Trust Yourself First by Doris Sew Hoy

 

Trust Yourself First: Cultivating Self-Awareness, Confidence and Resilience

Doris Sew Hoy

New Degree Press 2022

200 pages, paperback £12 (UK)

ISBN 979-8-88504-078-5 (pb)

The enforced isolation of the Covid lockdown forced many of us to re-examine our lives. It also gave us time to complete projects we had only dreamed of. Doris Sew Hoy did both.

She has written a book, 

Trust Yourself First, 

which incorporates what 

she has learned in her twin 

careers as an economist 

and as a freelance 

executive coach.

Trust Yourself First is about cultivating healthy relationships through trust. It also passes on what Doris has learned about clear thinking, thought-leadership, connecting with yourself and harnessing your full personality. She also shares the most useful tools, techniques and models that have helped her coaching clients develop their potential, both professionally and personally.

Doris Sew Hoy is a direct descendant of the famous Otago Chinese merchant and gold dredger, Choie Sew Hoy (1838-1901) – he was her grandfather’s grandfather. She was born at Outram in New Zealand. There her father, Jun Yip Sew Hoy, and mother, Lai Kum Hong, ran a market garden on the Taieri Plains and raised seven high-achieving children.

Qualifying for a year as a American Field Service Scholar in a St Louis, Missouri high school, was the first step in a journey that led Doris to a degree in economics at Otago University and post-graduate study at Durham University. She worked as an economist for the London Stock Exchange from 1986. A new door opened for Doris when she realised that many in the stock exchange lacked understanding of how the business actually worked.

‘I was getting annoyed at the number of times I had to correct people’s misinformation and misunderstandings.’  Appointed to a position where she was responsible for educating, informing and motivating people, Doris developed her ideas about the coaching of executives and undertook further study and research.

Trust Yourself First is a clearly written summary of what she has learned about human behaviours, emotions and interactions in the two decades she has spent as a freelance executive coach.   

Doris unpacks her professional toolbox and demonstrates the various techniques, mind-maps  and exercises she has found most effective in enabling people to examine their lives.  Each chapter offers readers a chance to examine their own actions and feelings, ambitions and uncertainties, from a fresh perspective.

The text is arranged in three main sections following her ACB model of personal growth and change..

Part 1, Awareness, invites readers to examine themselves and look at who they are and how they got there

Part 2, Choices, looks at the options facing us, our own strengths and weaknesses, the values we hold and the outcomes we hope for.  

Part 3, Behave, asks us what we intend to do when we have finished reading the book. Are we going to learn from the exercises? Will we change our attitudes and revise our priorities? How can we improve our communication skills, gain a better understanding of our emotions and live a healthier life?

This is not a dull text-book. This may sound daunting in summary but Doris keeps things clear and well-organised as she moves through the various exercises. Doris intersperses her teaching points with her own experiences so that her lively personality becomes an integral part of the book.

Trust Yourself First is an interesting and challenging book with a readable style and a big message.

Or as Doris, herself puts it, “I hope my book inspires you to reflect on your own life and where you want to go next, become your own best friend and cultivate the relationships you would like in your life.”

 Website: Trust Yourself First Book | Doris Sew Hoy

 ISBN 979-8-88504-078-5 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88504-707-4 (Kindle Ebook)

ISBN 979-8-88504-186-7 (Digital Ebook)