I was a stay at home mom with five kids.

One in private school, one in middle school, one in elementary school, one in preschool and a nursing baby attached at the hip. I was in two car pools. I volunteered at two schools. I made home cooked meals for my family seven days a week and did mountains of laundry. I attended at least three church meetings a week, sometimes four or five depending on the week or some church life crisis.

My days started at 5am, I would nurse the baby (Ava) and kiss Sean as he headed off to his 2-3 hour commute to work before getting the other four kids ready for their days, which all started 45 minutes apart.

I would go grocery shopping or run an errand then it was time to gather my little chicks back to home again. We lived in the country so each time I drove out was a minimum forty five minute round trip.

As much as I loved caring for my family, I was ready to start working towards something else in my life. Something more than running all over hell’s half acre.

A mentor of mine, Roy H. Williams taught me several years ago about exponential little bits. A little bit everyday. That’s what makes it happen.

If you want to accomplish something that seems unobtainable or unreachable, just put your mind to it and do a little bit each day. Are you wanting a big change in your life? New career, going back to school, starting a business, learn to play an instrument, get in shape, plan a vacation.

I started by getting more organized, I would shop only twice a month so I could use the “errand running time” to study more about what I wanted to do. Even if it was waiting in a carpool line. I would write out business plans and dreams of what I wanted to do.

I would take Ava and Kyleigh to the park and take pictures of them, learning more about lighting and portrait photography. During Ava’s nap time, I would put her down to sleep in the studio so that I could photograph her while she was sleeping and practice my studio lighting.

I would ask other moms if I could photograph their kids and send them prints for free. Until one day a mom I met at the park asked if I would do a photo session of her daughter. She paid me for that session. I came up with a price list for prints. Then three months later she asked for another session. From that session, she purchased $3,000 in prints. That was when I only charged $20 for an 8×10. That was the validation I needed. From that point on, my business had officially started. One year from when I put my thoughts to paper and made a commitment to start a new thing in my life, it came to reality that I was depositing a check in the bank for three thousand dollars.

When you set your mind to something, and commit to following through, no matter how long it takes, you have to do more than just ‘wish’ it into being. You just have to work at it a little bit each day and it will come together.

It won’t all happen in one day.

Being committed to your decision means being willing to do something everyday, no matter how little to move you closer to what you seek to achieve.

If it is a job change, then start learning and gathering the skills needed for that job. Meet for coffee or send an email to someone who is already doing your dream job.

If it is learning a new skill, begin to read articles or books about it.

If it is starting a business or hobby business, then gather what you will need to start it. Supplies, used equipment… whatever it takes. Start right where you are.

If it is a vacation you have always dreamed about, then take a google map and start planning it. Find people that live there through facebook or other meetup groups. Engage in conversation with others who have made the same trip. Count the cost, save your spare change everyday, skip the $4 coffee and put that money towards your goal. Before you know it you will feel the cool waves crashing on your legs, or zooming down the slopes in Switzerland…whatever it is, start planning for it now.

With technology and information literally at your fingertips 24 hours a day, there is no reason to not put your dream into motion and start seeing it become reality.

Your dreams and visions are your responsibility to make happen, not someone else’s.

If you have already started down the path and have been working on your exponential little bits, but things don’t seem to be happening quick enough, then you may need to cut some things out of your life to make room for what you say is your true desire. It’s never a bad idea to take inventory of where you spend your time and money.

Turn off the TV or better yet stop paying for it and put that money toward your goal, take the Facebook app off of your phone, sleep one hour less a night, skip going out that extra night a week or month. Implement a new time management life hack once a week.

Soon you will find extra time throughout your day to start applying this time to your passion.

When you are ready to get going on your changes, let me know your plans. Sometimes stating it to someone, putting it into words is what will get the ball rolling. But also, I will warn you, use caution when sharing your dreams. Stay away from the negative people stuck in their own lives and the naysayers that don’t want to see you succeed. Keep a positive attitude and just take one step at a time.