Using examples from his long career, a legendary basketball coach outlines the benefits of negative thinking, which helps build a realistic strategy that takes all potential obstacles into account.

How often are we urged to "look on the bright side"? From Norman Vincent Peale to the ubiquitous smiley face, optimism has become an essential part of American society. In this long-overdue book, psychologist Julie Norem offers convincing evidence that, for many people, positive thinking is an ineffective strategy -- and often an obstacle -- for successfully coping with the anxieties and pressures of modern life. Drawing on her own research and many vivid case histories, Norem provides evidence of the powerful benefits of "defensive pessimism," which has helped millions to manage anxiety and perform their best work.

"The most important book at the borderland of psychology and politics that I have ever read."—Martin E. P. Seligman, Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology at that University of Pennsylvania and author of Learned Optimism Why are we devastated by a word of criticism even when it’s mixed with lavish praise? Because our brains are wired to focus on the bad. This negativity effect explains things great and small: why countries blunder into disastrous wars, why couples divorce, why people flub job interviews, how schools fail students, why football coaches stupidly punt on fourth down. All day long, the power of bad governs people’s moods, drives marketing campaigns, and dominates news and politics. Eminent social scientist Roy F. Baumeister stumbled unexpectedly upon this fundamental aspect of human nature. To find out why financial losses mattered more to people than financial gains, Baumeister looked for situations in which good events made a bigger impact than bad ones. But his team couldn’t find any. Their research showed that bad is relentlessly stronger than good, and their paper has become one of the most-cited in the scientific literature. Our brain’s negativity bias makes evolutionary sense because it kept our ancestors alert to fatal dangers, but it distorts our perspective in today’s media environment. The steady barrage of bad news and crisismongering makes us feel helpless and leaves us needlessly fearful and angry. We ignore our many blessings, preferring to heed—and vote for—the voices telling us the world is going to hell. But once we recognize our negativity bias, the rational brain can overcome the power of bad when it’s harmful and employ that power when it’s beneficial. In fact, bad breaks and bad feelings create the most powerful incentives to become smarter and stronger. Properly understood, bad can be put to perfectly good use. As noted science journalist John Tierney and Baumeister show in this wide-ranging book, we can adopt proven strategies to avoid the pitfalls that doom relationships, careers, businesses, and nations. Instead of despairing at what’s wrong in your life and in the world, you can see how much is going right—and how to make it still better.

Learn to create a positive work environment by accentuating the positive and illuminating the negative Illuminate argues that we can't create positive work environments without accepting the existence of the negative. Though "positive thinking" has its place in the work world, we can't ignore the negative, whether it be in the form of challenges, problems, limitations, or other negative business realities. In order to foster healthy, functional business, we have to create a culture that allows for open expression and the sharing of ideas-especially when those ideas are negative in nature. The key is that negative situations and conditions should be introduced and dealt with in a strictly positive light. The result is an organization able to look at itself honestly and stay alert to possible threats. A unique kind of business book, Illuminate is written in the style of an allegorical fable that teaches you a three-step process for confronting, examining, and fixing any problem in the office. Offers practical ways for dealing with negative situations to achieve positive outcomes Serious wisdom wrapped in a fictional format Author David Corbin operates a successful consultancy that helps industry and government maximize productivity and, therefore, profitability Corbin is also the star and co-director of the hit 2007 self-help film Pass It On; he is featured in the 2009 Napoleon Hill Foundation Film, Three Feet From Gold If your corporate culture can't deal with the negative without creating more negativity, this is the perfect guide for creating and sustaining a culture of positive change.

Negativity is omnipresent in human life and thinking. Without it, contingency and otherness, subjectivity and power, transcendence and immanence and other manifestations of the pluriform dynamics between signifier, signified and meaning in human life and culture cannot be understood. This volume explores the significance of negativity in Western and Eastern thought in four central areas: in the traditions of negative theology in the West; in the dialectics of negativity in the wake of Hegel and in existential philosophy; in versions of negative dialectics and negative hermeneutics in the 20th century; and in Buddhist thought about emptiness, Korean philosophies of nothingness, and the similarities and differences between the mystical traditions of the East and the West. Together, the four parts outline a panorama of questions, positions, and approaches that must be explored by anyone who wants to address questions of negativity in the context of contemporary philosophical, theological, ethical, and existential challenges.

NO.1 BESTSELLER ANT MIDDLETON SHARES HIS SECRETS ABOUT HIS POSITIVE MINDSET AND TEACHES YOU TO LIVE A LIFE WITH ZERO NEGATIVITY

"This book is written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life." -- Norman Vincent Peale The precursor to The Secret, The Power of Positive Thinking has helped millions of men and women to achieve fulfillment in their lives. In this phenomenal bestseller, Dr. Peale demonstrates the power of faith in action. With the practical techniques outlined in this book, you can energize your life -- and give yourself the initiative needed to carry out your ambitions and hopes. You'll learn how to: Expect the best and get it Believe in yourself and in everything you do Develop the power to reach your goals Break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life Improve your personal and professional relationships Assume control over your circumstances Be kind to yourself