Review: Don't Think of a Blue Ball by Malti Bhojwani

Author: Malti Bhojwani
Publisher: Om Books International
Year: 2012
ISBN: 9789381607152
Rating:
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Don’t Think of a Blue ball is life-coach Malti Bhojwani’s second novel. Founder of Multi Coaching International, a certified Life Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and an NLP practitioner, Bhojwani’s credentials are incentive enough to pick up the book. The simple yet arresting book jacket featuring a brightly coloured hot air balloon against a lovely blue sky doesn’t hurt the case, either.

The book tackles all the myriad issues that a self-help tome must- life, love, motivation, forgiveness, responsibility, positivity, wealth. Divided into twelve chapters, the book has a pleasing structural simplicity to it. Each chapter deals with discrete topics like ‘Coincidences and Intuition’, ‘Moving Forward’ and ‘Gratitude’ that combine to form the heady mess that is a human life. In Bhojwani’s own words, she aims to serve and not to fix or to help. Hence, each topic is elucidated with not just personal insight but also tricks of the trade and wisdom through the ages. The core belief of the book, as it were, is in the concept of ‘manifesting’ according to which a conscious change in thoughts, focus and vibrations leads to desired material changes. The entire philosophy is predicated on feeling grateful for all that we have and being connected or Plugged In to the universe. One of the most striking images in the book is Jigsaw Puzzle Visualisation Exercise where the reader is asked to create a mental tableau of their desired life, a moment of perfection frozen in time. Then one has to visualise this image as a jigsaw puzzle with one thousand pieces where the pieces are thrown up into the air and then allowed to fall in slow motion. The reader is then exhorted to be patient and trust the universe while the pieces rearrange themselves at their own pace.

Don’t Think of a Blue Ball reads for the most part like a casual conversation which is a welcome change from pushy, patronising tone that Self-help books adopt. The first person narrative voice of the author is an invitation to the reader to trust the voice and engage in the dialogue. The Thinking Pink Exercises at the end of each chapter are effective tools for putting the theory to practical application. That being said, the book also presents some issues that are typical of this genre. Some passages are repetitive and cliché-ridden which makes for tedious reading. Sceptical readers might also find the use of abstract concept like God and the Universe hard to digest.

Hence, Don’t Think of a Blue Ball is a worthy addition to the Self-help genre for readers who are willing to suspend cynicism and put in the effort required for a more balanced and positive lifestyle.