“Draw four cards! Ha!” He threw that UNO card down with intensity. 

Sitting to his left, I added another Draw Four card to his, and then his daddy added one too. 

“Oh Grandma! You have to pick up TWELVE cards!” He pointed and laughed, obviously enjoying the bit of revenge he was getting for her previous win.

“Oh no, I don’t!” She stuck her tongue out at him and threw down another one.

His daddy and I gasped in unison with him and waited for his reaction. He sat there, stuck in the moment, for almost a minute before the tears started.

“Sixteen cards? I don’t want to play anymore!” He said it, but started to pick up the cards at the same time. He loved this game and the family time that surrounded it, so he took a deep breath and started to count cards into his hand.

About the fifth card in, his face shifted from sadness to excitement, and he told us why through some slightly sadistic laughter, “Oh, you guys better watch out. I have only picked up five of the cards, and they are all deadly.” The smile slipped across his face, and we all laughed, grateful to see him finding the opportunity in the challenge.

His dad and I giggled about the funny moment, and how he ended up kicking our butts, before we went to bed that night.

As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about how amazing it was to see him so quickly shift from an upset to an opportunity, and I thought about what a perfect mirror that was for my life. 

He was 5 years old at the time, and I was just learning how to dream again. I’d found my message and the value I bring to the world, I’d attracted a Secret Teacher into my life in just 3 months, and it was all magic…until I felt like God made me “draw sixteen on my dreams” again!

How many times have I gotten excited about a dream,
only to watch it die?

How many times will God allow the doors to slam,
before I just say “Screw it” and give up?

Have you drawn sixteen on your dreams?

And just a few years later, I found myself in the same spot…again. All I could do was shake my fist at the heavens and scream for an answer.

The one that came blew my mind, and made me vow to share it with everyone who crosses my path.

Essentially, I did what my son had done many years before…I found the opportunity, the purpose, for all of those slammed doors.

And it changed my life…FAST!

Just three years later, I am living my dream – running a business that is transforming lives and delivering powerfully healing messages into the world. 

What are you going to do with the cards you have -–
let the dream die, or find the opportunity?

As a Transformational Speaker, Bestselling Author, and Message Coach, Amanda Johnson helps aspiring and struggling speakers, authors, coaches…and parents…change their lives and their world with powerful messages. In her #1 bestselling book Upside-Down Mommy, Amanda shares The Butterfly Approach philosophy responsible for her successes as a parent, wife, coach, and entrepreneur.

The post Draw Sixteen on Your Dreams! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Take a break for a few minutes from whatever you were doing before reading this article. Clear your mind of errands to run, projects to complete, racing thoughts of all kinds. And think for a moment about your life and these two words:

1. Certainty
2. Uncertainty

 These two premises, one being an outcome that is without doubt, the other a circumstance that nobody can predict or guarantee, are capable of explaining your whole life! And why it’s not exactly how you wish it were right now.

When we have great “certainty” there is an urge for most of us to seek “uncertainty.” For instance, some people when surrounded by great certainty — such as while in a steady, secure job or in a committed long- term relationship — say they are bored or are not feeling alive. They feel they’re not using their talents to the maximum, not feeling that excitement in their marriage, not feeling like they’re living the life they always imagined.

Yet, when we have great uncertainty in our lives, as many now do during these financial times, we seek greater certainty. Suddenly a steady marriage feels supportive and necessary, a secure job a blessing.

Likewise, when we have great certainty we’re willing to take greater risks in order to achieve a certain level of uncertainty, but if we are living with great uncertainty suddenly even the smallest of risks seems like too much.

Whichever side you are on right now, certainty or uncertainty, really isn’t important, however. What is important is that you realize you are likely always seeking out that which you do not have.

It’s a classic case of “the grass is always greener on the other side.” Usually that’s the case because it’s fertilized with BS! The solution? Embrace the present moment, whatever it may be. Change is good, as long as you’re living in the present.

Always seeking what you do not have keeps you in a constant state of unrest. You are continually wishing your life were different in some way, and in this way can never truly feel content, fulfilled or even happy.

But this is not to say you should never strive for change. Rather, you should embrace what you have right now, and then take the steps to go after your dreams. It takes effort on your part to do this — to accept and embrace the here and now while opening yourself to whatever the future will bring.

Again, this is not about wishing for the future to the extent that you miss out on today. Always at the forefront of your mind should be living in the moment.

This deceptively simple premise is very difficult for many people. A major part of the problem is that most people are living their lives to please other people, or they are living the life they think they should (rather than the life they really want). In so doing, they often want to ignore the present moment because it does not feel true nor right to their hearts.

Your first step, then, should be to identify what it is you want! Then start taking the following steps to get you there.

Are You Ready to Have the Life You Really Want? Then Follow These Steps

In the tips that follow you’ll learn ways to set realistic goals and achieve desired outcomes that you will achieve by being in the moment everyday with what you want to do, will do, and that you then do — to achieve exactly what you want to in your life journey starting now! Today!

1. Focus on living in the present, feeling neither regret for past events nor fear or calm down and stay present even in the plan can make all the difference to stay relaxed.

2.Choose to have a positive attitude. A positive attitude trumps just about everything when it comes to success and happiness, and this is a state of mind that you can choose. In other words, YOU control how you view a situation and whether you perceive it negatively or positively. So if negative thoughts enter your mind, do not give them any attention.

Instead, focus on the many good things in your life and be grateful for what you have, especially the things you may take for granted, like food, shelter, your health and people who love you, and whom you love in return.

3. Write down your goals. Writing about life goals is associated with enhanced well- being, according to the Positive Psychology Center. Remember to phrase your goals as though you have already achieved them, such as “I enjoy being at my ideal weight.”

4. Laugh and smile — doing so will help you to live in the moment and maintain a positive outlook (both of which will also help you stay open to new opportunities coming your way).

5. Use daily affirmations. Similar to a mantra, a positive affirmation repeated after you wake up, before bed or anytime during the day can help to displace negative thoughts with positive ones and reaffirm what is most valuable to you.

The goal of these steps is three-fold:

• Allow you to feel happy and at peace with your life how it is right now
• Help you achieve and maintain a positive mental attitude
• Remind you of the importance of living in the present

As you naturally begin to adopt these three premises, you’ll find you’re satisfied with your life rather than continually seeking something different. Yet, at the same time you’ll notice positive opportunities await you each and every day. They’re there now, and yours for the taking — as soon as you stop focusing on what you do not have and embrace all that you do.

The post The Life You Live vs. the Life You Want to Live appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.