Hey friends,

I have a short and poignant post to share with you today. But first, a bit of housekeeping:

(1) Today’s the last day to get a discounted paperback copy of The Inner Compass (which has been reduced from $14.99 to just $9.99). The book has been meticulously designed to be read in physical form, and this is your last chance to get it at a lower price.

If you’ve enjoyed the Kindle version and also want a paperback copy, this is the perfect time to get it. Or if you wanted to gift some physical copies to your friends and family, this would be a great time to put in an order. The discounted price of $9.99 will end today, so get it while you still can:

If you do get the book, make sure you send me your order receipt and I’ll send you a bonus booklet of 30 daily meditations. This booklet is titled "A Month of Reflections" and has been designed to give you a mindful start to each day.

(2) Two weeks ago, Bloomsbury published a paperback edition of The Inner Compass in India. The response has been strong out the gate, as there was just 1 copy remaining when I checked it recently on Amazon India. It should be restocked by now, so if you’re in India and have been waiting to get a physical copy, grab it here today.

(3) Thank you for all the encouraging messages about the book. Just the other day, a reader sent me this, which took me by surprise:

I would never have expected that someone might get a tattoo of a book’s illustration on their body, but here we are.

Then around the same time, another reader (Dee) sent me this wonderful picture:

She bought 10 copies of The Inner Compass to gift to her friends and family, which is such a strong signal that the book moved her.

What I’ve learned is that books move in ways you can’t see. Many people have reached out to tell me about the book’s impact on them, but I get the sense that most people haven’t reached out to me directly. Rather, they’ve felt that impact and are reflecting on it in their private journals, sharing it with their loved ones, or revisiting it when they need it most. All this is happening, whether I’m aware of it or not. And the knowledge of that is beautiful.

Now onto today’s post, which I’m re-sharing because many people feel overwhelmed by the world these days. There seems to be so much chaos that they can’t control, which feels like they’re losing their sense of agency as well.

Today’s short post is my antidote to that sentiment, and will take just 2 minutes to read. It helps re-center my attention to what I can tend to, and I have a feeling it’ll help you do the same. Enjoy.

The Garden You Can Touch

A clear, nighttime sky is a beautiful sight to behold.

As you stare into the cosmos and its sparkling occupants, it’s typical for a sense of awe to sweep over your consciousness.

Each star is a bright reminder that you are just one tiny cell in this vast, expanding cosmos, and your cells themselves are made up of the very atoms in those stars above.

The thought that you are a small collection of stardust within this vast universe can be a comforting one.

It can remind you that all your struggles, doubts, and fears are inconsequential in the eyes of the cosmos, and in the grand scheme of things, your existence is a mere speck in its timeline. So it’s okay to take a deep breath, relax the illusion of control over life, and just enjoy the experience while you can.

However, sometimes the message isn’t so comforting.

Sometimes the vastness of the cosmos can make you feel so small, so minuscule, and ultimately… insignificant.

It can introduce the feeling of meaninglessness — that no matter what you do in this lifetime, it won’t matter because Earth itself is just one small speck in this crazy universe as well. In the end, the universe will keep doing its thing, with or without your role in it.

But here’s the thing. We can’t answer the questions of meaning and purpose through the immense lens of the cosmos. Those could only be answered under the guise of personal experience, which is grown in the meaningful moments that happen close to home.

While our culture pushes us to change the world by moving mountains:

We often forget that the most important changes happen in the small gardens of our homes.

Your garden is your oasis, free from all the external noise brought forth by the world around it. You are its sole caretaker, and you have the choice of planting the ideas, values, and virtues you want to grow.

The very seeds you plant will become the beautiful garden your loved ones will see. And what they see is what will inspire them to plant those same seeds in their own gardens as well.

Every person has their own garden, and every garden has its own visitors. It is through this connection that good seeds have the ability to spread — if you nurture and care for your space in a way that moves others, then its essence will radiate through everything that it touches.

So next time you feel overwhelmed by the world, remember to look within and tend to the garden you can touch.

It is through this small oasis where real and lasting change is born.

That’s it for today’s post. Was there anything that resonated? Anything that didn’t? Hit reply to let me know.

As a reminder, you can grab the paperback edition of The Inner Compass for just $9.99 here. And don’t forget to send me your order receipt so I can send you the bonus booklet of daily meditations.

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

-Lawrence Yeo

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.