One more analogy: try to climb the highest mountain you can, do your best and *enjoy the climb*, but don’t get down on yourself if you don’t make it to the top. Usually it’ll go into the history of whatever field this is and add context. Some people dread the Buddhist concept of “letting go,” because they perceive it as being submissive or soft. Thanks everyone for the continued support! Space behind waterfall = mindfulness. 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris Book Review . Learn more at: http://www.getflashnotes.com/join, • Download 2 FREE FlashNotes book summaries. The protagonist comes up with the idea that solves his or her main issue while they do some other activity, chatting with a friend or confidant until their epiphany occurs. If you’re skeptical of the benefits of meditation, especially if you think it’s “too spiritual” or “woo-woo” for you, I highly recommend reading this. Get it? How to deal with stress more effectively. To take an example from the book — Marc Epstein (a spiritual role model of sorts to Dan Harris) referred to people he’d known or helped who’d misinterpreted the teachings of Buddhism entirely—denying themselves of orgasms during sex or refusing to order what they really wanted to eat  at restaurants in an effort to avoid expressing personal preference…. The one obvious takeaway from this book would be to start my own, intentional morning meditation practice on a daily basis. Every ambitious person should read it." Nightline anchor Dan Harris embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help, and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable. ), • Dan Harris is the coanchor of Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America. Keep reading! While planning is good, like the author mentions, it should only be up until the point of “is this useful?”. • The modern society + culture we live in today bombards us with information coming at us from pretty much every conceivable direction — something seems to buzz, bing, or flash almost every other minute — pulling our attention from here to there — all the while without ever getting anywhere. Either way, reacting to this person’s behavior puts *others* in control; putting us at the mercy of external events. begins with a life-changing event. To put it another way: happiness is what happens when we think we’re pursuing happiness (in the form of a clear goal). Anywhere. The must-read summary of “10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness,” by Alanna Collen. • Maximize mindfulness + compassion for yourself + others through Metta-Meditation: ⁃ Envision yourself in your mind’s eye and repeat the following set of mantras: ⁃ Next, repeat the same set of mantras for others — namely, the following individuals in the following order: a “benefactor”, a dear friend, a neutral person, a person you have difficulties with (or hate/dislike), and all living beings… although this might seem hard or weird at first, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the peace of mind it brings into your life. Another key insight from Tolle that Harris points out about himself is his track record of avoiding the Now (“Now” = how Tolle refers to the present moment). REACT: someone cuts you off on the highway. 10% Happier: Book Review & Summary. 10% Happier explains that and then focuses on the benefits, which are much more important for beginners than nailing the technique. 10% Happier Summary May 9, 2016 November 23, 2020 Niklas Goeke Happiness , Mental Health , Mindfulness , Psychology , Self Improvement 1-Sentence-Summary: 10% Happier gives skeptics an easy “in” to meditation, by taking a very non-fluffy approach to the science behind this mindfulness practice and showing you how and why letting go of your ego is important for living a stress-free life. 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 (Book) : Harris, Dan : After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Harris knew he had to make some changes. In her third book, Doyle (Love Warrior, 2016, etc.) Dan Harris wanted to make sense of meditation and mindfulness. This book appeals to even the most skeptical of skeptics in its practicality. But don’t let up… watch it happen, then respond accordingly. 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 (Book) : Harris, Dan : After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Harris knew he had to make some changes. The book summaries are designed specifically for busy peeps on the go (like you, perhaps?) 10% Happier is just the book to answer your questions. It’s what has us losing our temper unnecessarily, checking our email compulsively, eating when we’re not hungry, and fixating on the past and the future at the expense of the present. 10% Happier Books That’s not what author Dan Harris claims... , we're going to be doing an audio summary on Harris' book. This is an extremely brave, funny, and insightful book. You don’t need to lose your edge or become a pushover when you tame your ego. If for some reason you're not diggin' it, you can easily cancel whenever you want (but if you're anything like any of our 150,000+ other members, you'll probably wanna stick around!) There is not a single person out there, who hasn’t been at least once “sinking” and drowning in its own emotions. Honk your horn. If you’re like me, you like to achieve… To do… To get things done… wanna know why that’s a problem? In 3 Sentences: Practicing meditation and mindfulness will make you at least 10 percent happier. 10% Happier is a kick-ass book for anyone who doesn’t take offense to me referring to a book about spirituality a “kick-ass” book… Written by news anchor, Dan Harris, who does his best to de-mystify meditation so that busy people in the modern world can understand it and actually *use* it without having to wear a white toga and go vegan for the rest of our lives. 10% Happier demystifies the ancient art of meditation by explaining recent, cutting-edge scientific research into how meditation affects your body and mind. Want more details? It's actionable, inspiring, and BS-Free." Dan Harris always believed the restless, relentless, impossible-to-satisfy voice in his head was one of his greatest assets. 