What you pay attention to grows. If your attention is attracted to negative situations and emotions, then they will grow in your awareness.
Deepak ChopraAs a physician who was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, getting drunk on weekends, stressed out about having 35 patients in the hospital, and not being able to help either them or myself, I had my existential crisis way before I met Maharishi. I did meet him and he was an influence, but I met many other people as well.
Deepak Chopra