Today, I want to share a story from my time as a ski instructor—one that has stayed with me ever since.
It’s about a kid whose journey perfectly captured how a fixed mindset can transform into a growth mindset. Understanding this shift can be powerful—especially when we face setbacks in recovery, or when we’re helping patients overcome obstacles.
Dr. Carol S. Dweck’s book Mindset opened my eyes to just how much our beliefs about learning and ability shape our outcomes. They can determine whether we push through challenges—or give up too soon.
Before reading the book, I used to think people were either born with a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. But it’s more nuanced than that.
A fixed mindset is when someone believes their abilities, intelligence, or outcomes are set in stone. You’re either talented—or you’re not. End of story.
As a physiotherapist, you’ve probably heard things like:
“My balance has always been off.”
“I was never the athletic type.”
“I’ve just always been the chubby kid.”
A growth mindset, in contrast, is the belief that abilities can improve—with time, effort, and persistence. Setbacks aren’t failures—they’re part of the learning process. People with this mindset treat challenges like experiments. And if you’re not failing at least a little, how do you know what’s working?
It’s tempting to think that brilliance is something people are born with. Gifted. Talented. Naturally good at what they do. But that kind of thinking quietly traps us in a fixed mindset. We start believing we have no control—that we either have “it” or we don’t.
A growth mindset puts us back in the driver’s seat. It doesn’t let us off the hook—it encourages action.
And that’s where Laurenz comes in.
Laurenz was five years old—shy, nervous, and skiing for the very first time. Unlike the other kids in the group, he needed more attention. He was scared of almost everything, and his confidence was near zero.
He noticed the other kids improving while he struggled. He cried—when he couldn’t control his skis, when he didn’t go fast enough to make the tiny jump, when things just didn’t go his way. Every challenge felt like a mountain.
Even riding the button lift alone was overwhelming. I joined him for a few rides, gradually encouraging him to try it on his own. Of course, he fell. And cried. But on the way back, I reminded him how far he had already come. I told him it’s normal not to get everything right the first time—and that if he kept trying, things would start to click.
Dr. Dweck points out in Mindset that praising kids for intelligence or talent often nudges them into a fixed mindset. Their success feels out of their control. But praising effort teaches them that their actions matter—that setbacks are part of learning—and that if one strategy doesn’t work, they can try another.
That’s exactly what I tried with Laurenz. And the next day, he was ready to try the button lift again. He fell again—but this time, he didn’t cry. When I asked how he felt, he said something that melted my heart:
“You can’t achieve everything on the first try, right?”
From that moment on, everything changed. He stopped fearing challenges. He started trying. Again and again. And slowly, he caught up. He unlocked a piece of his potential—simply because he believed he could.
Some patients are just like Laurenz. Maybe you are, too.
There are areas in our lives where we get stuck in fixed-mindset thinking. The good news: once you recognize it, you can shift toward a growth mindset—and begin discovering what you’re capable of.
I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures. . . . I divide the world into the learners and non-learners.
Benjamin Barber
🧪 Let’s Experiment
Next time you think, “I can’t do this,” remember Laurenz
and how small efforts lead to growth.
We all face challenges that feel bigger than us, but shifting focus from outcomes to effort can turn setbacks into progress.
🎯 Try This:
👉 If you’re a patient:
- Ask yourself: Where am I stuck in a fixed mindset?
- Identify the challenge that makes improvement feel impossible.
- Focus on effort, not perfection. Take one small step today, even if it’s imperfect.
👉 If you’re a physio:
- Celebrate small wins—they teach that persistence matters.
- Notice how you frame progress for your patients. Are you praising effort, not just results?
- Highlight setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures.
🧠 Final Thought:
Mindset is a tool we can all use. Be ready to learn. Be like Laurenz.
And remember—you don’t have to succeed on the first try.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.
Take care,
Carina 🦊