Hillary's Review of 10% Happier

by Dan Harris

10% HAPPIER is a spiritual book written for - and by - someone who would otherwise never read a spiritual book. It is both a deadly serious and seriously funny look at mindfulness and meditation as the next big public health revolution.

Dan Harris always believed the restless, relentless, impossible-to-satisfy voice in his head was one of his greatest assets. How else can you climb the ladder in an ultra-competitive field like TV news except through nonstop hand-wringing and hyper vigilance? For a while, his strategy worked. Harris anchored national broadcasts and he covered wars. Then he hit the brakes, and had a full-blown panic attack live on the air. What happened next was completely unforeseen. Through a bizarre series of events - involving a disgraced evangelical pastor, a mysterious self-help guru and a fateful gift from his wife - Harris stumbled upon something that helped him tame the voice in his head: meditation. At first, he was deeply suspicious. He had long associated meditation with bearded swamis and unwashed hippies. But when confronted with mounting scientific evidence that just a few minutes a day can literally rewire the brain for focus, happiness, and reduced reactivity, Harris took a deep dive. He spent years mingling with scientists, executives and marines on the front lines of a quiet revolution that has the potential to reshape society. He became a daily meditator, and even found himself on a ten-day, silent meditation retreat, which was simultaneously the best and worst experience he'd ever had.

Harris's life was not transformed into a parade of rainbows and unicorns, but he did gain a passion for daily meditation. While the book itself is a narrative account of Dan's conversion amid the harried and decidedly non-Zen world of the newsroom, it concludes with a section for the novice on how to get started.

I wanted to read a book to get started on my happiness project in January. I admit I was scrolling through books on overdrive and it was the title that made me check it out.

I was really getting into the book til he made fun Of Eckhart Tolle. I read Eckhart and feel in love. Then I looked at it from HIS perspective and ok Tolle is a little well WAY out there but Tolle makes valid points. So there. This book was really heavy on the sarcasm. Which I have to admit irked me a little. I mean I am a hardcore Desire Mapper so you know I eat up stuff like Tolle. I even order the Desire Mapper planner. I know this was a journey from Harris perspective so I tried to read it as it was meant to be read.

When I switched gears I really loved reading about how he found meditation helpful. I loved reading about how he overcame drugs and such and how he dealt with the pressure to get to the top. I found a lot of useful tidbits that I can apply to my own life. I even wrote them in my personal development list so I wouldn't forget them.He told the truth about what happened when he tried mediation. I too could relate to his journey. I struggled to get to the point where I could "detach" and see things for what they are. I still struggle at times. Sometimes when I am meditating I am all like this is bullshit. Yet some days I reach that place of ALMOST niverina and I feel like I have clarity on what to do with my life.

In the end, I really ended up loving this book. If you can handle a heavy dose of scarcsam then you should read it also.

This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land

Reading updates

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29 November, 2015: Finished reading

17 December, 2015: Reviewed

Started reading

17 December, 2015: Finished reading

17 December, 2015: Reviewed