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Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams

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Infinite Possibilities is the New York Times bestselling book from teacher, author, and featured speaker Mike Dooley. As the next step beyond his immensely popular  Notes from the Universe trilogy, this book contains even more enriching wisdom for living an abundant, joyous life.

Mike Dooley knows that we create our own reality, our own fate, and our own luck. We're beings filled with infinite possibilities, ready to explore how powerful we truly are. Infinite Possibilities  reveals our true spiritual nature and exactly what it takes to find happiness and fulfillment during the metamorphosis of consciousness that's taking place. It covers the entire spectrum of reality, from beliefs and intuition to creative visualization to thoughts and manifestations...

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

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4059 people want to read

About the author

Mike Dooley

108 books414 followers
Mike Dooley is a former PriceWaterhouseCoopers international tax consultant, turned entrepreneur, who's founded a philosophical Adventurers Club on the Internet that's now home to over 350,000 members from over 189 countries. His inspirational books have been published in 23 languages and he was one of the featured teachers in the international phenomenon, The Secret. Today Mike is perhaps best known for his Notes from the Universe emailings and his New York Times bestseller Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams. Mike lives what he teaches, traveling internationally speaking on life, dreams, happiness.

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5 stars
869 (49%)
4 stars
503 (28%)
3 stars
262 (15%)
2 stars
78 (4%)
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30 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
2 reviews
April 3, 2013
Basically "The Secret" written by someone who sounds a little smarter.

My thought about these kinds of books, as of right now, is as follows:

There is the outer world that we all share (cosmos).

We also each have our inner world that we alone experience (consciousness), although we share that experience with other people by means of the outer world.

Visualization is a way of directing the inner world, and I am fairly certain that it has massive positive benefits in terms of one's outlook. But that's where its domain stops. When people start saying that "thoughts become things" in the OUTER world, simply by virtue of us thinking them... I'm sorry, but the reason you have bills in your mailbox is NOT that your thoughts attract them. The reason you have bills in your mailbox is that you owe someone money, or possibly an error has been made in the billing office. You did not "attract" your bills by worrying about them any more than you can "attract" rape/assault with your thoughts, or cancer, or health for that matter, or a perfect partner. I'm fairly sure no one would ever die of starvation or thirst if thinking about a thing were enough to attract it to you.

And the very, very dangerous implication of this is that no distinction remains between what physically happens to you and what you think. Which means that logically, anything good that comes your way, you made happen, and anything bad that happens to you must be your fault. That is not my experience of life, and it is not how I see it played out in other people's lives.

I do think that visualization can be helpful internally, in that it purposely draws our attention to what we'd like to see more of in life. W.H. Auden said that "choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer." What happens is not always within our power to change, but what meaning to give it, and how to respond - those are within our power. In the confines of that inner world, purposely directing our thoughts toward positive outcomes can remind us to look for things that help us move in the right direction.

Beyond that, it's simply wishful thinking and dangerous self-delusion.
Profile Image for LemontreeLime.
3,702 reviews17 followers
December 26, 2012
It's embarrassing that this has sat half read on my bedside table for more months than i care to admit. I think I can tell you why now, after having soldiered through 30 more pages: this book is so glaringly optimistic and rah rah rah, that it ends up making itself unreadable to those who are not in a rah rah rah place in life. I keep reading these 'you can change your life' books, liking the idea that its possible to haul yourself up via those bootstraps you forget you have. But i am an 'always prepare for the worst possibilities' connoisseur of black humor, and this is so joyful, so certain that eternal happiness is yours if you JUST BELIEVE it into existence, it ended up making me uncomfortable every time i tried to finish it.
Profile Image for Shantel.
14 reviews2 followers
May 6, 2011
I think he could have said what he wanted to say in less pages. I found him repeating himself a lot.
As an open-minded person but one who does not practice religion or believe in any God I found there to be a fine line here
between the "power of the Universe" and religion/God. He does make reference a lot to "the creator" and so it was hard for me to get behind
this book 100%. However I do think that a positive outlook for anyone can do wonders so I kept with the book and gave it 3 stars.
Profile Image for Brenda.
19 reviews
May 5, 2011
Loved this book!! It is SO amazing how one's thoughts can transform their Life for the good or to the bad. Mike Dooley's personal story of how he visualized and thought his way to who he is today is a wonderful read. I would highly recommend to everyone, as it can be truly transforming if you practice what he explains and are committed to living your life to the fullest. Make all your thoughts Good ones : )
Profile Image for Devika Koppikar.
77 reviews7 followers
February 19, 2023
The ideas in this book perked me up: thinking positively, using positive language, and walking in faith.
In other words, if you want positive things to happen to you, act in a positive manner.

But, some ideas in this book were outrageous, like when he says that if you are facing financial difficulties, spend money like you aren’t. Excuse me? Isn’t that what got us into our current Great Recession? Perhaps I should send this to Suze Ormond and have her give him a lecture!

