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Book Review: The Inner Compass by Lawrence Yeo
Cultivate the courage to trust yourself

Let’s Be Honest
Most self-help books are like those company townhalls. Long, repetitive, and you walk away wondering if anything actually changed. But what if a book actually respected your time? Enter Lawrence Yeo’s The Inner Compass - the rare exception.

Why This Book Resonated With Me
I picked up The Inner Compass not because I was on some grand quest for enlightenment, but because I was tired. Tired of wading through philosophical “classics” that felt like reading an employee handbook written in code.
Lawrence’s writing cuts through the jargon and gets to the heart of the matter: Why do we keep chasing external validation when the answers are already within us?
The book is about 100 pages. That’s it. No fluff, no endless case studies. As Mark Twain said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one.” The brevity is a sign of deep respect for the reader (something everyone should aspire to when crafting policies or giving feedback.
My Journey With Reflection
Here’s where it gets personal. For 46 years, I was the king of avoidance. Self-reflection? That was for other people. I became a master at procrastinating the tough stuff, especially the emotional kind.
As I read the chapters on Reflection, I kept thinking of that Socratic line Lawrence often cites: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Lawrence’s thesis is that Reflection is best done through writing.
If I had read this a few years ago, I likely would have brushed it off. But I did experience something when I was writing a book for my kids. The intent: to leave behind something meaningful, in case I wasn’t around.
One chapter forced me to revisit my high school days—a period I’d always thought was just another mundane part of my life.
Turns out, I’d just buried the tough memories under layers of busyness and denial. As I wrote, the emotions came flooding back. It was uncomfortable, even embarrassing (especially since I was tearing up in a public place), but it was also liberating.
That moment taught me that writing isn’t just about legacy. It’s about honesty with myself. It’s about confronting the stories you tell yourself, and sometimes rewriting them.
Parenting, Authenticity, and Letting Go
As a parent of four, this journey changed how I relate to my kids. I became hyper-aware of the silent traumas that can build up—those moments of exclusion, the pressure to fit in, the fear of not being “enough.”
I now encourage my children to prioritise genuine friendships over grades. I tell them (and myself) that it’s okay to be the odd one out, as long as you’re true to yourself.
I used to think that facing my own trauma would make me more guarded, but the opposite happened. I became more open, more upfront about my flaws and quirks. I stopped trying to maintain a façade—at work, at home, everywhere. If people accept me, great. If not, that’s their choice.
This shift is exhausting at first, but ultimately freeing. It’s like finally taking off a suit that never fit right.
Lawrence Yeo’s The Inner Compass doesn’t just stop at the mirror of self-reflection. Without spoiling the magic, here’s a taste of what else awaits inside:
Relate: More Than Just Connections
Lawrence invites you to rethink what relationships mean. Not just with others, but with yourself. He hints at how much of our daily life is shaped by invisible games of status and approval, and quietly asks:
What if you could see past all that? What would it feel like to build connections that aren’t transactional, but genuinely human?
Create: Unlocking Everyday Agency
Think creativity is only for artists? Lawrence begs to differ. He drops breadcrumbs about how agency and creation are part of everyone’s daily life, whether you’re writing, building, or simply making a meal. The book teases a path where mastery isn’t about applause, but about aligning with your own “true north.”
The real question: What could you make, or become, if you stopped waiting for permission?
Why These Matter
Lawrence Yeo’s three-part framework (Reflect, Relate, Create) offers more than self-help jargon. Each principle is a doorway.
The book doesn’t hand you answers; it dares you to ask better questions.
What if your relationships could be mirrors for growth, not just comfort?
What if creativity was less about talent, and more about presence?
What if fulfilment was closer than you think, but required a little courage to look inward?
Final Thoughts
The Inner Compass is short, sharp, and quietly radical.
If you’re curious about how these ideas play out in real life (and want practical, relatable stories rather than abstract theory), this book is worth your attention.
But be warned: it’s not a checklist, it’s an invitation. The real work (and the real rewards) begin after you turn the last page.

🎧 Podcast
In this captivating episode, Adrian and Amanda Cua discuss her unexpected decision to skip college and embark on an entrepreneurial journey during the pandemic.
Amanda shares how she utilised a gap year to create a successful newsletter company, BackScoop, in Southeast Asia.
She delves into the challenges she faced, the strategies she used to grow her subscriber base, her thoughts on the media landscape, and her experiences with impostor syndrome.
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