"you can do anything you set your mind to"

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I agree the statement is built on very shaky ground if it's to be taken literally. I'd be OK with it if they just quietly said "you might be able to do more than you think." I don't know why people exaggerate. It can achieve emphasis, but that's like shouting. Better to just say it straight and humble, and avoid burying it in stuff they don't want to emphasise. It can also achieve deception, which I'm not fond of either.

EDIT: It's also used for comedic effect, and I'm OK with that in general, but it had better be funny, and I don't see anything funny about the example in question. I suppose you could try laughing when they said it. That ought to damp them down a bit, or maybe get you fired.

"Gee, thanks for telling me that. How far do you think I could go as a movie star?"

"How long before I can rule the world and have you executed?"

But the crafty ones would probably say "That depends on whether or not you're prepared to receive my advice, and how hard you're prepared to work." They always fob the responsibility off onto the victim.

If I could do anything I set my mind to, why is it that my kid sister works all day in an office and I'm an unemployed hippie artist? I'm not jealous of my sister by any means. I think the saying "You can do anything you set your mind to." is inaccurate.

I've always gotten this toxic positivity from my family, with mixed results. It's always stifled my ability to introspect, because why do that if "you're so smart" and are able to do literally anything despite little evidence for it.

I like that. "Toxic positivity."

Sometimes the only way to be objective or fair is to be negative or neutral.

It reminds me of something infuriating I noticed in my son's public school district plan. They are focused on "closing achievement gaps." I had to look this up. It means making everyone perform the same. Which is ridiculous. Each person will have some things they are better at than other things.

Everything I attempt to accomplish was like "you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear"

(Puke)

Might as well not try anything ever again

Sunk costs
Effort justification
Personal opportunity costs

This is how I interpret it.

Most probably do not expect if you are very short to that you will become a basketball superstar.

Most who do say that do think you are not trying hard enough, that you are lazy.

I view that statement as a pejorative no matter what the intent of the person saying it.

A better approach is to say try smarter, especially if you have some suggestions. For autistics especially a better approach is try one or two steps at a time.

In general I support the idea of parents & teachers encouraging kids to try different things. The kids might like something the kids think they'll dislike or the kids might do OK or well at something the kids think they'll be bad at. Trying different things is a learning experience & can help kids grow & mature in various ways. However I do not support the methods some parents/teachers use to try encouraging kids. Blanket statements like in this post is one of the methods I do not approve of. These types of statements are probably making kids feel misunderstood & unaccepted & pressured to meet expectations.

Would you ever make the effort to work in an office, with all that entails?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggsy_Bogues

5'3"/160 cm.