When people start making statements like these, it compels me to pick up the book and return it back to the library….which I did. (And no, I won’t buy his book thinking I’m rich).

Overall, like many shallow “motivational,” books, I thought the ideas in the book were oblivious to the realities of history (economic crisis, racism, politics, etc.). That is, you can’t just become CEO of company because you think positively.
Profile Image for Deb.
1,573 reviews21 followers
August 9, 2021
I have learned the helpful truths that are contained in this book more easily from other sources. I kept falling toward sleep while I read. It's wordy. It also contains some half truths. At the same time, I believe the author has good intentions. Some ideas are just incomplete or untrue.

The true, basic, and repeated premise in this book is "thoughts become things." So, beliefs matter. They will ultimately lead to the results we experience in our lives. There's a lot of "believe and you shall receive." That is ultimately true.

The author does make it sound effortless and magical, but he doesn't deny effort is involved. He just seems to suggest it's important to be flexible with the delivery, timing, or the answer to what we want. This is true.

"Sometimes when people hear me explain the thoughts become things principle, they want to correct me by adding that you must also have the conviction of your dreams to follow up and act. But to me that goes without saying, because you cannot help but act with your true beliefs about life."

This book has helped me realize I need to be more deliberate in my thinking. I need to put forth more effort to believe so I can receive. I'm thankful I read this book for that reason.

Yet once again, here's a book that more or less denies God as an individual, real, person of flesh and bone. The "universe" is given most of the credit. At one point the author even says, "You are God." (page 273 in my edition.) There's also the popular idea of universal consciousness and knowledge. As part of that the author says:

"You are exactly who the Greatest You (aka God) most wanted to be, not a frail offshoot who must bow, curtsy, and yield to this 'higher power' but an unbeknownst Lord yourself."

He also indicates he believes we live multiple lives; therefore, if you occasionally end up having a hard life, it's because you chose it:

"We do not live only once, and for the extreme hardships you might occasionally choose to be born into, you might do so to shift your focus and your understandings to other facets of life that you may have remained blind to under any other circumstances."

It's an interesting explanation, but not true.

In Dooley's world, we seem to be here on earth to grow and receive for eternity, but that's about it.

"We weren't cast here as a test to see if our strength, willpower, and stamina could get us through the turbulence of life. We're here to issue directives-- whatever we wish-- to a responsive Universe."

I think that's true in a way, but it's not complete. We are definitely not expected to do it alone. We can turn to a responsive God and are helped. Yet, I believe there is also a bigger purpose for our lives here on earth. I believe God is real and loves us. Yes, our Heavenly Parents want us to grow and receive, but they also want us to return to live with them and grow for eternity to be more like them. In order to do that, we are here to show that's what we want. Our choices and actions matter. So, I think life is a test of sorts.

Like I said toward the beginning of this review, even with all its incompleteness, there are ideas I like in this book that got me thinking, including this:

"'Live' is a verb; it means to take action, and that's the point. Life is waiting for you to take action, to exercise your free will, to choose your path by using its principles to invoke the magic behind creation in order to live the life you've always dreamed you could live."

This is true.

So, thanks to this book, I will think and believe more deliberately. I will try to believe to the point that I naturally take action toward receiving more of what God wants me to receive here on earth. I will exercise more faith in possibilities.

Added later: I just read a few other reviews. I'm not surprised how many people didn't finish reading this before reviewing it. Even though I wouldn't recommend this book, I'm glad I pushed myself through to the end.
Profile Image for Lisa P..
59 reviews20 followers
June 20, 2012
Inspirational, thought provoking, calming and soothing all in one. I listened to this 9 disc audio book while driving or relaxing. It helped me focus on what is important and brush up on intention, thoughts become things and attracting what I want in life.
Profile Image for Todd.
197 reviews7 followers
August 9, 2011
This was originally produced as a serial publication, and it shows. It is redundant and lacking a unifying organization. It's heavy on snake oil and what I can only describe as secular abundance theology.

Having said all of that, I think he is mostly right. I agree with him. Thoughts do become things. I'm not sure if the universe is waiting to serve me the way Dooley claims, but I do think the power of consciousness is far beyond what we currently understand.
167 reviews1 follower
August 2, 2010
Okay, thoughts become actions and actions take you to your dreams, but getting through the first 25 pages of Dooley's psuedo religious beliefs seemed a great excuse to back out of everything I've invested my life in and become a pleasure seeker. Doesn't seem right. Couldn't finish half the book.
Profile Image for Joe Schenck.
32 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2019
Great advice for the socioeconomically privileged and able-bodied. Just smile more and spend money like you already have it cuz that’s what worked for the author.
Profile Image for Heidi McIntyre.
Author 1 book95 followers
January 31, 2022
I had heard about Mike Dooley, a friend who had read The Complete Notes from the Universe and raved about it. I was drawn to this book because I made a big career change six months ago, and I felt like I needed a pep talk going into this new year as I prepare to launch my first fiction novel this summer. I listened to this book on tape so Mike became like a life coach, encouraging and giving lots of advice.

