What if it actually works out?

The time when I accidentally dreamed big and doubled my income

Hi fellow friend of letters, I hope you made it through January without burning out, hopefully doing things at your own pace, enjoying the gradual return of the light and birds singing in the morning. As I am dreaming of what 2025 could look like, I’ve been asking myself this simple question daily: “What if it works out”?

I’m tired of people saying we should dream within reason. To not aim too high, just in case we fall. Times aren’t easy, yes. But what if the only thing holding us back is the size of everyone’s belief?

What if the key to making things happen isn’t luck, timing or reality, but us fully owning those big dreams in the first place?

Source

The time when I accidentally dreamed bigger than planned

I remember sitting in a workshop a few years ago. I had just quit my job out of frustration and a deep knowing that I shouldn’t connect my passion to work in this particular way.

I had no backup plan. Just trust of some sort, paired with a bit (a lot?) of desperation. I figured I could survive two to three months, stretching if I needed to. My salary was barely covering expenses in London at the time and I didn’t really have savings, just a small bonus payout on the horizon.

I have crystal clear memories of that moment when it was my turn to share my next bold move. With sweaty hands, I wanted to say “I want to increase my annual income by 10k”. But somehow, my mouth said something else: “I want to double my salary.” 😳

I froze and blushed. I had no idea where that thought had come from. “Oh no, I meant just 10k more!” But the group caught me and stopped me from playing small.

"No, Carmen. Go for it. You never know, you need to start with higher ambitions."

I had doubts. Doubling my income? That’s audacious!

But what if it would work? What if it all worked out fine?

Sazzy me went into the job search with a completely new attitude and just a few weeks later, I signed a new contract, doubling my income. Soon later, I found out I could have asked for even more. Wow. The dream could have been bigger. I only felt safe to dream as big as I did at the time, but over the years I learned that uncertainty doesn’t break me. It’s a fun playground.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. All we need is a tiny flame within us to move forward despite all doubts.

source: my canva skills :D

Our mindset really matters.

To help with that, I love a little bit of science mixed with spiritual approaches plus living with the seasons. A powerful elixir. That’s why I approach dreaming, or goal setting if you want to call it that, with a holistic understanding of our subconscious mind.

The science of dreaming like an athlete

Many of us are scared of failure, so much so that we don’t even dare to dream big. We’re told to keep our heads down, play safe, and fit in. Especially women.

But elite athletes don’t think and act this way.

If they want to win, they can’t afford keep themselves small.

When Olympians train, they don’t say, Maybe I’ll win gold. They set their minds to winning gold. There’s no other way, and serious injuries are very likely when they set their minds to what could go wrong.

In fact, Science backs this up—our brains respond to intention in the most incredible ways. When we believe in an outcome, we are alert and start noticing the right opportunities, making better choices, and effortlessly moving towards our desired outcome.

So why don’t we do this in everyday life instead of celebrating our favourite athletes as humans with supernatural talents?

We have all it takes within each and every one of us.

Beth Kempton

found my note on Substack that inspired this letter 😍

The play of boldness and letting go

To conclude the argument with one last point. As much as our mindset matters is the ability to let go. I really think over-obsessing is the wrong approach, dreaming big isn’t about forcing things into place. It’s about trust. And that can be the tricky bit.

In fact, when we fully believe in our vision, we can let go of the constant pushing, stressing, and second-guessing. When we let creativity do its magic everything can unfold,

Elin Petronella

and I concluded in an exchange the other day 🦋

Since now is the time to dream - are you ready?

We’re still in winter and I wrote here about why I don’t believe in annual goal-setting at the start of January. Now in early February, we’re in the season of renewal—Imbolc, Candlemas, the first stirrings of spring. We can see the sunset later every day, the air smells different and earthy when the sun peeks through the clouds.

It’s a time for

• curious exploration, intention-setting, and planting seeds slowly. Creatively.

• less spreadsheets more putting pen or paint brush to paper…

• trusting the unseen growth happening beneath the surface, inside ourselves and outside in our gardens, fields and forests.

The time for daring to believe in things we barely want to say out loud. (find some seasonal reflections in my post from last year here)

So what if you let yourself? What if you dared to say your dreams out loud?

Even if you start with whispers at first…

Because, what if it all actually works?

Please share in the comments so everyone can cheer you on!

I have a gift for you, an early Valentine’s gift if you will.

This is me being courageous now and sharing these news:

If you’re in a season of change this spring—launching something new, making a big decision, stepping into the unknown, about to move country, publish a book or buy a house—I’d love to be your mirror, sounding board, neutral ground or someone to remind you how big you really can go, I’m here. 🦋

What you can win: One-off free time with me: You can jump on a 30-minute call or send me a voice note and all I ask in exchange is a testimonial and recommendation of my writing and mentoring/coaching in your network.

This time, you don’t have to dream alone.

You can read more about my background and values here:

And if you’re curious, fill in this form and I’ll reach out to the 1 lucky winner - no strings attached, we can explore if we are the perfect match for your challenge.

My principle:

source: my canva skills :D

That’s it from me today. 🫶 Thank you for reading. If you’re new here, you are now warmly invited to join a growing community of readers, here in this online space dedicated to the art of rest, rituals and nurturing rhythms in business and life.

Lots of love,

Carmen