So I finally finished Dan Harris’ book 10% Happier:How I Tame the Voice Inside My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge and Found Self-Help that Actually Works – A True Story and it must say something about how I feel about the book that it took me, probably, about a month to read a 221 page book, 237 pages if you count the appendix!! I guess if I realized that it was actually more of a biography than a self-help book it would have helped with my enjoyment of the book. However, as I wanted for the methods and things that I could do to reduce that voice inside my head, all I got really was another story about Dan’s quest to discover more about Buddhism and Mindful Meditation.
Now the stories were good mind you, mostly because Harris has through his job direct access to all the big names, so there were stories about interviews and question sessions that Dan had with the likes of Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and Mark Epstein along with having the money to pay for a nine-day retreat, all of which is something that I think we all wish we could have!!
But with that being said, I did enjoy the book and it did provide insight in to the benefits of meditation. some of which I am trying to put into practice, (Note to self go quickly back through the book and pick out the things of which you write!)
Anyway, here are a couple of the praise for the book from the back cover of the book….
“An enormously smart, clear-eyed, brave-hearted, and quite personal look at the benefits of meditation that offers new insights as to how the ancient practice can help modern lives while avoiding the pitfall of cliché. This is a book that will help people, simply put ” – Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“With startling , provocative, and often very funny candor, Dan Harris tells the story of why he urgently needed to tame the voice inside his head and how he did it. His argument for the power of mindfulness – which he bases both on cutting edge science and his own hard-won experience – will convince even the most skeptical of reader of meditation’s potential.” – Gretchen Rubin
As I was typing these two quotes, I found myself saying yes, i agree with that…..so if you are like me and want to quiet that voice in your head then check this book out and hopefully the final percentage of increased happiness will be above the 10% from the title of the book!!
Book 27 for 2014 (Edward has to pick up the pace!)
