Kimberly Eakin, a great friend of mine and one of the co-faciliators of our Thinking Council group sessions each month at Voltage Leadership Academy, sent me a note yesterday morning about a hilarious book she had just finished that she thought I would like. The word “hilarious” is what got me so I downloaded the Audible version immediately and started listening to it.
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Within minutes I had a smile on my face and throughout this weekend I have been walking around the house with earbuds in, driving in my car, and falling asleep to one of the most cynical books about a self-help journey I have ever read. The honesty is so spot-on in regard to things I have felt or experienced that it literally pulled me out of the turkey coma I had been in. The name of the book is 10% Happier. What the author wanted to name it was “The A—–e in My Head” but the publisher thought differently. HERE’s a quick excerpt from the book.
Dan Harris will take you on a 4-year journey (it’s a long journey packed in a short book) that leads to what the subtitle promises which is: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help that Actually Works – A True Story. Dan Harris isn’t a Kumbaya person. He’s a serious, ABC Nightline anchor, with a great sense of humor. He had a panic attack while reporting the news on Good Morning America one day that led him, eventually, to a simple answer to why the attack might have occurred and how to prevent it in the future. What I think is the best part, besides the cynicism towards self-help gurus that he has interviewed and spent time with, is that there’s no over-sell on what he discovered. Consistent, small amounts of meditation, he says, can make you 10% happier.
There’s an article trending in social media that might be helpful if you want to know what to give up to be a little happier as well. Here’s a list of the 15 things it says you should give up to be happy: http://www.purposefairy.com/3308/15-things-you-should-give-up-in-order-to-be-happy/
- Your need to always be right
- Your need for control
- Blame
- Your self-defeating self-talk
- Your limiting beliefs
- Complaining
- The luxury of criticism (say it isn’t so!)
- Your need to impress others (okay, now that’s impossible for some of us)
- Your resistance to change
- Labels
- Fears
- Excuses
- The past
- Attachment
- Living your life to other people’s expectations (and thinking that other’s will live up to yours!)
That seems like a long list. I better get started once I listen to 10% Happier one more time.
If you would like to be my guest at the upcoming production of “Scrooge- The Musical” at the Berglund Performing Arts Center in Roanoke, VA, this Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, please let me know. I have some VIP seats that I would like to give-a-way to some of my readers. I have about 10, so please let me know if you and your family would like to go. The experience that I had watching it 12 years ago changed my life and made me much more than 10% happier.