I didn't necessarily learn anything new because the book was a lot like The Secret on steroids. And at times, the cheerleader tone became too much, so I had to stop and pause a bit. But it did remind me of the power of thoughts and the importance of visualization which I am using. And the coaching was helpful too!
Profile Image for Naveen Kumar.
189 reviews9 followers
July 14, 2022
#4 of 25 loa books
Good
Infinite Possibilities is a nice coffee table book you’d pick up when you’re completely out of motivation. I recommend reading it more than once to grasp the book’s concepts. Reread your highlighted favorites at least.

For avid Law of Attraction fans, you can add this to your LOA collection. You either may find something new or the same, repeated themes. There were a few chapters I merely skimmed because I read it before in other books.

Infinite Possibilities is about changing your mental state. Change your inner world and watch your reality transform.
Profile Image for Vlad.
8 reviews
August 28, 2019
It was a quite disappointing read. The way of author's expressions of the subject is just not my cup of tea, I guess. I gave it 2 stars because I liked the last chapter of the book, particularly the part that says we should not take life and ourselves for granted, because there is magic absolutely everywhere and at each moment.
20 reviews
October 10, 2020
I enjoyed Mr. Dooley's appearance in the DVD version of "The Secret" which is why I looked up this book.

He does a good job of presenting the basics of the Law of Attraction. Which as I see it are:
1) Define your goal or dream clearly.
2) Imagine yourself having it frequently
3) Act on anything that might move you toward your goal.
4) Maintain a positive attitude by being grateful for what you have and thinking about how great it will be when you attain your goal.

Mr. Dooley views the world we live in as a dream-like state, a manifestation of who we truly are. While this may not be true, it does help one stay on track when pursuing dreams. After all, if adversity is no more real than success why get upset about it?

One criticism I have of this book, and similar books, is that they are too verbose. This book could have been half as long and still gotten the point across. My guess is that these books need to be a certain length to be marketable. Wouldn't you feel cheated if you paid $20 for the book only to discover it's more like a pamphlet?
Profile Image for Mikell.
29 reviews
October 29, 2012
When everyone sees the world through the eyes of Mike Dooley, we will have reached Nirvana. He will guide you to discover and embrace your dreams. Fear will be replaced with faith and joy!

Living a joyful, asset based life will eliminate the need to fill the void with over eating, drugs, alcohol, gambling and any other addictions. They will no longer be on your radar screen.

We have been convinced, by people who want to sell us things we don't need, that our lives our lacking. If we rediscover our dreams and passions, we will find that we have everything we need to live in dharma.

Find a copy of this book, read it, then read it again, and again. Get copies for your friends - and people who aren't your friends!!! (You will no longer have enemies after you read this book!)

Dooley's philosophy is not new, but his approach is spirited, humorous and unique!
Profile Image for Janine.
136 reviews14 followers
January 2, 2016
What a great motivational text to start living the life of your dreams! Start within. Adjust your mind and your thinking. Dream big. Get rid of excuses and take responsibility. Don't wallow in the past. Get up and take action. And believe it will happen. And it will. I have seen it over and over again. A very simple, yet powerful message that everyone should read.
"Living the life of your dreams isn't just about dreaming; its about living. You have to put yourself out into the world so that the winds of change can catch your sails, you have to go out so that the universe will have every opportunity to work its wonders and grant you new people, wonderful accidents, and crazy coincidences - none of which can happen if you just sit inside and visualize all day."
Profile Image for Dave Myers.
4 reviews3 followers
October 17, 2012
This book is a pretty meaty read to say the least. Definitely one that should remain resting on the coffee table to revisit! MIke Dooley does a clear and concise approach to cultivating your goals, and manifesting your dreams into a reality. Many people today have given up on even approaching trying to have some part of their dream happen so im glad this book was written. I see art in everything so his writing style maintained a good flow.

Overall this is a positive good read. I suggest if you feel like you need a new approach or perspective in life then by all means read it! =D
Profile Image for Becki at Becki's Bookshelf.
31 reviews
November 14, 2018
This book was too long.

As other reviewers have noted, Dooley is intelligent and knows what he's talking about. I gained a lot from reading this book, but found its length off-putting. Regardless of how much (new!) information I gleaned from this book, its wordiness was too much.

It took me months to read because I had to continually read over passages due to the length of the sentences and the repetition of the same concepts.

I'll definitely read another of Mike Dooley's books, but I will do so with the predisposition that it's going to be a wordy read.
Profile Image for Sarah Butland.
Author 22 books79 followers
June 14, 2015
A life changing, thought altering, perfectly timed (because of course, thoughts become things) piece of literature.

