought this book to help me 'retrain' myself to work with meditation. I have to admit the first half of the book was interesting and for me.. I wanted the "meat" with the instructions and how it worked. That I found out happens in the last half of the book. However, even tho it was interesting to read the 1st half of the book - if I had known the 'meat' was the 2nd half I might have been tempted to skip the 1st part... DON'T... because Dan Harris puts it all together and you will get so much more out of reading the entire book. What he does is in the 1st half is talk about his whys, frustrations, questioning experts in the field and then what he learns from them. It all makes much more sense if you have this background and knowledge when you get to the 2nd half. Be brave and keep reading - in the end it will benefit you. Also, the great part that I learned about this book is a better word usage for talking about meditation to other people who have not experienced it. As Dan Harris states (paraphrasing here) Meditation has a bad PR wrap from the early folks who promoted it. Today it's being used by CEO, The Marine Corps, and other major companies where it has been proven to be more than beneficial. For me... it has given me new language to talk with people about meditation so it isn't so "woo woo or far out there" and it's more understandable. I've worked with meditation for over 25 yrs and have used it most of those years. After reading this book I'm back at my old schedule of meditation because it helps me deal with my world. It has reminded me that I do have the ability to 'respond' instead of 'react' inside my head so what comes out of my mouth - I won't have to eat or apologize later for because something hit a hot button for me or triggered something for me or I was just in one of those - leave me alone moods. So when I do 'react' I know its something that I need to work on so I can obtain a shift of perspective so that darn hot button isn't one in the future. Another way of saying that is I'm not on auto pilot when I respond - I have the ability to take a breath before speaking or understanding in an instant that I was ready to 'react' instead of processing and responding. If I could afford to give this book to people... it would be to our people who have served this country. I know that if they would read it - in some small way it would help them deal with what they saw and experienced. It's not a do all solve all - but it's a good easy step in the right direction.

I started this book thinking the premise was to present a way to "tame the voice in my head, reduce stress..." as the title states. The title has little to do with most of the contents of the book. Instead, it is a story of the author's life and experiences as becomes aware this is what he wants and he seeks this exact thing. The stories are humorous and kept me listening throughout the book, but I am left with a impression of the author, and none of what the book seemed to promise. Until the end, the author himself seems to have lost hope in finding a perfect solution, yet he proposes a list of his own, personally made up rules that summarizes his interactions in the last few pages. These rules are what he says work for him, and HE has found something like the title, so there. This is not a book about learning new ways to reach mindfulness of the present. This is the story of a person who was introduced to Buddhism and meditation and tried it out and thought it was pretty helpful, and hey you should try some of this stuff, but don't take it too seriously. As a book about the author, it is interesting. I realized that is all it would be early on, yet still feel empty at the end, wishing there was more meat rather than stories. I'm glad he got his dream job in the end, but that is nothing at all related to the title or what it promises. There is a short, free, follow-on to this book about how, after writing this, he failed at all of it and had it thrown back in his face (paraphrased from the description). I have not read it yet, although I eventually will: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... As a final note, I listened to the audible book, and in the last two chapters the author's language randomly because FAR too foul to play in a house with children. A prisoner yelling, "suck my d---," and the word "F--k" are not what I expected from this book. Such lack of control added nothing to the book and made me question why I was still listening to it as it was obviously going to end without ever answering the title's question, anyway. (less)

An very helpful guide to be 10% happyer in your career and personal life. Not just theory but a bood story how to implement mindfulness in your daily life.

Un libro bastante útil para todas aquellas personas que estén interesadas en explorar los beneficios de la práctica de la meditación. Dan Harris sabe exponer de manera muy práctica y amena las dudas e inquietudes de una persona común y corriente pero con la suficiente calidad intelectual y consciencia como para darse cuenta de que existe otro camino para poder evitar caer en las trampas de la mente al enfrentarse a las vicisitudes de la vida cotidiana.

Eine interessante Geschichte mit einer schönen Message dahinter und praktischen Tipps, der Schreibstil ist sehr sehr lehrreich aber nicht trocken

This book was suggested in the ALOHAF course (coursera). It's a narration about how the writer got closer to mindfulness practice and how this improved his life. His doubts, skepticism, misunderstandings, good and bad choices are presented in a funny and engaging way. I would say this is not only a good story, but also a practical reference for whoever wants to start the "dharma" journey, having someone else's experience at hand. The process is not going to be easy, but it's possible if you iust start it without worrying about the goal. At the same time, some kind of feedback loop is also welcome, so you can make sure you are not wasting your time. I particularly enjoyed the "whisper sync" narration.

Dan Harris from his personal struggles and encounters (nothing tragic,like any normal person) provides insights into the practice of meditation and mindfulness. Dan through his personal travails with meditation answers most of the questions anyone who aspires to start meditating wonders. Even while reading this book I could see a shift in my thought pattern,I am paying more attention to being in present and be mindful of my thoughts. This book shows an easy way to start the practice of meditation. In all, definitely worthy of your time.