Forgetting Your Own Limitations – The Power of the Subconscious Mind

In my February blog I mentioned that I was planning a trip to Greenland.

I’d been dreaming about this for many years and I have to say, I’m really not sure where this desire originally came from. But I believe it was based on a romantic idea of the landscape, the culture and the life of the Inuit.

Of course, the dream included admiring Greenland’s certainly impressive snow-covered landscape, including the glaciers, but also very specific plans such as snowmobile tours, hiking on the inland ice, dog sledding and even staying overnight in an original igloo.

No sooner said than done. I had just gone through a challenging time both professionally and personally and rewarded myself with the fulfillment of this dream. A week in Ilulissat. By myself. No travel companion, no tour group. Just me, myself and I.

I started dreaming about this trip to Greenland before I was diagnosed with cancer and before all the treatments and side effects. I was fit as a fiddle, very athletic and felt strong, both physically and mentally. Now, many years later, when I set out planning the trip and all the things I wanted it to include, I was totally excited and started booking the various items on my bucket list one by one. I happily packed all the things and equipment I thought I’d need and set off.

When I arrived in Greenland – all its roads covered in ice and snow, traveling in small, cramped propeller planes, with daytime temperatures sometimes as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius – I quickly realized that I might have been fit as a fiddle many years ago. But today? I immediately reached my physical limits. My backpack felt far too heavy. On my first longer hike, where I was sometimes knee-deep in snow, I had to deal with balance problems due to my polyneuropathy, along with muscle cramps.

The first mental doubts followed: What on earth had possessed me to undertake this crazy journey? How could I have overestimated myself and my strength so much? And to take this trip all by myself?

What was I going to do? How was I going to manage the treks, the weight of my backpack, the snowmobile tour, or the night in an igloo? Should I stay in my room for a week and read books? Had I come all this way for that?

I have no one to blame but myself. You may be thinking that right now. And you’d be right.

So what to do?

Giving up was not an option for me. That was never my way. So I came up with a new strategy:

I broke my goals down into smaller steps. I didn’t look at the whole week at once, but one day at a time, one action at a time. Every completed action went into my personal “I did it” record.

During periods of weakness, I simply stood still. I rested, enjoyed the scenery, talked to locals and other travelers. These pauses helped me recharge and slow down.

I also did something unexpected: I asked strangers for help. And it worked. Effortlessly. Without shame. Instead, it created connection and mutual support.

This made me realize that everyone carries challenges, regardless of age or fitness. Together, complementing each other, we were stronger.

And in the end, I realized something important:

There were moments when I was simply too tired to overthink. I turned off my head and just did it. And it worked. Smoothly.

It occurred to me that maybe my subconscious mind didn’t even know about my limitations.

What if the body doesn’t know what it can’t do? What if it simply performs from memory?

The less attention I paid to my worries, the better things went.

I stopped telling my body what wasn’t possible.

That doesn’t work for everything. But it taught me to trust my intuition and unconscious processes more.

Don’t tell yourself what you can’t do. If your intuition believes it will work, it often will.

So: What is your long overdue dream?

Go for it,

Your Crisis Manager