10% Happier is a very good book. Reader’s note: This sounds like how an epiphany happens in every TV show plot ever, lol. The technique comes in the form of an acronym that spells out “RAIN” (R: recognize A: allow I: investigate N: non-identification). This method, unfortunately, is only a bandaid. 10% Happier Summary. Or, maybe he’s just a jackass who doesn’t care about people. In more ignorant circles, people tend to neglect these and continue without even questioning their arousal. Search. having a sense that the world is infused with meaning, and suffering happens for a reason, make the present moment your friend, not your enemy, see your dramas and desires through a wider lens, recognize what is happening in your mind right now without getting carried away by it, creating space between stimulus and response, Book notes: How to Stay Motivated by Zig Ziglar, Book notes: Memoirs and Misinformation by Jim Carrey, View yolocruzbookclub’s profile on Instagram, View marlo-yonocruz’s profile on LinkedIn, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works, Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie, Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Book notes: Memoirs and Misinformation by Jim Carrey – Marlo Yonocruz, Book notes: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty – Marlo Yonocruz, Book notes: Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer, Book notes: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Book notes: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Book notes: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty, It’s a proven technique for preventing the voice in your head from leading you around by the nose, After being diagnosed with depression in his early 30s from the overseas journalism, he started to experiment with cocaine, He also loves experience of ecstasy but they come down was just as intense as the high, His third psychiatrist helped him understand that his drug use was triggering his on-air panic attacks, There is research that says regular churchgoers tended to be happier in part because, From a book he read by Eckhart Tolle, he learned that, When we are unaware of the egoic mind, we, We experience everything in our past through the present moment, and we will experience everything in the future the same way, Imagine living your whole life like that where the moment isn’t quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one, According to a psychotherapist, Buddhism was better than seeing a therapist and the mental health community seemed to be embracing the teachings, A central theme to the Buddha’s teaching revolved around the idea of, An understanding of impermanence will take you off the emotional roller coaster and allow you to, It allows you to let go, to drop your attachments, The Jew-bu’s were Jewish people who got into Buddhism and wanted to translate that eastern wisdom for a western audience, mostly by making it less hierarchical and devotional, At first, he didn’t like meditation. This sends a wide array of stress-inducing chemicals (like cortisol) surging through our brains and bodies… which eventually leads to a sharp decline in our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It’s a far cry from the miracle cures peddled by the self-help swamis he met; instead, it’s something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation. In fact, according to professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, practicing mindfulness actually makes you more creative + more productive. Before joining ABC News fourteen years ago, he worked for local news outlets in Boston and Maine. Actually, Im not sure what I expected: the title, 10% Happier, suggested to me something akin to Gretchen Rubins somewhat inane Happiness Project, which I didnt care for. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris Synopsis: “ Nightline anchor Dan Harris embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help, and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable. • Hundreds of self-help and business book summaries you can read (or listen to!) I like that this book spends more time on convincing you to give it a try, than it does on explaining the process, because it’s really simple: sit and focus on your breath. Reader’s note: Oh yes, this book is about a news anchor and his journey with meditation. ”Perhaps the most powerful Tollean insight into the ego was that it is obsessed with the past and the future, at the expense of the present.”. Because sometimes, our focus falls into that “when I get X I’ll finally be happy” mode. Rather than itching it or doing something about it, the act of *only* being aware of it is what Mindfulness is. This might be your office, a park bench, your living room, whatever. Controlling your ego does not mean that you have to lose your edge or stop being a productive member of society. Here’s how to put it into practice: * Step 1) Recognize: to acknowledge the actuality/reality of a thought. His testimony and this book have really inspired me to take my own practice to the next level. Click to order ’10% Happier’ on Amazon, • Get hundreds of book summaries with a FlashNotes Membership. It would have been cool to listen and read this book at the same time. Watch the irrational temptation to act irrationally arise, and then just let it go away. It has all the important content of the 10% Happier book in a glimpse. What’s the feeling you’re feeling? ⁃ The Buddhists analogy: Picture the mind like a waterfall, they said: the water is the torrent of thoughts and emotions; mindfulness is the space behind the waterfall. It’s crazy because I recently listened to a Tim Ferriss podcast with Hugh Jackman and he talks about mindfulness and his meditation practice he’s had for years now. According to Dan, it makes you “10% happier,” and like any skill, it’s something that can developed through practice. Start growing! This book follows his journey into the elusive industry of spirituality, self-help, and meditation. Video available. 10% Happier Summary by Dan Harris examines the average human mindset and its ability to move from personhood to spaciousness. Pr i nt | Audiobook | eBook. 