Hey friends,

My book, The Inner Compass, has been out for a little under a month now. In that brief time, it’s become a #1 Amazon bestseller, a Top New Release across multiple categories, and has received over 100 glowing reviews on the platform.

Here’s one that I wanted to highlight:

I poured my heart into this book, and knowing that it could resonate that way brought a smile to my face. And the fact that many people have sent me messages like the one above tells me that the book is moving in ways that I can’t see. Ultimately, it’s that trust in the unknown where meaning emerges from, so I’m doubling down on that. Thank you for helping me do that with your support.

One theme I’ve been thinking about lately is that of “showing up.” Writing this book required me to show up consistently, but sharing it has also required the same outlook. What I’ve seen over the past month is that if you keep showing up, people will also return the favor and show up for you as well. There is a magnetism to you simply being present for people, in whatever capacity that may mean.

So in today’s piece that I’m re-sharing, I wanted to detail what I’ve learned about consistency through the lens of one my daily habits. Because as it turns out, the lessons you pick up from one domain can apply to any other realm of your life as well.

When you’re ready, let’s dive right in:

​A Few Lessons on Showing Up​

Interviews and Media Appearances

I’ve gone on a number of podcasts and YouTube channels over the past month to discuss my book, and I just realized that I haven’t shared any of them with you here! I’ve gone on too many to list them all in this email, so I’ll just link to 3 of them today and share more over the next few weeks. Enjoy:

With Vicky Zhao: The 3 Principles of Self-Understanding​

With Nick Milo: How to Think for Yourself in a Loud, Fast World​

With Mr. RIP: Interview with Lawrence Yeo​

*Bonus: PJ Milani's wonderful visual interpretation of The Inner Compass

A Thought I’ve Been Pondering

The more questions you ask, the more you learn. It seems like such an obvious statement, but it’s quite shocking how few questions you ask when you’re with people you’re comfortable with. There are many reasons why this may be the case, but the most salient is that your curiosity toward the person has been extinguished.

Krishnamurti said that a mind that doesn’t ask questions is one that is dead. This also applies to relationships as well. If you’re no longer curious to know about the person in front of you - be it your childhood friend or your father - then that relationship is devoid of life. You can say that you love someone, but if you no longer seek to inquire about that person’s heart and mind, then that love will fade into complacency and then into nothingness.

A Brief Parting Question

This one’s for readers of the The Inner Compass:

What’s a sentence (or passage) from the book that you’ve highlighted? Why that one?

I want to get an idea of which particular ideas have been resonating with people, so I’m very curious about your response to this. I read every email =).

As always, hit reply to share any thoughts, to respond to the parting question, or to simply say hello. I love hearing from you.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share this email with anyone who might enjoy it. Have a great rest of your week!

-Lawrence

P.S. Thanks to all the wonderful people that support the blog on Patreon! It means so much. If you’d like to support More To That and get access to book recommendations, exclusive AMAs, offline posts, and other reflections, join as a patron today.

P.P.S. If you want to learn how to write essays like the one I shared today, check out my writing course, The Examined Writer. It's 3 hours' of self-paced material, all designed to elevate your writing practice.