World News Videos | ABC World NewsCopy

I wrote a memoir about a fidgety, skeptical newsman who reluctantly becomes a meditator and in the process of publishing it, I occasionally, to my embarrassment, found myself failing to practice what I preach. I was kind of like a dog that soils the rug, and the universe kept shoving my face into it.

For those of you considering a New Years meditation resolution, but who are held back by the thought, I could never meditate, Im here to tell you Im no avatar of perfection myself. But thats the point.

In a funny way, my missteps only reinforced my conviction in the practice, as well as the changes it can produce in your life.

But lets go over the embarrassing stuff first.

The bungling of my own advice began even before the book came out. One of my main arguments in 10% Happier is that meditation despite its unfortunate association with people who use the word Namaste un-ironically, and who are prone to grandiose claims about spiritual awakening can make ambitious people even more effective, by helping draw the line between constructive anguish and pointless rumination. And yet, in the weeks before publication, I nearly made myself sick with counterproductive worry.

Watch the full story on ABC News' "Nightline" TONIGHT at 12:35 a.m. ET.

My biggest fear, other than that the book royally sucked, was that I was revealing details about my personal life that would torpedo my career. I wrote about how I had covered wars for ABC News, gotten depressed, self-medicated with recreational drugs, and had a panic attack on television all of which, combined with some other strange developments, ultimately led me to meditation.

Panic Attack on Live Television

Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

View original post here:
How Writing a Meditation Book Threw My Own Advice Right Back in My Face