Today is The DAY

I’m really doing it! 

My car is packed with tons of stuff and my 4 parrots and I’m headed to DC!

My little guy is already waiting for me on the East coast with his Grandparents, which gives me tons of motivation to drive like the wind :)  I’m so excited for my fresh start in life and the fantastic opportunities my business will bring!

I wanted to share with you my new motto – or mission statement for you business types:

My life is filled with joy, abundance, passion, and adventure. I make a difference.

It’s simple, short and to the point, but embodies exactly what I want out of life. I’m going to say it every morning and live each day making it a reality. It’s a shift in mental attitude – I AM happy, not I want to be happy. I AM a successful businesswoman, not I want to be a successful businesswoman. It’s a foregone conclusion in my mind and the ideas keep on coming!

Don't forget to sign up for my email list at the top of the page. That way you can hear all about my business progress next – I can’t wait to share it with you!

Here’s wishing you safe travels in all life’s adventures,

Kaly

The Sound of Silence

Boy, I’ve been silent lately.

I could blame it on a busy life with my upcoming move, a 7 month old, a business trip and other things life has thrown at me, but that just isn’t the truth.

So, I’m standing in my truth.

The thoughts in my head have been swirling around and around with so many business ideas there just hasn’t been enough space to explain what is going on!

Too many ideas isn’t necessarily a good thing – especially when I think they are all really great ideas (I know I’m biased :)

In times like this I tend to do nothing while I wait for my mind to sort things out and send me on a vector or direction for you non-pilot types.

In times like this I really seek out inspiration from others since I can't always rely on my wisdom alone.

Maybe you’ve experienced times like these when your mind just doesn’t quit thinking. Do you tend to withdraw from the world like I do? Maybe these inspirational quotes will speak to you like they did to me.

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." William Jennings Bryan

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Everything changed in her life the day she realized she had enough time for all the important things.” Brian Andres

Maybe you’ve experienced times like these when your mind just doesn’t quit thinking. Do you tend to withdraw from the world like I do? 

How do you deal with the times in your life when your mind is too busy to function? I’d love for you to share your story with us below!

Here’s wishing you Passion. Adventure. Business.

Kaly Marie

What Makes you HAPPY?

So when I began this blog just a few weeks ago, I though that my journey towards entrepreneurship would be full of discovery and learning – I just didn’t realize I would be discovering and learning about myself!

Before you can even begin to start a business, you have to ask yourself this question: What makes me happy?

It seems very simple, but it is far from it. It takes some serious introspection. I think that is why it often takes some serious knocks before you are really ready to ask the question…it certainly did for me.

I used to spend the evenings watching TV or surfing the internet, simply wasting the hours away. Why? I certainly thought my life was fine and fulfilling. But, I was missing something. I didn’t have something to wake up for each morning, something I wanted to spend every waking hour doing. I just didn’t realize it until my whole life was flipped upside down.

Do you have the courage to ask the hard questions? 

Is your life making you happy? 

Is what you doing for a living merely a way to make money or does it add passion and adventure to your life? 

If you ask those hard question and find something lacking...do you have the courage to do something about it?

I’d love to hear your story below!

Wishing you passion and adventure in your life and your work,

Kaly Marie

BROKEN OPEN

So, there I was…

32 years old with a brand new child, a loving husband, and a job that I enjoyed. I didn’t love the job, but I enjoyed the challenge and the people I worked with everyday. I was happy and comfortable in my life and I felt very accomplished for 32 years old. 

Then I got hit with a brick. My marriage ended VERY suddenly and I was on my own with my little bundle of joy. I had no choice but to go back to work. It felt like my soul was being ripped from me when I left him each day. How could I justify leaving my child every day for a job that I didn’t love? Sure, it put food on the table and paid the bills, but was it worth leaving him?

There is a great debate between people who say that you should love what you do and others who say the money is more important than the passion. Last year Forbes wrote an article Five Reasons to Ignore the Advice to Do What You Love. Having been on both sides, I firmly believe that one side has experienced the true VALUE of being passionately in love with what they do and the other side hasn’t. Plain and simple. Until you personally experience what it is like to love what you do, you really can’t understand its true value. It’s like riding a high each day. And it is SO MUCH FUN!

