The best way to take revenge on negative and pessimistic people is by being successful. It is as the American singer Frank Sinatra once said: “The best revenge is massive success.” So when we get hurt or are insulted by anyone, such as strangers or even those close to us, we should not give up on anything, including what we believe, our dreams and ambitions, and turn into pessimists.

Why do many people become pessimists? Why does sadness and frustration bring out the worst in a person? I believe the circumstances that pessimists find themselves in have not been easy. These circumstances force them to believe everything in their life is hideous.

However, this is not an excuse for being negative. Many people have been through tough situations and have faced many struggles in their lives. They have, however, made it through because they believed in themselves and did not lose hope.

Most people make better decisions when they do not ask for the opinions of negative or pessimistic people. You should always ask for the opinion of people who are positive and whom you trust because most negative people want others to fail and that is human nature.

This actually happened to me when I shared my goals, ideas and dreams with some people – most of them responded in different ways saying that I would fail. When it comes to your desires and aspirations in life, do not rely on other people’s opinions, especially those who are negative.

There are many ways of identifying negative people. They usually claim they are never wrong and it is never their fault, and they always blame others. Negative people always complain about everything in their lives. Their lives are full of drama and they may try to drag you into that drama. They will also belittle you to keep you under their control.

Treat negative people like viruses that need to be steered clear of. However, first of all try to change their negative thinking and tell them to be more patient and positive so they can divert positive energy back into their lives.

Psychologists at Harvard University have discovered that surrounding yourself with positive people will increase your chances of being positive by 11 percent, while being around negative people will double your chances of being negative. Those negative opinions you may hear from a stranger or someone you love should bring out the good in you. Work hard to prove to them that they are wrong. You need to work hard to tell them that their negative and harsh opinions are only representative of themselves.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, let him speak good or remain silent.” This means that when we find ourselves caught up in a negative line of thinking, we should immediately stop those negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts.

Joel Osteen, the well-known pastor, said: “You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.” Problems are like gifts and without pain there is no growth. Instead of running from pain, we should utilize it positively. We should turn it into something good that is to our advantage and is productive. We need to turn negativity into opportunities, and prove to anyone who has let us down that they are wrong. This is not just for them; it is for all of us so that we can all become successful human beings.

Hana Bahashwan