The most successful people concentrate almost exclusively on the positive and not the Negative. In fact, the negative hardly influences them at all. You need to see the world and the people in it as happy, prosperous, and good. Like attracts like. If you look for the negative, then negativity is what you will see. If you look for the positive, then positivity is what you will see. I had an interesting discussion recently with Dr. Surendra Pokharna, an Indian physicist, as we toured some Jain temples in India. Dr. Pokharna said that most people are busy responding to the Negative Energy of others, and he believed this was quite prevalent in the United States. He is correct. Many people also spend a lot of their time sending out negative energy. Using an example from physics, Dr. Pokharna explained that every force of energy creates an equal and opposing reaction. Therefore, if you put out negativity to others, that energy is likely to come back from others in the form of their negative reaction to you. Similarly, if you receive negative energy from someone, you are likely to look for a means to put that negative energy back on him or her. The things that happened in employment cases always amazed me when I was an attorney. Almost 99 percent of the time the person who’d been fired had done something to warrant it, and was also generally incompetent. Nevertheless, after being fired, the person filed a suit of some sort. In these cases, both sides are exchanging negative energy. The employer is angry over poor performance and fires the worker. The worker is angry over getting fired and comes back with a lawsuit. This is a simple case of negative energy being exchanged and manifesting itself as more negativity – equal and opposing reactions. In my own experience, when someone has been fired, they typically lash out against their new employer, regardless of the circumstances, and quit within a year or two. In this case, the equal and opposing reactions have continued as the employee has attempted to move forward with a new job. The problem in this case, however, is the employee has moved forward physically, but is emotionally stuck in a negative place. According to Dr. Pokharna, the best response to negative energy is to simply allow it to flow through you – and then go elsewhere. Do not react to the negative energy at all. This is the strongest possible reaction you can have. By not reacting on a conscious or unconscious level, you are not acknowledging or empowering the negativity. Dr. Pokharna also said in the field of bio-physics, studies show people who think angry and negative thoughts can actually alter the paths of their neurons and the makeup of their brains. This may even affect them on the genetic level. In order to be successful and to reach your maximum potential, the best thing you can do is allow the negativity of others to simply pass right through you. If you do not react, many times their negativity may actually come right back to them. Negative energy is something we often try to meet with additional negative energy. You should instead concentrate on maintaining a clear mind at all times, and look for the positive in each personal interaction. The ability to keep your mind focused on the positive will have far-reaching implications for your career, and will benefit you greatly. THE LESSON Make an effort to detach yourself from negative thoughts. When you view your surroundings as happy and prosperous, you attract these things to your own life, and the same also holds true for negativity. Maintaining a focused positive outlook can thus have deep implications for your life and career.

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