If you think you can, you will

While the crowds had thinned when Fauja Singh crossed the finish line of the 2011 Toronto marathon, a large contingent of family and friends was on hand to celebrate his achievement.

Singh smiled and raised his arms in victory as took his final strides. He had completed the 26.2-mile race in just over eight hours.

Singh is 100 years old. 

This was his ninth marathon. He ran his first at 89.  

This is a man who sets seemingly impossible goals for himself and makes them happen. What an inspiration and what a wonderful example of the power of positive thinking!

So often we focus on what we can’t do as opposed to what we can. We convince ourselves that we’re not capable -- we don’t have the time, the money, the skill, the support, the right tools or expertise. 

Sometimes we let others chip away at our confidence. 

We stop believing in ourselves.

Then there are people like Fauja Singh who dream big and live big. They believe in themselves and focus on success. They recognize that high achievement starts with high expectations. 

So much of success in life starts with adopting a winning attitude. This holds true at any age.

I was thinking about that as I opened the newspaper this morning.  Was it serendipity that a headline from the Chicago Tribune caught my attention? It said: “As we age, attitude can make all the difference.” 

According to the article, “Research has shown that how people feel inside, and their expectations of their capabilities, can have a greater impact on health, happiness and even longevity than the date on their birth certificates.”

Pessimism -- about what you can achieve, how you feel, and even how long you live -- becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. The good news is that optimism works the same way. 

So next time you think you can’t, change course and think you can.

More often than not if you think you can, you will.  Just ask Fauja Singh. 

The downside of multi-tasking

“If only there were more hours in every day!” 

How many times have you said that to yourself after an exhausting day of trying to do it all? 

Let’s face it. Life is busy and crossing another “to-do” off our list feels good. Progress comes faster with multi-tasking, so we power through three jobs at once. 

In the process, however, we may be doing ourselves a disservice and sending the wrong signal to those around us. 

Am I really being productive when I answer emails during an important conference call and at the same time inhale a Lean Cuisine at my desk? 

How can I fully participate in the call when my mouth is full and my thoughts are somewhere else? Is that fair to my colleagues?

Am I really being a good friend when Katie comes over to vent and I make her compete for my attention with the latest episode of “Desperate Housewives”? Or when my son wants to talk and I “listen” as I clean the kitchen?

Have you ever been out to dinner with someone who can’t sit through the meal without completing a parallel conversation in text messages to someone else?

It doesn’t feel good, it’s disrespectful and it’s unproductive. Is that the signal you really want to send? 

Not me.

My company is asking all of its employees to take a closer look at how we interact with others both at work and at home. “Be here now” is the new catch phrase we use to encourage each other to be fully present at meetings and in conversation. 

It’s a great reminder that it’s important to acknowledge those around you with your full attention. It says that you care, you’re interested and you want to contribute.

I encourage you to audit your behavior with family, friends and coworkers. Are you “here now” for them? 

I guarantee that if you put down your cell phone, close your laptop and turn the volume down, you’ll see the dynamics change in your relationships.

Let me know how it goes!