10% Happier by Dan Harris

Key Takeaways

1. Acceptance is not passivity.

2. Meditation helps quiet the “surge of habitual impulses” which so many of us simply fall prey to and obey

3. “The real superpower of meditation is not just to manage your ego more mindfully but to see that the ego itself has no actual substance.”

4. Through meditation, you don’t feel different feelings, you simply learn to detach from them

5. When a feeling overcomes you, be aware and notice how it manifests itself (clenched fists, raised eyebrows, shoulder shrugged, etc.)

6. The pursuit of happiness becomes the source of our unhappiness

7. Striving is fine, as long as you realize that the final outcome is ultimately out of your control

8. Brain is a pleasure-seeking machine and through meditation you can teach it that being present feels far better than worrying about the past or the future

9. Meditation is not about feeling a certain way, it’s about being mindful of what you are feeling