12min Team | Posted on February 2, 2018 | 5 min read ⌚ How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced … It quiets the voices in your head, makes you appreciate the present more, decreases your anxiety over the past and future, and makes you a better person. Book Summary A spiritual book written for --- and by --- someone who would otherwise never read a spiritual book, 10% HAPPIER is both a deadly serious and seriously funny look at mindfulness and meditation as the next big public health revolution. * but don’t get so attached to the result (what you want) that—if you don’t get it—it’ll totally piss you off. Original Book Summary Overview. Most of us would assume we’re stuck with this voice that there’s nothing we can do to rein it in but Harris stumbled upon an effective way to do just that. Now, we look over and under, to throw light on why we end up depressed, what causes mood swings and how to handle it. ), * Step #4) Non-identification: “The final step—“non-identification”—meant seeing that just because I was feeling angry or jealous or fearful, that did not render me a permanently angry or jealous person. No need to go to India, tripping on LSD or becoming a guru. (click the button below – no transaction fees). Inside this Instaread Key takeaways & Analysis of 10% Happier • Key takeaways of entire book • Introduction to the Important People in the book • Key Takeaways and Analysis of Key Takeaways About the Author With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. August 29, 2018 By Lucio Buffalmano. The author of 10% Happiness lays out a formula for doing just that by practicing mindfulness. But there’s also a fourth option — Mindfulness… which is a way to view the contents of the mind without being attached to them. The author of 10% Happiness lays out a formula for doing just that by practicing mindfulness. ”Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy. Summary of 10% Happier by Dan Harris | Includes Analysis Preview: 10% Happier chronicles author and television news reporter Dan Harris’ life as he discovers mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist theories for happiness and wellness.. A war reporter in the trenches for the American Broadcasting Company News (ABC News), Harris began to struggle with depression while at home between assignments. Being mindful doesn’t change the problems in your life, but mindfulness does help you respond to your problems rather than react to them. Full Summary. The Voice in Your Head. According to Dan, it makes […] Although gut-reactions can be a good thing sometimes — say, when we’re running away from a lion or something — it’s not necessarily a good thing most of the time… especially since we no longer need to run away from lions. The essence of mindfulness = the ability to recognize what is happening in your mind right now—anger, jealousy, sadness, the pain of a paper cut, etc.—without getting carried away by it. Visit http://www.getflashnotes.com/join-library, • FREE Audiobook Summaries: http://www.getflashnotes.com/podcast, ⁃ “Meditation has even been called the “new caffeine.”. Please consider a small donation to help support my blog ^_^ I love providing free book notes and other content. Personal recommendation: For the last 6 years, I’ve used Audible to listen to all of my favorite books. My practice mostly consists of 5 minutes right before I sleep which is my winding down ritual. Boost your life and career with the best book summaries. Summary & study guide - 10% human – You're just 10% human. Responding on the other hand, gives us an opportunity to clarify what’s best for *us* at any given moment. PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary of the book and NOT the original book. What if you could learn to calm your mind, relax under pressure, and de-stress your life without losing your edge? It has shortened the book but not leaving every important detail unwritten. 10 min. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. According to Dan, it makes […] This book does a phenomenal job extolling the virtues of meditation, in a way that even the most skeptical of scientists can get behind. Every donation is greatly appreciated! High-Level Thoughts. The book summaries are designed specifically for busy peeps on the go (like you, perhaps?). Posted by twominutebooks June 21, 2020 2 Min Read Ready to learn the most important takeaways from 10% Happier in less than two minutes? 10% Happier is just the book to answer your questions. 10% Happier is the story of how he achieved that. In 10% Happier author Dan Harris shares his journey into meditation and mindfulness, and how it helped him improve his life. Pr i nt | Audiobook | eBook. ( Log Out /  Self-improvement + business book summaries you can read or listen to in under 20 minutes. Yes, it’s important to tame your ego. "In 10% Happier, Dan Harris describes in fascinating detail the stresses of working as a news correspondent and the relief he has found through the practice of meditation. in New York City. Have you ever wondered if meditation works or if it is just hype and mysticism? in about 20 minutes per book. And on today's episode of The Meaningful Show, we're going to be doing an audio summary on Harris' book. When back in the real world, when you are faced with stress or emotional situations that require thinking and planning, Thinking and planning should only be used up to that point until it is no longer useful, He came up with the tagline of how meditation “makes him 10% happier” as an easy and concise way to explain to those around him why he meditates, When people make the leap and attend a retreat, they get the first glimpse of what the mind is actually doing, You’re getting a real close, intimate look at what our lives are about, The point of “getting behind the waterfall” wasn’t to magically solve all of your problems, only to handle them better by, This is because we are never satisfied with the moment and we are always looking forward to the next thing, There was a ton of scientific research on meditation that gave a long list of benefits and propelled meditation from something counter culture into the mainstream, He found