“Because I’m thinking all the time,” I said, “I can’t be in touch with the Now, so now I’m feeling guilty about not being in touch with the Now.” “Yes, as you rightly put it, that’s another layer of thinking — and that layer of thinking says, ‘You see, it doesn’t work. I can’t be free of thinking.’ Which is more thinking,” he said, laughing gently.”
It’s really hard to find information about mindfulness and meditation that isn’t filled with pseudo-advice such as “align your spiritual energies,” “respect for the perpetual sacredness,” or some other hyper-spiritual nonsense. I’m not of the school of “yoga pants” meditation, or reaching some kind of mystical, godly spiritual enlightenment.
Even after reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now and A New Earth, you can end up with more confusion than actual answers. “Denying the now when you are in alignment with the pain-body” can be confusing and overwhelmingly magical and mystical if you don’t have a clear translation of what those terms mean.
Life After Death by Deepak Chopra was some next-level (not in a good way) sensationalistic nonsense relating Hinduism, monotheism, and pseudoscience. No, we don’t know what happens after death, and no, Deepak Chopra isn’t credible. But he’s a great marketer, storyteller, and sells a lot of books.
The Search for Something Real
I was recently recommended Work, Sex, and Money by Chogyam Trungpa. This recommendation came from an individual whom I found extremely enlightened, when communicating about the mixing of energies, and the wheels of the present moment vs. the events that happen around you (you are present to the moment when you are the center of the wheel, as opposed to being on the outside and being moved by the moment). Anyways, the book itself was way too convoluted (too dense with mind-over-matter information) and difficult to comprehend.
I even sat down to listen to an introduction from an Ayurvedic mantra yogi in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This dude made absolutely no sense whatsoever. He told us of the seven food tastes of Asian culture vs. the five tastes within European culture, and the water and the earth energies, etc. Even another listener found his information, objectively, nonsensical.
My goal was to find a — no bullshit, non-mystical, non-ghostly, no crazy ancient Hindu/Buddhist words — way to explain the purpose of attaining “spiritual enlightenment,” and why I should be doing mindfulness and meditation practices. I’m talking about something supported with science, practicality, and rational reason.
The Answer
10% Happier was the answer, and a really well-written book at that.
The level of critical analysis and objective rationality coming from the author was energizing, to say the least. In a non-scientific way, he simply wanted to cut through all the bullshit.
No, Eckhart Tolle doesn’t make sense 50% of the time when he says something. And yes, Deepak Chopra is just a salesman who sells you the idea of spirituality through his dozens and dozens of books. Yes, there are people who just take advantage of you to sell you the idea of enlightenment, and this is what the author sought to cut right through.
And while Buddhism can be considered the great-grandfather of psychology, it still contains sensationalized references to magical things like reincarnation, seven levels of hell, and other mystical properties (that only made sense pre-science).
What Dan Harris does differently is strip all of that away and ask one simple question — does meditation actually DO anything measurable? Not “does it align your chakras” or “does it open your third eye.” Does it reduce stress? Does it improve focus? Does it make you less of a reactive, monkey-brained mess? The answer, backed by actual neuroscience, is yes. And that’s all I needed to hear.
A Reporter’s Journey
This is a story about the author and his life. From being a hard-hitting news reporter who cut through the bullshit of religious ideologies, to delving deep into the world of spirituality and their self-proclaimed gurus.
The author even digs deep into the present culture of adding meditation into business culture (Google uses it), sports psychology (the NBA uses it), and general everyday living (you’ve probably tried it).
But the author does make a point that we also need “compassionate” meditation, rather than just calming our minds of stress. Compassion meditation involves thinking about people around you in a positive, loving way, as opposed to becoming a “centered, objectifying, emotionless” individual.
The 10% Promise
I love the title of this book because it sets realistic expectations. Harris isn’t promising you nirvana. He’s not saying meditation will fix your life, cure your anxiety, or turn you into some kind of zen master floating above the chaos.
He’s saying it’ll make you about 10% happier. That’s it.
And honestly? That’s a MORE convincing pitch than any guru has ever made. Because it’s honest. It acknowledges that your monkey-brain will still go crazy, you’ll still get angry, you’ll still worry about things that don’t matter — but you’ll catch yourself doing it faster. You’ll have a tiny gap between stimulus and response. And that tiny gap? It changes EVERYTHING.
I think about this concept constantly. Whether I’m dealing with a stressful business situation or just getting cut off in traffic — that split-second awareness of “oh, there goes my brain reacting again” is worth more than a thousand hours of mystical chanting.
Final Thoughts
If meditation and mindfulness are topics that interest you, then this is a must read. If you are an objective person (like to look at facts and critical analysis), then this is an even bigger must read.
While sometimes the book can be bogged down with the author’s own personal story, I would rate this among the top five books on meditation, mindfulness, and reaching peak mental performance (other books: The Rise of Superman, The Mindful Athlete, The Power of Now).
If you’re a skeptic who thinks meditation is just for hippies and Instagram influencers — this is the book that will change your mind. Harris was the EXACT same kind of skeptic, and he came out the other side a genuine practitioner. No incense required.
9/10
Thanks for reading.
— Leonidas
