RE-venge… is it a bad thing or a good thing?

RE-venge

/rəˈvenj/

noun

• the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands:"other spurned wives have taken public revenge on their husbands"synonyms:vengeance, retribution, retaliation, reprisal, requital, ... more

• (in sports) the defeat of a person or team by whom one was beaten in a previous encounter:"the Yankees wanted to get their revenge for losing to the Dodgers in the 1955 Series"

verb

• inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong done to (someone else):"it's a pity he chose that way to revenge his sister"

• inflict hurt or harm on someone for (an injury or wrong done to oneself or another):"her brother was slain, and she revenged his death"synonyms:avenge, take/exact revenge for, make retaliation for, retaliate for, exact retribution for, ...

As you can see from Webster’s definition, RE-venge has somewhat of a negative connotation. I think I mentioned previously that my Mom always used to say, “success is the best revenge” or “happiness is the best revenge” when I found myself facing circumstances that were hurtful, disillusioning, or defeating. I want the message of “your best RE-venge” to have a positive connotation. RE-claiming our joys and passions, RE-imagining our present and RE-creating our futures in the face of disappointment and hurt, can be the best example we can give our children, our spouse, our colleagues and our community. If we lift each other up and are a support and an encouragement to each other when needed, I believe we can all achieve the life of our dreams! Look around you and try to be that for the people in your life that might need an ear or a shoulder. You’ll be surprised how you’ll be RE-warded for that in more ways than you can imagine! My goal this week is going to be to sprinkle a little bit of encouragement, to as many may need it this week and make that a priority…I’ll let you know how I make out!