Feeling lost? Like life is a struggle? Change your perspective and change the world simply by taking the time to read this book and be. Mike Dooley teaches his readers that it is, truly is, all that easy.

So get the book, read the book and be "selfish" to truly effect all of our lives.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland
Profile Image for Carolyn.
626 reviews4 followers
November 18, 2017
I think Mike Dooley is so motivating. I've read (or listened to) a few of his books and always take away something new. And it's not just woo-woo; there are actionable steps to manifest your dreams. The last two chapters are a great pep-talk if you've been at this before and need some reinforcement.
11 reviews
November 24, 2018
Another God book on manifesting

Sadly, this book sounded like a promising book on actual creativity...but it's just another unfortunate (and probably successful) attempt to profit from the whole God and manifesting craze. Could only drag myself through a few sentences of the first couple of chapters. Big disappointment and a waste of my money.
Profile Image for Georg Wanek.
5 reviews
April 16, 2014
Thoughts become things. It's all there. You have all the power, capabilities. You have choosen for everything. This book is so powerful, simple and obvious. A lot of trust is involved. Dealing with emotions, acting as if, visualizing things in a simple way.
Profile Image for Amy Latta.
Author 1 book18 followers
September 14, 2021
On the surface, it’s yet another law of attraction book.
But damn.
It’s a good one.
I give a copy to each of my clients.
Because sometimes you need to hear “thoughts become things” 100 times before it sinks in.

And then read it again, because you’re gonna forget.

The audio book was delightful.
Profile Image for Lee Green.
15 reviews10 followers
August 12, 2019
This book changed my whole view of life and therefore it changed my life itself.
332 reviews
July 18, 2023
Just what I needed when I needed it.

I’ve recently had several unsolicited offers on my house recently and I didn’t understand why. So, I began to look into why. Then I came across this book and read it. I’ve always said that I never intended to stay where I was and therefore the Universe was putting these thoughts into action. To further why I got these offers both I rejected because they wanted land contracts (more trouble than they're worth) I started getting rid of things. I emptied out everything that had been in storage for 14 years and packed up a lot of other things. Clearly I’m moving. So, I used the visualization technique Mike walks you through in the book. Turns out I was already doing them. So, I set out to attract someone into my life to buy my house and found out that the graveyard two houses down from me is full. They are asking the city to allow them to start buying homes for expansion. Okay, I guess I’m moving and I’m staying away from the ‘cursed how’s’ which is very hard for me. The city will approve the buyouts for tax purposes and because we’re not fighting it. I used visualization seeing my neighbors accepting this notion of the buyouts coming. Within two days my neighbors between me and the graveyard are talking about how wonderful it will be when the buyout comes. I needed this book to help me understand ‘why’ things were happening, to let go of the ‘how’s’ and then to attract to me the ‘right’ people to move me forward on this goal. I’m now using this for a new job and it didn’t take long to get an offer.
1 review
August 3, 2023
This book is a must-read. I highly recommend it; it really changed my perspective. I usually try to be optimistic and see the glass as half full, but reading this book was something more. Each time I started reading it, it put me in a higher vibration, a state where I felt like nothing is impossible. I liked the stories of Mike because they helped me in my day-to-day life experiences.

One important takeaway for me was the shift from visualizing the end result to visualizing happiness without sticking to anything specific. Personally, I rarely saw results from visualizations, and they never seemed to happen to me. However, this time, after my consistent morning meditations, I simply visualized myself being happy and excited, and in a short amount of time, I witnessed amazing results. I was called for an interview unexpectedly, and then progressed to the second round. Despite inflation, our owner decreased our rent. In my side business, I signed three contracts in just one week, something that usually took much more time. Moreover, I met someone out of the blue who resembled someone I always wanted to date. I must emphasize that I didn't visualize any of these specific events; I solely focused on visualizing happiness and excitement.

Thank you, Mike, for writing such an amazing book!
Profile Image for G-Raff.
49 reviews
July 19, 2017
While "The Secret" may provide the basis for the attainment of goals, it only scratches the surface and unless you understand the reasons behind what it is you're chasing, self-fulfilment is likely to elude you. This book is by far one of the best I've read. It asks the reader to dig deep into the conscious and subconscious mind and strip back your inner belief system to identify where your desires stem from. Forces you to question why you think the things you do and where this behaviour stems from, why you want the things you do and what you hope to feel when you get what you want. "The Secret" may be a starting step for those on the path to self-discovery but this is the book I would recommend if you really want to clear out your emotional clutter and embark on a journey of self-discovery where you realise you and you alone are the driver of where your life goes. It's superiority to "The Secret" cannot be under-stated. If you really want to free yourself from your emotional prison, this is the one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews

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