How to Become 10% Happier
#007 Meet Dan Harris
A lot of people are skeptical of meditation. It sounds a little “new-agey.” And there might be many reasons you are hesitant about trying it.
Dan Harris used to feel the same way. Then, he had a panic attack while reading the news on Good Morning America. And that changed everything.
Not only did the incident inspire him to quit using drugs (he’d been abusing cocaine), but it also motivated him to learn about meditation.
Although he was skeptical at first, meditation has changed his life. He’s gone on to write several books about meditation, and he’s even created an app. He says it initially made him 10% happier, but he acknowledges that number compounds every year. Now he’s much happier and healthier than before.
Some of the things Dan and I talk about:
- What it feels like to have a panic attack
- Why meditation helps with anxiety
- How meditation actually changes your brain (and what brain scans show)
- The four life-changing benefits Dan has gained from meditation
- How to get started with meditation
- Some of the biggest misconceptions about meditation
- How to overcome the three most common excuses for not meditating
Quotes:
“You can use stress and turn it into something empowering, rather than what I’ve done which is use it as something to make me feel ashamed.”
“One of my little mantras is that one minute counts. If you meditate for one minute, it sounds doable.”
“The whole goal of meditation is not to defeat or nullify any distraction. It’s to notice when you’re distracted and to start again and again.”
“If we broadcast what’s going on in our heads out loud, we’d be locked up. Just seeing this non-negotiable fact of human existence, which is that your inner conversation is out of control, is incredibly liberating.”
“The mind is trainable. We’re not stuck with the characteristics and qualities we don’t like about ourselves.”
Links and Resources:
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
Ten Percent Happier app – https://www.tenpercent.com/
Follow Dan on Twitter – https://twitter.com/danbharris
Follow Dan on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/danharris
Follow Dan on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC/
Ten Percent Happier Podcast – https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast
Sponsor:
If you struggle with anxiety, addiction, or anything else that may be getting in the way of your happiness, talk to someone at BetterHelp.
