The Top Ten Things Dead People Want To Tell You

This book is my first exposure to the work of author, Mike Dooley. He is also the author of theNew York Times bestseller, Infinite Possibilities: The Art Of Living Your Dreams.

The title of this book was the hook for me. Just what are those ten things that the departed want to tell us? What might I learn that I did not already know or sense? What might I learn that will validate or reinforce what I already believe? 

So, according to Mike Dooley, what are those ten things the dead are most eager to communicate to us? They are presented in the following chapter order.

Were not dead

We chose to be here in the first place. Love and happiness are why we are here. Thought connects everything and all of us. We began from a place in eternity and will return to it.

There’s no such thing as a devil or hell

Wow! Really. This will come as a relief for many and create uneasiness for some whose beliefs expect fire, brimstone and punishment for sinners. 

Mike Dooley contends that the only real hell each of us will suffer through is when we sit down and execute a review of our own life just lived through. All of the good and the negative that we lived thorough we will feel and experience through the emotions of those that we interacted with. We act as our own post-game locker room coach with lots of game film footage. That plus we get to experience first-hand every emotion of all of the folks that we ever interacted with, for better or for worse.

We were ready

A time to die is out there for each of us. “A life ends naturally when the adventurer either achieves what he originally came for or when he can no longer achieve it and there are no other alternative, achievable goals, “ according to the author.

Dooley’s position is that, “You are not alive to be tested, judged, and sentenced. You’re alive to live and learn, in unending spirals of love. Everything plays to these greater goals, and every decision you make while living becomes the core study material for your fabulous growth and glory — right down to the time and method of your passing.”

You’re not ready

“Life’s adventures are only possible because of life’s challenges,” writes Dooley.

We are embarked upon a journey of our own creation (one that we mapped out before we came here). We came here to ‘blaze a new trail,’ and learn and discover all that we possibly can before our game clock buzzer rings signaling the end of our game.

Were sorry for any pain we caused

Dooley writes that the dead want all of us living to know that they are all sorry for any of the pain that they caused each of us. These were mistakes they made on their well intentioned path towards positive growth.

Your dreams really can come true

“Your challenges are temporary, while their lessons are eternal.” Live your life to the

absolute fullest. You were born to soar, to achieve, and to grow. Go ahead and want it all. That’s what it’s there for!

Heaven is going to blow your mind

You are one of a kind. Irreplaceable. Kind of like the lyrics in that Katie Perry song,

“Firework.” Spiritual awareness occurs. 

You finally comprehend that eternity precedes and then follows every lifetime upon this earth for each of us. We were all part of it before we came here, and it is that realm to which we return after our time on earth.

In heaven you learn a. how important you were, b. how powerful you were, and,

c. there are no mistakes. Whoa! Three great reasons to feel empowered and good about yourself here.

Life is more than fair

In this chapter, Dooley makes three interesting points. 

First, It doesn’t matter where you’ve been — it will serve you (whether traumatic or joyous).

Second, It doesn’t matter where you now are, because where you are is never who you are.

Third, You can, starting today, with new thoughts, words and actions, create a new vibe that will begin orchestrating your own “luck, accidents and serendipities,” to blast forward, higher, richer, and happier — yee ha!

Your ‘old pets’ are as crazy as ever

I’m personally not an animal owner although many of my family members are or were. Good news for all animal lovers and pet owners: no animals are left behind. There are no bad dogs. Every cat gets more lives. And they’ll be joining us in eternity.

Love is the way; truth is the path

“The dead with their advantage of perspective, see love everywhere,” writes Dooley.

Dooley states that, “You spiritually feel love in an entirely new way, not as a choice but as a channel for something far greater. You judge nothing because you see yourself in everything. You blame no one because blame is the evasion of responsibility.”

“Eternity promises too much to spend one more moment looking back with regret than is necessary,” is another quote from Dooley that I like.

My final thoughts on this book:

If you currently are a caregiver, have just lost a loved one, or maybe just someone who is at a point in life struggling to make sense of their own spirituality and primary purpose, then, The Ten Things Dead People Want To Tell You, is a book you want to read. And for everyone else, it is damn well entertaining and thought provoking. So everyone else needs to read it too.

Jeff Dodson

January 12th 2015

FTC Disclosure:  I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are unbiased and reflect my honest judgment of the product.