Are you intentional about your time? Do you control your schedule or does your schedule control you? 

It's the end of May and summer is right around the corner. Now is a great time to reevaluate our commitments, our schedule, and our calendar. You CAN say "no" to things and you CAN add in more fun with your friends or family.

Trying to accomplish big goals? Me, too. That's why I've decided to spend 1-2 hours per day reading and studying, so I can move my business forward. Maybe you want to set some new goals or intentions as we head into summer, too?

I've found that when we pay attention to the seasons, we can be more in tune with what we need.  Many business owners get discouraged during the summertime, but it doesn't have to be that way. Yes, things are different with the kids out of school, but who says you can't listen to business CDs or podcasts while you lie around at the pool? Catch up on your business books while you're at the beach. Wake up before your family and get your work done, so you can enjoy the long summer evenings.

Watch the video below for more inspiration and ideas. And reply to this email or comment below on your take-aways. I'd love to hear from you!

P.S. I love this whiteboard calendar for my kitchen, so my kids know exactly what's happening each week! 

It's time for a hard stop.
Pause.
What are you working on in your business? Are you only responding to problems, emails, disgruntled clients or employees? Or do you have a bigger vision that you are moving toward?

As we start a new week, you need to have a vision for where you are going. It takes discipline and perseverance to create a life that you LOVE and that fulfills you. You have to MAKE it happen and stop just responding to what is in front of you at the moment. Only YOU can decide to make a change.

Maybe you just returned home from a conference. You had ideas and were energized by hope for the future. After a couple weeks, it's back to the grind. The excitement has faded. You're pushing off your projects, just to get through another day.

Silence your phone. Stop looking at your email. Get off Facebook. Grab a post-it note or fresh piece of paper. What do you REALLY want to accomplish this week? This month? This year? What project will you finally get started or even complete? NO ONE can decide this except YOU. You are solely in charge of your life. Stop making excuses or blaming other people. If you really want your life or business to change, it's going to take YOU making some big changes and decisions.

• Wake up earlier than your family and work in the silence.
• Get away from the house/your office and work at the library where it's boring and quiet.
• Say "no thank you" to social events so you can stay focused.
• Pre-prep meals so you aren't getting distracted by the giant food monster. 
• Set up a babysitter or friend to drive your kids to their activities, so you don't have to.
• Hire a housecleaner so you aren't constantly cleaning or doing laundry.

The greatest thing you can do is stop RESPONDING to all the fires and start being PROACTIVE in your life.

Only you can decide that you really want to change and move forward. Be radical this week. Make a big decision.  Now, go tell a friend and make them hold you accountable.

I know you can do this. I'm cheering you on.

Check out more funny and inspiring videos on my Facebook Page! 

I grew up with parents who dreamed. 

They were in MLMs, they attended Amway rallies (I had a little shirt that said, "Go Diamond!"), and they always taught me to "think positive!"

I remember seeing little slips of paper in their bathroom drawer with lists of dreams they wanted to achieve (way before having a Bucket List was a thing).

My dad was in sales and I saw the ups and the downs and the feast and the famine of living on straight commission.

My mom produced amazing theatre shows with kids at church and in our private school. She started with a single script and ended with an amazing production-- filling the auditorium with singing, dancing, and drama. Sets and costumes and props. Solos and microphones and backdrops and volunteers in the wings. My dad would fly in from work (he never walks--sort of always runs/glides everywhere, while singing, of course) and help with the finishing touches.

Growing up, I knew my parents were amazing, and yet I didn't. They were just my parents. It was normal to all sing around the piano. It was normal to fall asleep to the two of them practicing for the worship set on a Saturday night. Alphabetizing and filing music on a Sunday afternoon (while watching Little House on the Prairie) was a regular part of our routine. It was normal to see my parents sing duets in church on Easter Sunday. 
​
When I moved to a new community and started raising my kids, I knew I wanted to share my parents with my friends. I also knew my kids had to grow up with the opportunity to be in my mom's incredible theatre shows. I was already growing my music school, so I told them, "I'll handle the billing and scheduling and marketing. You do theatre." And we did. And it was wildly successful. It was a felt need and we filled it.

