The great curse

"The great curse, though, is that, as I's learned on 9/11, you come to see these events, at least in part, through the lens of self-interest. Did I get to go? Did I perform well? This psychology was not discussed much in all the autobiographies of legendary journalists that I's read, but it was nonetheless real."

- 10% Happier by Dan Harris

We expend most of our energy competing with our own colleagues

"As outsider might assume that we journalists spend most of our time competing with people from other networks. In actuality, we expend most of our energy competing with our own colleagues. In order to retain my spot on the front lines, I found myself vying against fellow correspondents like David Wright, another young reporter who'd recently arrived from local news. He was aggressive and smart, and I kind of resented him for it... during a period in which David was kicking ass over in Afghanistan and I was stuck in New York, I could barely bring myself to watch the news."

- 10% Happier By Dan Harris

When you're covering a news story there's a tendency to feel bulletproof

If gunshots had gone off in a situation where I was not on the job, I would have wet my pants. I had no record of courage in my personal life...When you're covering a news story, however, there's a tendency to feel bulletproof. It's as if there's a buffer between you and the world, as exponentially more dangerous variant of the unreality you feel when taking a stroll while listening to your iPod. In the context of combat, my reflex to worry had been completely overridden by my desire to be part of the big story."

- 10% Happier by Dan Harris

Hypervigilance prolongs life but makes it less enjoyable

"...the balance between stress and contentment was life's biggest riddle. On the one hand, I was utterly convinced that the continuation of any success I had achieved was contingent upon persistent hypervigilance. I figured this kind of behavior must be adaptive from an evolutionary standpoint - caveman who worried about possible threats, real or imagined, probably survived longer. On the other hand, I was keenly aware that while this kind of insecurity might prolong life, it also made it less enjoyable."

- 10% Happier By Dan Harris