Tonight I’ve been reading Steve Job’s Commencement Address to Stanford University in 2005. While the whole text is worth reading, the following advice really hit home, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love.”

I was happy and comfortable in my life. If my marriage hadn’t ended and I hadn’t been broken to pieces, I wouldn’t have had to put myself back together again. I wouldn’t have had to wonder if there was more for me in this life…if I was MEANT TO DO MORE in this life. I’ve lived what Steve Jobs was describing, but I didn’t have a job I loved to support me through it all. I WILL NEVER SETTLE FOR LESS NOW. It isn’t only me I’m living for now; I have my son to think of and he won’t see me settle.

Sometimes it is difficult to find what you love doing. I have some ideas, but I’m not ready to fully commit to them in print yet. I can tell you that I know without a doubt that I’m going to find what I love and I’m going to make good money doing it.

Have you found what you love? I’d love for you to share your journey below :)

Kaly Marie

Pasion. Adventure. Business.

Kaly Marie McKenna Business Ventures

ALL or NOTHING...Seriously?!

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I want to be a successful entrepreneur. But, I’m not in a financial situation to quit my job and launch my business from scratch. I mean, I have a six month old and four parrots to take care of!! Let’s be serious now, the cost of organic parrot food can add up quickly :)

Does it really make me less serious about the endeavor if I’m not going to be a “struggling artist”? Why can’t I spend my free waking and oftentimes dreaming hours on the business? Will it be enough? Can I make it all work?

Ugh! The wise voice in my said says, “TAKE IT EASY. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. You will have everything you need.”

Why does it have to be all or nothing?

If you have a fantastic idea for a business, why not start small? Take baby steps to see if your idea can be profitable. I don’t think many of us have the financial cushion to quit everything and jump right in. After some time of developing your business you can take stock of what you’ve been doing. Do you even enjoy it? Does it still feel like work? Maybe yes, but MAYBE you’ve hit the JACKPOT and love every moment you spend on your business. Then, you can spend the time to grow your business into something profitable that excites your passion and provides an extra oomph of adventure in your life!

Passion. Adventure. Business.

Kaly Marie

PS: My childhood friend, Cora Poage, just posted these wise words today:

I hear this A LOT...Many Entrepreneurs who are in the "Business Building" stage of their process, see having or needing part time jobs to create other income streams as settling or even Failing. Let those Judgements and Limiting Beliefs go!! At one point on my Journey, just 3 years ago actually, I was working FOUR other jobs (restaurant hostess, nursery school teacher, personal trainer, etc), in ADDITION to building my Coaching Practice. And because my base income needs were being met, I could build a business, not out of Urgency, Fear, or Lack, but one from Overflow, Love, Soul Centered Purpose. SO worth it...xoxoCC PS. Not necessarily recommending FOUR other jobs…lol

Coincidence? I think not!!

You can follow Cora at her amazing website www.SexySoulWellness.com :)

DIVE IN - The Water's Great!!

Friends often ask me, how do I start? 

The easiest answer is also the hardest. You decide to start. You DIVE RIGHT IN! Not tomorrow, not when you have this or that, but right now! No more excuses!

I’ve known for a long time that I should start my own business. I’ve also rebelled from the idea for very personal reasons. My father owned his own business during a large part of my formative years and – while successful - I remember the impact of never knowing when the next paycheck would come. 

I like having a stable salary and the carrot of a military retirement for the rest of my life starting in only 9 years. 

But, I can’t continue to live an unfulfilled life! My heart, the very fiber of my being, is protesting against the thought of leaving my son each day and working only for a job that I don’t love. Even worse, I get to see people at work who love what they do. They love it and it shows in everything they do! It’s not the job that’s unlovable by any means, it’s just not aligned with my passions.

I’m going to start a business that maximizes my strengths and is aligned with my passion right now – I don’t want to “work” another day of my life!

Who’s with me?!

What’s been holding you back from starting your own business and following your dreams? Share with me in the comments below :)