Author Topic: 10% Happier  (Read 5759 times)

Ocon

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10% Happier
« on: August 12, 2017, 11:58:10 PM »
Anyone read this book by Dan Harris? Almost one clicked bought it today but I figured if I'm gunna grow a mustache, I might as well check my library first. And get some opinions.


Feivel2000

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2017, 08:53:01 AM »
Anyone read this book by Dan Harris? Almost one clicked bought it today but I figured if I'm gunna grow a mustache, I might as well check my library first. And get some opinions.
Never read it. It is often mentioned by The Minimalists and the OLD Podcasts.
I would guess if you follow these podcasts you already know 95% of what is in the book.

Be mindful. Meditate. Less is more. You can't change the people around you but you can change the people around you. You are the average of the ten people around you. Remove toxic relationships. Get a grow mindset. Keep an gratitude journal. Have a morning routine. Etc.
(I don't mean this despicable, these are valuable ideas!)

If you get it, please give feedback.

Laserjet3051

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2017, 11:05:51 AM »
Anyone read this book by Dan Harris? Almost one clicked bought it today but I figured if I'm gunna grow a mustache, I might as well check my library first. And get some opinions.
Never read it. It is often mentioned by The Minimalists and the OLD Podcasts.
I would guess if you follow these podcasts you already know 95% of what is in the book.

Be mindful. Meditate. Less is more. You can't change the people around you but you can change the people around you. You are the average of the ten people around you. Remove toxic relationships. Get a grow mindset. Keep an gratitude journal. Have a morning routine. Etc.
(I don't mean this despicable, these are valuable ideas!)


If you get it, please give feedback.

I get it, sounds good to me.

HipGnosis

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2017, 11:52:05 AM »
Did you read the reviews on Amazon?
Does anyone sell it used?

pk_aeryn

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2017, 12:39:48 PM »
It's worth checking out from the library (I got it as an overdrive ebook) but it's not a life changing book you'll want to keep a copy around all the time to reference.

freeatlast

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2017, 06:48:57 PM »
I really enjoyed reading this book while I was suffering a very high stress job and life circumstances.  I think it is a worthwhile book.

FIRE 20/20

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2017, 08:35:29 PM »
I enjoyed it, but it's way down the list of meditation books I would recommend.  I was expecting a meditation book but I feel like I got Dan Harris's autobiography instead.  I never would have bought his autobiography although I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have expected.

I'm curious why you're interested in that book.  If you're interested in a meditation book I would highly recommend "Fully Present" by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston.  I've read about 8-10 books meditation over the past year and it's head and shoulders above all of the others.  "10% Happier" is probably a more enjoyable read overall, but its focus isn't what I wanted. 
I just started "Roaring Silence" by Ngakpa Chogyam because I'm trying to learn more about Dzogchen.  I've tried a few Dzogchen books and so far this one is the most promising, but I'm not far enough into it to be sure. 

Ocon

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2017, 10:26:30 PM »
Quote
I enjoyed it, but it's way down the list of meditation books I would recommend.  I was expecting a meditation book but I feel like I got Dan Harris's autobiography instead.  I never would have bought his autobiography although I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have expected.

I'm curious why you're interested in that book.  If you're interested in a meditation book I would highly recommend "Fully Present" by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston.  I've read about 8-10 books meditation over the past year and it's head and shoulders above all of the others.  "10% Happier" is probably a more enjoyable read overall, but its focus isn't what I wanted.
I just started "Roaring Silence" by Ngakpa Chogyam because I'm trying to learn more about Dzogchen.  I've tried a few Dzogchen books and so far this one is the most promising, but I'm not far enough into it to be sure.

I am interested because I am going to get back into meditation. I read that Dan Harris did a lot of drugs and had a panic attack on live television. I'm not going to say that is my problem but it is probably close, lol.

I used to do thirty minutes in the morning and at night and it really helped with my overthinking problem. I want to be able to detach from desire, and see it for what we all know it is - just a thought.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2017, 04:11:39 AM »
I'm curious why you're interested in that book.  If you're interested in a meditation book I would highly recommend "Fully Present" by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston.  I've read about 8-10 books meditation over the past year and it's head and shoulders above all of the others. 

I would like to try meditation. Is this book good for a beginner?

DarkandStormy

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2017, 08:58:35 AM »
Isn't there a 10% happier podcast?  I'd start there and/or at the library.  If it becomes a "must keep in the house" book, then I'd buy it used.

Samuel

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2017, 10:00:31 AM »
It's worth checking out from the library (I got it as an overdrive ebook) but it's not a life changing book you'll want to keep a copy around all the time to reference.