(Both companies have grown so much that we are completely separate entities now, but we still cross-market and share students.)

Nine years later, those same kids that signed up for the preschool class are almost 13 years old, and headed to the big stage with the older kids next fall. I watched the lead characters of Sleeping Beauty this weekend, and remembered them in our preschool class, Musikgarten, singing and dancing around waving little colorful scarves. Many of the kids now take lessons at my studio and do theatre, too. Some of us go to the same church. As I wiped away a tear, my daughter asked me why I was crying. I simply said, "I love these kids."

Sometimes I worry that I should focus more on my kids. When I'm rolling out a new project or launch, I know I'm working more than usual. And then I realize I'm modeling real life for them. I'm showing them how to take a dream and make it a reality. I realize my parents did the same thing for me. They showed me that God wired each of us with gifts and abilities. It's our responsibility to use those gifts. And bless others. And make a difference in our community.

My mom always comes on stage, welcomes the audience, and introduces the show. As she walked on stage this weekend, my heart welled with pride. I've watched her do this since I was a little girl. It's what she does. She's amazing at pulling the best talent out of every child. She takes a dream and makes it a reality (after hours and hours of sweat and tears and planning and preparation). I love sharing my mom with students and families and audiences and auditoriums, but she is MY mom. She's mine. And I'm so very proud of her.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.
​Thank you for showing me how to chase my dreams.

I've had kids at home and underfoot while growing my business for the last 16 years. I wouldn't do it any other way. I love being with them while also doing what I love.

Taking my company from a side business to netting 6 figures has taken intentional, strategic planning. Along the way, I've developed strategies and secrets that have helped our family to grow and thrive. It's not easy, but it's possible!

I've taken all my best ideas and systems and put them into a 9-week course for moms like me who are raising kids while growing their business. 

To celebrate Mother's Day, I'm offering $50 off this course! Just use the code HK50 at checkout. Buy the course for yourself or your spouse and get real, practical solutions and heaps of encouragement. You don't have to do this alone. There tools, strategies, templates, and resources to help.

Here's what other moms are saying about this course:
"The content {of the course} was excellent. I like how you had it broken down into chunks that made sense and also how you started with learning about yourself/your kids. I loved the videos! And I loved being able to watch them at my own pace, on my own time! Even if they were only 15 min, sometimes I had to sneak them in in 2-3 sittings. I looked forward to the videos. It made me want to meet you in person! This experience has helped me a lot. . . still a lot of room for improvement in my days/systems. Your blog posts are excellent too. I am grateful."
Sarah Bodoh

​"Less than a year ago I was stuck in my business. I was so stuck that I often cried and wanted to give up. I knew I needed to change something, but wasn’t sure what.  I soon discovered I was doing way too many things in my life, many were time wasters, and I made the decision I was ready to get serious about growing my company.

I prayed for the right person who would be able to come into my life, and mentor me, as well as give me valuable tools to get things going in the right direction.  Last spring I met with Jen, and she explained she had once been in a similar situation.  She shared some things she had done to turn that around and build a successful company. I loved that she was a mom of 4 children like myself, and that by putting the right systems into place, it was possible to do it all!

Through the mentorship course, I have prioritized my time, organized my household, and put specific systems and strategies into place at my insurance agency. Where I once always felt behind, I am now on track and have time to plan for the future of my business.  I highly recommend Chris and Jen at Never Alone Services!" April Ariza

Here's what's included in this Mentorship Course:
The Happy Kids, Growing Biz Book
42-page self-paced Workbook Download
9 weekly videos (each about 15-20 minutes long) addressing all the key points of this journey, teaching and explaining the steps you need to take to bring more sanity, clarity, organization, and joy into your home and business

BONUS Materials include Done-for-You Systems and Templates for More Sanity in your Home!
Meal Plan - 3-week rotation schedule
Daily Kitchen Chore Chart for your kids
Daily and Weekly chore charts for your kids
An Operations Manual for your Home
Template for weekly Mentor Meetings with your kids
Sample Chore Charts for your kids

BUSINESS BONUS Materials Include:
BONUS #1
How to Really Understand Marketing and How to Make it Effective for YOUR Business!
What is marketing REALLY?
What do your prospective clients really need to hear before they buy from you?
​Get clear on who you are marketing to!
 