research that suggests pausing could be a key ingredient in, Studies show that the best way to engineer an epiphany was to, The Dalai Lama taught him that there is a self-interested case for being compassionate, It began to have a strong positive effect on his daily life and interactions with the people around him, Behave poorly, and whether you are fully conscious of it or not, your mind contracts, The price of security is insecurity until it’s not useful, Equanimity is not the enemy of creativity, Meditation & mindfulness helps you handle your problems better by creating space between stimulus and response, In a world where everything is constantly changing, we suffer because we cling to things that wont last, Be aware of our self-hatred without trying to make it go away or love it particularly, Everything in the world is ultimately unsatisfying and unreliable because it won’t last, Make the present moment your friend, not your enemy. The Book in Three Sentences. He shares insights on the benefits and philosophies of mindfulness and teachings from Buddhism. Books, Entertainment, Self-Improvement & Big Ideas. Start your risk-free, 7-day trial here. 10% Happier NPR coverage of 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 by Dan Harris. If you enjoy my content, please consider donating a small amount to my blog. It teaches to observe the contents of consciousness (the voice in your head) without judgement. Find a space that you feel comfortable enough to put yourself (and your thoughts) at ease. That’s all there is to it. It’s difficult to make this a review and not simply a love letter to a book. The only thing you can control is how you handle it.”, While you’re doing this, you mind is going to have a million different thoughts whizzing by your brain like a freight train on a highway. But I want to start a more intentional, morning daily meditation for about 5 minutes and slowly increase to 20 minutes overtime. One way to deal with is medication. 10% Happier is a kick-ass book for anyone who doesn’t take offense to me referring to a book about spirituality a “kick-ass” book… Written by news anchor, Dan Harris, who does his best to de-mystify meditation so that busy people in the modern world can understand it and actually *use* it without having to wear a white toga and go vegan for the rest of our lives. Not that meditation can’t make one happier, but that’s not really the main topic that Sam Harris addresses in his book. After interviewing Ekhart Tolle, Harris has a flash of insight about making friends with the present moment… it’s not necessarily about being passively present as much as it’s about being present about the reality of things. When the student approached Munindra — asking about whether he was violating his own “simple + easy” mantra — Munindra replied: “I said be simple, NOT a simpleton!”. (To put it another way — don’t knock it till yah try it, alright? What was the answer that could finally help him tame that overly self-critical voice in his head? * The Waterfall Method - If you’re still having a tough time “getting” this whole mindfulness thing, take a quick sec to visualize a waterfall… The water represents your thoughts + emotions. You can listen to audiobook summaries on your morning commute to work, or you can easily read a summary on your phone while you're waiting in line at the bank. Mindfulness…, ”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. Rather than allowing your thoughts to arise and your body to react to them — try using the pause between stimulus and response to determine your next most effective course of action. Rating: 8/10. Book Summary: 10% Happier. When you use the links provided, this blog earns commissions from qualifying purchases. Don’t be blissfully passive about things when you know you shouldn’t. So how should we deal with it? Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Harris shows that there is more to the pursuit of happiness than material things and striving for success. I don’t mean to start off on a pedantic note, but 10% Happier is really more a book on meditation than on happiness. Your small donation will help me with the costs to maintain my website. ( Log Out /  If you use my affiliate links below, not only will you get a special offer, but it’ll help support the costs to maintain this blog! After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes. * When necessary, decide an appropriate course of action to take from the Now. By Dan Harris. This is a book for everyone from the top shelf skeptics of meditation (that I once was) to the deeply determined silent meditator. It’s also worth noting that Harris is hilarious. Email it to me here », "Dean Bokhari's Meaningful Show is the Self-Improvement Podcast I've been Relish the journey. A war reporter in the trenches for the American Broadcasting Company News (ABC News), Harris began to struggle with depression while at home between assignments. * Step #2) Allow: once we’ve acknowledged our feelings it’s now time to just “let them be” or “let it/them go”, * Step #3) Investigate: next, we want to checkout how these feelings/thoughts are affecting our bodies (are the thoughts/feelings arising in consciousness making your head throb? Book Summaries Collections Courses. We spend a lot of time judging ourselves harshly for feelings that we had no role in summoning. Here are alternative ways to listen: Audible Audiobooks • Thousands of titles to choose from + listen to on any device. About the author 10% Happier demystifies the ancient art of meditation by explaining recent, cutting-edge scientific research into how meditation affects your body and mind. He takes us through his personal journey, starting with his addiction to the rush of adrenaline from covering live news events in dangerous locations to his subsequent breakdown on live TV as a news anchor. For example: avoiding the physical urge to literally scratch an itch on your leg. How? 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. For example: let’s say you get upset because you lost a promotion or business opportunity that you think you deserved. That is continuous stress.”. 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