Love the Haters

I have a bumper sticker on my car that says "I heart Haters" and it couldn't be more true. The world is filled with negative people, putting out ugly juju into the universe. We all know at least one of these people. They come in many forms. 
*The Poor Me*
Everyone and everything in the known world is out to get them. They turn every situation around and make it about themselves and how much worse it is for them. They could turn even the happiest moment into a pity party somehow. 

*The Debbie Downer*
Nothing ever works out for these people. Their boss hates them, the mailman purposely lost their mail, the restaurant ALWAYS forgets the extra ranch dressing, they're too fat or too skinny, too hot or too cold... I think you get the picture. 

*The Extreme Narcissist*
They want attention for EVERYTHING! From whining to taking credit, they are always turning the spotlight on themselves. You know the ones. They think every facebook post is about them and they just cannot keep from commenting and bringing attention on themselves. 

*The Crazy Ones*
The liars, the backstabbers, the vindictive and evil ones. The people who will talk shit behind everyone's back and then try and turn the tables and blame them. The ones who think their shit doesn't stink and sit so high on their own pedestals that they lose track of reality. The ones who will read this and apply it to everyone they know, but not themselves. Yup, we all know at least one.

The world is filled with people like this. You are bound to come across them from time to time. So what do you do? Well, I am a firm believer in standing up for yourself and never allowing another person to walk all over you or use you. So, sometimes, you'll have to confront people like this. You'll have to be direct and honest and tell them you refuse to let them bring you down. I also believe that this approach sadly doesn't work for all Haters. Sometimes against all our better judgement, we just have to ignore it. Yup, you just have to be the bigger person and let it go. You can't change everyone, nor is it worth it to try to. Haters want to hate. It gives them a sense of power or purpose. It makes them feel like they are better than they really are by trying to make others feel like less. The only thing you can do is to take that power away. Don't give in to their games, and their manipulations and don't allow them to bring you down to their level. Raise your chin and walk away. YOU are the better person. I believe you reap what you sow. Haters create their own sad worlds. Life hands everyone their share of hardships, but it is how you respond to those hardships that make you the person you are. If you allow them to break you down and you wallow in that, you will only bring more of it onto yourself. If you try to rise above it, and find the positive, you will see the good things in life. 
Haters want to blame the world for their problems, when in reality, they are 99.9% responsible for them. When all you put into the universe is negative, how can you expect to get anything else in return? 
Now don't get me wrong, we ALL have our Hater Moments. It's only human. I'm not talking about those. I'm talking about the people who are Constant Haters. They can never truly be happy for another person, because they are jealous or bitter. They want everyone around them to be as miserable as they are, because, as we all know, 'Misery loves company'. 
Well, I've decided that from now on, I am going to love the Haters. They are going to be my motivation to NOT be like them. For every Hater I encounter, I am going to make a point of being the opposite. If you want to bring negative into my world, be prepared to be ignored. After the loss of my son, I am finding it harder and harder to be positive, and I am taking a stand right now and saying that I will no longer put up with negative attitudes. If you want to create drama, piss and moan constantly, be insulting and hateful, go right ahead. But consider yourself warned. I will no longer allow it into my life. I do not and will not hate you. That requires too much of my time and energy. Instead I will love you for reminding me that I am not like you, nor do I wish to be. I recently read a quote that said "Don't expect to see positive changes in your life if you surround yourself with negative people." and I realized just how true that is...