124 / 100 Ways to Motivate Others Here it is: When you are positive (picturing the math sign: +), you add something to any conversation or meet- ing you are part of. That's what being positive does, it adds. When you are negative (­), you subtract something from the conversation, the meeting, or the relationship you are part of. If you are negative enough times, you sub- tract so much from the relationship that there is no more relationship left. It's simple math. It's the law of the uni- verse up there on the flip chart of life: positive adds, nega- tive subtracts. As in math, when you add a negative, it diminishes the total. Add a negative person to the team, and the morale and spirit (and, therefore, productivity and profit) of the team is diminished.