BONUS #2
Video Training: How to Understand the Psychology of a Successful Website
Know what your reader is thinking and adjust your website so it actually works. Know exactly what to tell your web designer so your website actually sells FOR you and consistently brings you new clients.
 
BONUS #3
Video Training: Our favorite WEB-BASED TOOLS to make your life easier and save you TIME!
These are our favorite tools for systemizing and streamlining our businesses! If you are constantly doing things that take hours of time, you could just be missing the right tool. We've researched hundreds and brought you our very favorite ones that WORK and are not expensive! If you don't have time for the research and trial and error of finding the right tools, this list will get you off and running in the right direction!

For $50 off (until May 18), use the code HK50!
Click here for more info on the course.

I know you have a deep desire inside of your heart for something more. 

What you've done, what you've accomplished, how far you've come...it's just not enough. Yes, it's good. It's note-worthy. (And it should be celebrated.) But you know there is more out there. More to do. More to conquer.

This is why you'll spend 2 hours working on your summer calendar--making sure every staff meeting is planned, every camp is scheduled, every baseball game noted.

You'll spend time pouring over your weekly obligations, making sure every single thing has a place. You'll do what no one else will do, because for you, life is so much more than just getting the laundry done or watching every episode of the newest trending show.

There's nothing wrong with people who live without a calendar, fly by the seat of their pants, and spontaneously make plans at the last second. Heck, no. But that's not you. You know that you have to be ever-so-diligent to plan out your days and weeks and months so you can do MORE. You're on a mission. You are determined to succeed. You'll order groceries online and put your toilet paper on autoship from Amazon, because to you, life shouldn't be wasted on chasing the ordinary. No, you're on a mission. In the pit of your stomach, you feel a burning heat. "There must be more to life than this. I'm still not satisfied. I can do more. I can dream bigger."

People tell you, "You're so busy! You do so much!" and you think to yourself, "I'm not even challenged yet. I'm actually still bored." That's the signal that you were made for more than an ordinary life. Some people want to sit on the couch and just play Candy Crush. Not you. You'll push and push and push and get that project done and people to help you. You'll have your laptop on your lap while binge-watching your favorite TV show, because, yes, you like your shows, but there's work to be done.

You see other people enthralled with trends and celebrities and passing fads. You distractedly notice, but your focus is on accomplishing your dreams.

Sometimes you feel out of place. Maybe you're the only one who wants something more. Something extraordinary. Maybe there's something wrong with you.

Psssst. I’m here to tell you: There's nothing wrong with you. You were made for this! What others think is hard is almost effortless for you. You thrive on the challenge. You love the fight. You are competitive and strong and you can't stand being bored. 

There's nothing wrong with you! Heck no. You were created on purpose, for a purpose! Stop comparing yourself to others! Let them run their race and you run yours. Stay in YOUR lane and do what YOU are called to do.

You can do big things, my friend. And you want to know the best part? When you do your thing, and you accomplish your goals? You inspire others. Yes, you do. You inspire other people to go for THEIR dreams. And that? That is a powerful thing!

Should I despise the Olympic medalist who loves to run and just won't stop training? No! Just because I don't like to run does not mean he should stop! I admire his running and his dedication. I'll do my thing and he will do his. And that runner won't give me a second glance. He ignores the stares and the incredulous looks of bystanders or onlookers. He runs. He runs well. He breaks his own records and keeps pushing.

I implore you: Get out there and go for your dreams. Run your own race. And run it well!
​
I'm cheering you on.