The Top Ten Things Dead People Want to Tell You by Mike Dooley Page B

the violated could peek at the worldviews of others, they would be utterly shocked to find that everyone has issues comparable to their own post-violation issues. Not that the violations weren’t horrible or unusual. Not that these events haven’t changed their lives. Not to diminish the gravity of the offenses. But there’s no such thing as an unchallenged life. And whether or not a person’s challenges are visible to others, or greater or lesser than others may have experienced, doesn’t change the fact that they exist. What happens between two or more people is a co -creation; what happens afterward—your reactions to what happened and your subsequent choices— is solely your own creation . It’s not as important that you understand why or how you got involved as it is that you seize any gifts you can from whatever happened between you and the other person and use them to deliberately craft your life going forward.
The key to your freedom has been with you all along.
    L ET THE L EGEND B EGIN
    This is what the “dead” want to tell those they’ve hurt. They’re sorry, but you needn’t wallow or waste any more time over the past. They’re sorry for the obvious reasons, and equally for what is not obvious: spoiling your thinking, sending you on wild goose chases, and contributing to your difficulty in knowing that it’s “normal” to doubt yourself. Everyone does. Everyone at times feels lacking, undeserving, or inadequate. Everyone has issues; they’re essential to the great adventure of life. Including the very challenges you may now have, “compliments” of a prior violation. They seed dreams to overcome them that launch you into the world as a powerful, deliberate Creator. You are not vulnerable; you are indomitable. And you will know this faster and more surely than those who are not blessed to have as challenging a history.
    The key to your freedom has been with you all along. You’re an ancient gladiator of love and joy who jumped at the opportunity to visit earth during these formative years to help spark some new thinking, see what you might make of things, share a few smiles, and help others live deliberately as they discover that they are as awesome as you.
    The old belief systems that were once a comfort to you for the excuses they made possible have been outgrown. They need to be shed, just as a cocoon that once protected a chrysalis must fall away for the butterfly to emerge.
    Warm and Fuzzy but Limiting Beliefs
     
Time is fleeting; I may have only one chance to get things right.
Opportunity only knocks once.
The early bird gets the worm.
I must be on guard against evil.
Luck (or its absence) is an uncontrollable component of every life.
We are not the only ones who control our future.
Life is a test and then we die.
There are bad people in the world.
Random and unpredictable things happen in every life.
I could have been more except for what happened to me.
    Beliefs Beyond Forgiveness
     
Time and space set the stage for a lifetime of creating.
Opportunity never stops knocking.
There are enough worms for all the birds.
There is no evil other than what I choose to see.
I create my own fortunes and misfortunes; my thoughts become things.
The Universe conspires on my behalf, wanting for me what I want for myself.
Life is part of an unending adventure.
Everyone is doing their best and is of good intent.
Within every situation there is meaning, order, healing, and love.
I am more because of what happened to me.
    D ROP THE B LAME ; P REPARE FOR L IFT -O FF
    With understanding flooding your senses more and more, a new irony appears on your radar:
Forgiveness is only necessary when first there’s blame.
    The second lie needs the first lie. Withdraw the blame and forgiveness becomes a moot point.
    To cast blame means to not understand that you create your reality, and such a blind spot can rob you of your power to live deliberately today and in the future. It prevents you from accepting