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Words have always fascinated me and I have been tickled by the ways in which they can either enliven or disempower. Our minds are like those velcro dart boards that attract and let stick all of the daily input that swirls around us. On any given day, I am told, we think 60,000 some thoughts and the majority are yukky-sucky, self or other deprecating and tripping up, roadblocking and keep us stuck where don’t wanna be. What if we could, instead, engage in life affirmation in practical, effective ways?\u00a0 A silly question, as I ask it, because it is not what if<\/em>, but what is!<\/strong><\/p>\n Enter Mike Dooley, a tax accountant by training and many years experience working for Price Waterhouse,\u00a0whose spread sheet now has fun and frolic dancing across it and not just facts and figures. He stepped onto the international stage as one of the transformational movers and shakers in the now iconic film The Secret with three key words “Thoughts Become Things.”\u00a0 These days, he travels the world, offering the not-so-secret concepts that we are loved by a benevolent Universe that has our best interests at heart and has messages to offer if we have the ears to hear them. He willingly has become a pen for such missives that he calls “Messages From the Universe” that can come daily to your email inbox.<\/p>\n Here’s one for your reading pleasure:<\/p>\n “The absolute, most sure-fire way<\/strong> And you can.<\/p>\n The Universe<\/em><\/p>\n Isn’t today going to rock?”<\/p>\n \u00a0I heard about this book via an email announcing that Mike would be doing a book signing at Barnes and Noble on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. In preparation for attending, I set my intention for a smooth and effortless commute during rush hour in one of the busiest areas in the city. I called on our family parking angel, my mother’s brother Jim who always found the perfect spot no matter where he went and ta-da an “Uncle Jimmy spot” showed up directly across the street from the store. I arrived as he was getting started and the audience of raptly listening attendees numbered at least 50, in the chairs and spilling out onto the aisles. Mike spoke loud and clear about the ability each of us posesses to create the life of our deepest dreams and passionate desires. He read excerpts from the book that were like a fire lit under anyone willing to be positively incendiary.<\/p>\n Broken down into easy to digest ideas in the form of chapters, Leveraging the Universe<\/em><\/strong> is really a primer with some fancy embellishments, which means it would appeal to readers who are new to the concepts, as well as those, like me who swim in this stuff, drinking it in, absorbing it through every pore and then recycling it back out into the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. Understand Your Power<\/strong> introduces the reader to the concept of ‘the cursed hows’ and the erroneous belief that we need to know how something will manifest in order to put the idea out into the universe. I laughed at that, since I long ago learned that my ‘how’s’ and those of the I AM are sometimes a good distant apart.<\/p>\n 2. Chart Your Course<\/strong> allows the reader to set intention by asking what it is that is really desired. Whatya want?\u00a0 Mike shared a story in his presentation about going into a store and wondering what brand he should buy, before asking himself “What brand do I want to buy?” and if hungry, questioning “What should I eat?” before realizing to consider what he wanted to eat.<\/p>\n 3. Take Action and Delegate<\/strong> invites the reader to discerning what physical steps to take and what aspects of a desire to surrender to the Universe.\u00a0 He offers ideas for momentum rather than passivity when it comes to casting our wishes out to the cosmos. I call it ‘putting legs under’ my visions.<\/p>\n 4. Leverage The Universe<\/strong> creates the impression that it is essential to be aware of\u00a0 patterns of thought that may be sabotaguing intended outcome. Mike encourages using the power of our imagination to visualize what it is we want; as a full sensory experience. Each person may have a different learning style, but by merging the best of all of them, there is a far better chance of bringing it to fruition.<\/p>\n 5. Align Your Beliefs<\/strong> brings to the fore, the question of beliefs vs. thoughts. Both are essential to be aware of when plotting with the Universe for the highest good.So often we think we need to understand the origin of our beliefs before we change them if they are not serving us. What if we just changed them?\u00a0 Mike asks the reader to align their thoughts with the intended outcome.\u00a0 One of the most enjoyable exercises is asking yourself what beliefs you think someone would have in order to acheive their particular level of success.<\/p>\n 6. Engage The Magic<\/strong> starts out with the laughable example of a mama duck needing to call on the baby ducks to line up and follow her across a stream . Naturally, she doesn’t wait for them to line up behind her; she just waddles ahead and they are close behind since she has set the example. The same is true for each of us. If we waited until conditions were ‘right’ or comfortable, we might never take the next step. Persistance is a key to continuing to cross the stream, even if the waters rise.<\/p>\n
\nof physically moving in the direction of your dreams,
\non a day-to-day basis, without messing with the “cursed hows,”
\nis living them, now, to any degree that you can.<\/p>\n