"10% Happier" by Dan Harris

Dan wrote a perfect book for anyone skeptical of meditation and mindfulness. He describes his path to the practice: from being completely against it, imagining meditation as something hippies and overly religious people do, to converting into an avid proponent. Even though I repeatedly say that I know a lot about the science behind mindfulness, I keep learning more and more valuable things from the books I read. "10% Happier" is not an exception.

• Dan's story might turn even the toughest skeptics to mindfulness.
• The "10% happier" part describes how a simple act of meditation — even for one minute a day — improves life with compound interest.
• Meditation is like a workout but for the mind.
• Instead of escaping from emotions, feelings, and sensations, mindfulness teaches our minds to confront and work out problems.
• RAIN: recognize, allow, investigate, non-identification.
• Let the body be; at this moment, there is no need to change anything; observe, note, and allow.
• Our minds are the first frontier of everything that we encounter internally and externally; we must spend more time understanding how they work.
• Numerous studies have shown that meditation improves cognition.
• Mindfulness training today helps you work out more challenging things tomorrow.
• Mindfulness retreats are fun. I liked how Dan slightly revealed what it looks like from the inside.

Overall, I'd say that reading "10% Happier" will most likely make you 10% happier, at least. The book can be fun to read, even if you're an avid meditator. And if you're still skeptical about the benefits of meditation, read "10% Happier" right now.