Dan Harris (1) (1971–)

Half memoir, half self-help guide into meditation, because this is just as much about Dan Harris' journey into meditation and mindfulness as it is about the practice itself...or maybe even more so. If you're a skeptic or looking into the phenomenon rather than specifically exploring it (ie, looking for the WHY more than the HOW), this book does a good job of telling the story of how a egotistical junkie (drugs & adrenaline) eventually finds some zen and how he wrestles with the whole notion show more when he does find it. Listening at 1.4x, it flows pretty quickly. But the narrative always moves forward, it doesn't rest in platitudes, and it's a bit interesting to read some behind the scenes journalism, too. (Harris spends the first 4 chapters at least just setting up his character and lifestyle as a lead into why and how he encountered meditation). Even if you're not looking to go zen, the book is rather interesting. show less

After twenty years of on-again/off-again commitment to meditation, I decided that, perhaps, the best way to reignite my practice was with a beginner's mind, as well as a skeptic's mind. That is, after all, a fair way to approach most things, even those that have served you well for two decades.

Life is different now than when I was in my early 30's. My 90+-year-old parents need consistent care. My children are independent, with one now in college and the other driving. I can't log onto show more social media or the news without my blood pressure skyrocketing. I am suddenly besieged by anxiety, insomnia, a general depressive malaise, and a slowed metabolism. Needless to say, I need meditation. I just won't go to the well often enough. I treat it like a cheap gym membership - I do it now and then to say I've done it, but I am not being the kind of practitioner I have been and know I can be again. So...I started over. And I agreed to take a less dogmatic approach.

Enter Dan Harris, whose "10% Happier" podcast (and first book) has inspired me greatly because he's so candid, even a bit snarky, about all the trappings of mindfulness practice. He gets it. He realizes that 21st century Americans raised on satire and pharmaceuticals aren't going to blindly embrace a practice that requires slowing down, being present, and being wholly honest with how uncomfortable it can feel to sit with the hard stuff.

This book does a fine job of taking an approach that can help everyone from longtime Buddhists (like myself) to those new to secular meditation. There's no dogma here, only practice. I will say, there is a fair amount of "adult" language in the book, which didn't bother me, but if you're expecting Thich Nhat Hanh, well...imagine if Thich Nhat Hanh and Jon Stewart were somehow cohabitating the same personage. That is to say, it's a little saucy - a nice mix of sincerity and sarcasm - and yet, Dan conveys a genuine knowledge and appreciation for meditation, offering a solid set of tools to engage a new practice. Or in my case, renew one that is struggling.

From pure mindfulness practice to compassion meditation, from the "I'm too busy" to "people will say I'm weird" excuses, Dan covers the landscape nicely, with humor and with heart. He does a fine job of reteaching this old dog some new tricks. show less

10% Happier by Dan Harris
*mini-review* & my own journey 🤷🏼‍♀️

There are many subjective and personal reasons why we like certain books. I think I liked this one because he reminded me of me throughout some parts of my experience as a meditator. There, I said it….I have been meditating on and off (more “on” in the past five years) for many years, and although vocalizing this shouldn’t be an issue, I had a lot of hang ups about it in the beginning (long-since show more resolved!lol):

· “Why not prayer?”
· “Isn’t this a rip off of Buddhism and does it mean I’m now a Buddhist?”
· “Does the fact that I can’t ignore the excruciating shooting pains up my back in the lotus position mean I’ll never be a good meditator?”
· “Will my monkey mind ever shut up? It’s like it invites three other monkeys the second I close my eyes.”
· “This is stupid…if there were truly enlightened people, where are they? Definitely not on my (then) long commutes to work!”
🧘🏻‍♀️
See? It took me YEARS of half-attempts to get to the point where I consistently meditated and reaped some benefits. Yet, for many years I also felt “different” from the pack…or “who” I thought the pack was. I was not vegan, I was not patient, I did not wear sandals and I had a ton of misconceptions and judgments about the practice (hence, the shameful aforementioned statements) that engendered self-doubt and I would then quit for years (this became a cycle for me).

🧘🏻‍♀️Then it became more popular and accepted this past decade, to the point that it is incorporated in some school curriculums. Yet, I still would not readily admit I meditated until a couple of years ago, and only then to a select few. My ego was severely attached to the notion that this was “woo-woo” or “weird” and others (the rational ones) would judge me.

🧘🏻‍♀️So for someone that came “easy” to this practice (or grew up during this time of acceptance), this book may be a little off putting, but I enjoyed seeing the journey from skepticism and “assholishness” to beneficial acceptance and could relate to his angst all along the process.

🧘🏻‍♀️Some reviewers have indicated they could not abide the “narcissism, name dropping and judgments.” I have a different take on it. I’m not convinced what they saw was “narcissism” (it doesn’t help that his way of explaining “how” to tame his mind turned out to be in a memoir format). He was quick to judge and used his story to show how he had been incorrect about so many hasty judgments he made about people or schools of thought. He states how plain wrong he was about preconceptions that led to misconceptions that led to judgments about many things. What I believe is coming across as narcissism is his attempt at self-deprecating humor and his examples of how his own monkey mind was controlling him until he began to meditate. I could be hard on Mr. Harris, but I guarantee you that in the competitive world he lived in, probably no one was harder on him than he. He had internalized this and saw the world through harsh and judgmental lenses, which comes across in his own thoughts and his writing. However, he is quick to point out that he was wrong…about so many things.

🧘🏻‍♀️As to the name dropping, I did not think it was completely off topic, as these people were part of his “process” – Without some, it would have been difficult to see how Mr. Harris got to where he did. I have to admit that I found the parts of Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra too cuttingly funny and here again can see how he may have offended quite a few people. Yet, if I detach myself, I can see how these individuals can come across as too cryptic and difficult to understand. They were also an instrumental part to his progress, if anything, by exploring what “didn’t” resonate with him. Further, at the end, he admits there might be truth to Tolle’s spontaneous awakening.

🧘🏻‍♀️So if you are looking for a gentle approach or a “how to” to meditating, this is not the book you start with. However, it can work for individuals who came into the practice with a lot of reservations and misconceptions or give you that funny look when you say you meditate.

🧘🏻‍♀️It may feel a little dated in the sense that the practice is more accepted and well known, so maybe those who start are no longer as resistant or feel society judges them for it - We now have so much access to resources and meditation apps (I started using them when they came out…Headspace, Calm, Breethe and finally settled on Insight Timer). But for someone like me (older, ambivalent, start-stop approach and filled with “judgments” about what it was or wasn’t), it may feel gratifying to see someone who had a similar process as to how they came into the practice. show less

I picked this book up by chance not thinking that I would like it a lot. I did not anticipate that a news anchor would have much new insight on the topic of happiness and meditation. Boy, was I wrong. I found Dan Harris' book very absorbing and surprisingly insightful.I enjoyed his witty and often very funny narration style and could easily relate to his struggles. In the first part of the book the author details his career in television which was quite interesting. Then he gets into the show more meat of the story and details his battle with anxiety and compulsive/obsessive thoughts. Almost by accident he stumbles onto spirituality and meditation. A skeptic by nature Harris is not easily won over by the claims of Buddhism that meditation can lead to greater calm and peace in his frantic life. However, when he begins to practice meditation he quickly notices an improvement in his daily life. It helps him to calm the voices in his head and to let go of petty obsessive thoughts. The book concludes with some detailed instructions on how to start a mediation practice and some great tips on how to stay focused. Overall,I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can only recommend it. show less