Describing her journey as “a creative pursuit in unexpected directions” Shobha Nihalani, the Hong Kong-based writer of thriller, adventure and dream novels and life coach – says venturing into the self-help genre for her new book made her realize that self-esteem is the reason why we feel stuck or are unable to achieve our fullest potential.
She aims to give her readers a new perspective on this aspect and empower them to turn their dreams into reality and live a life of purpose.
Nihalani told IANS in an interview said that writing her latest book, ‘Reboot, Reflect, Revive: Self-esteem in a Selfie World’ (Sage) has been a journey of self-discovery.
“Sometimes we make certain decisions in life, and think it is just another book, but this decision to write about self-esteem has created a huge impact. While reading and researching on self-esteem, I have come to realize how much our life is affected by how we feel about ourselves, how we view and accept ourselves, in context to the world.
“I interviewed people from different walks of life to share their stories on self-esteem. These were corporate professionals who were willing to share some experiences that impacted their career decisions… about people who faced all odds to be resilient to achieve their goals.
“Their stories create awareness for those who are in similar situations. Many don’t realize that sometimes in career or other life situations, self-esteem is the reason why we feel stuck or are unable to achieve our fullest potential. There were some others I interviewed who were willing to share their personal ordeals to create awareness of the importance to be a friend and not a foe to oneself,” Nihalani added.
And thus did the title of the book emerge.
“We need to REBOOT our thinking style, REFLECT on our attitudes and conditioned beliefs, and REVIVE our instinctive capacity for empathy towards ourselves and others,” Nihalani explained.
Ever the optimist, Nihalani told IANS that she sees some positives in what citizens around the world are going through in these days of the pandemic.
“Troubled times are a way to remind us to reflect on life and understand that we should not take anything for granted. Even the simple act of going out of the house is planned, when previously we would just go out on a whim for a walk or to meet a friend for coffee.
“It’s necessary to be aware of our mindset, and maintain good spirits and a positive attitude. It is also nice to chat with others who are feeling lonely and spread some positive vibes,” Nihalani contended.
Having lived in places as diverse as Kano, Antwerp, Singapore, Rochester, Mumbai, Bengaluru and now Hong Kong has given Nihalani the ability to deliver to the literary world works like “Karmic Blues” (her debut novel that was first published in Danish), “The Silent Monument”, the “NINE” trilogy, “Unresolved”, ‘Trikon’ and “The Blue Jade”. She has also authored two non-fiction books – “Dada Vaswani” A Life in Spirituality” and “A Gift from Above: Haresh and Harini’s Journey in Adoption”.
“I am wearing my ghostwriter hat at the moment, but my heart is set on being a life coach, I am certified as an InnerMost Shift Coach from the (New Delhi-based) AlphaStars Academy that focuses on Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), a psychological approach that involves analyzing strategies used by successful individuals and applying them to reach a personal goal,” she concluded.
We need to REBOOT our thinking style, REFLECT on our attitudes and conditioned beliefs, and REVIVE our instinctive capacity for empathy towards ourselves and others, author of the self help book, Shobha Nihalani explains.