That's my take as well. It's worth reading but I'm not going to re-read it.

He's a great writer and it's very readable, but it centers on the story of how he came to meditation and his early education in it rather than the meditation practice itself. It does a good job of showing the value of meditation to a driven type A person in high paced world. The nuts and bolts meditation advice is condensed into a short appendix at the end.
 

For those looking to try meditation, don't over think it, just jump in. The 10% happier podcast has some guided meditation episodes, and I'd recommend the Headspace app (which is free for the first 10 sessions).
« Last Edit: August 14, 2017, 10:03:47 AM by Samuel »

Optimiser

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2017, 11:25:35 AM »
I've heard a few interviews with Dan Harris on podcasts I listen to, but haven't read the book.  Basically he had a panic attack likely due to drug use to cope with coming back to society after being a war correspondent. He then started meditating, which has been very successful for him.

$200k

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2017, 01:14:34 PM »
I enjoyed it, but it's way down the list of meditation books I would recommend.  I was expecting a meditation book but I feel like I got Dan Harris's autobiography instead.  I never would have bought his autobiography although I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have expected.

I read it, and the above comment is spot on.  It focuses on the author's journey from skepticism to eventual adoption and the autobiographical points give you additional perspective.  In that way, I'd say the book is 10% actual mediation advice, 70% autobiographical, and 20% inside knowledge of the politics of being a reporter.

All that said, Dan writes well, his story and the characters are interesting, and all that makes the book an enjoyable page turner.  However, I would not own this book or re-read it, and I would not recommend it as a mediation book.   

FIRE 20/20

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #13 on: August 16, 2017, 06:45:54 AM »
I'm curious why you're interested in that book.  If you're interested in a meditation book I would highly recommend "Fully Present" by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston.  I've read about 8-10 books meditation over the past year and it's head and shoulders above all of the others. 

I would like to try meditation. Is this book good for a beginner?

Absolutely.  I think it's most applicable for beginners.  I just started to get interested in meditation last November just after the U.S. election, and came at it with zero background.  I happened to stumble across a podcast (You Are Not So Smart) on the topic of meditation from the author of "The Mindful Geek".  That kicked off my interest, but for a few months or so I just listened to a lot of podcasts and read a few books on the subject rather than actually trying it.  Nothing really clicked very well until I read "Fully Present".  The reason I like it so much is that Dr. Smalley is a former professor of Biology and comes from a scientific/skeptical perspective.  Diana Winston is a former Buddhist nun.  Each chapter covers a particular topic and is broken into three sections; one is written by Dr. Smalley and discusses the biology/research that applies to the topic, the second is focused on the art of meditation and takes a more "spiritual" angle, and the third is a practical set of instructions for meditation.  I was able to read the Biology/research section of each chapter while I mostly skimmed the spiritual stuff.  After reading the chapter I had a good idea of what the subject was and then I was able to use very practical, beginner-friendly instructions to try it out.  Another benefit to this approach is that I was able to use sticky notes to mark the instructions pages so that I could quickly jump to the instructions for a different type of meditation after I was finished with the book. 

FIRE 20/20

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2017, 07:08:57 AM »

I am interested because I am going to get back into meditation. I read that Dan Harris did a lot of drugs and had a panic attack on live television. I'm not going to say that is my problem but it is probably close, lol.

I used to do thirty minutes in the morning and at night and it really helped with my overthinking problem. I want to be able to detach from desire, and see it for what we all know it is - just a thought.

I thought it was well written and he spends a lot of time on his background (drugs and panic attack), so it may be what you're looking for.  I also think it's very well written and engaging.  But I don't think it will help very much as you work to get back into meditation unless it's from the inspiration it provides.

Duchess of Stratosphear

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Re: 10% Happier
« Reply #15 on: August 16, 2017, 08:55:36 AM »
I actually think it's a great book, and I recommended it to a friend over a lot of other books on meditation that can get a bit woo woo (my approach is 100% secular). It hits the basics and I found that reading about someone else's struggle to establish a meditation practice was really helpful in getting my own practice going. I had been intending to start meditating for like 20 years, but because my first exposure to the idea was a book on Zen, it just seemed too hard to do. Harris interviews teachers from the Insight meditation approach (like Goldstein, Salzberg, etc.) and it's much easier to understand and start doing without feeling like you're doing it wrong. The book is definitely worth a library trip! You can always read the more in depth books later.

I think I was actually already meditating when I read it, but it was a good reinforcer. I only meditate 10-15 minutes a day. It doesn't solve all your problems, but it does help with stress and I think it makes me maybe 15% less of an asshole :)

 

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