Our society has managed to turn the term “news” into a word that is almost always associated with tragedies. It is next to impossible to turn on the TV or use the internet without being flooded by an uncontrollable wave of negativity. Now, it goes without saying that we must remain informed and up to date on certain events, no matter how devastating they may be. However, I believe that by only emphasizing the negative, the news is doing us a huge disservice.

Our world can be terrifying and I think this is precisely the reason why we need positive news stories now more than ever before.

The upsurge of pages like UpWorthy and Love What Matters on Facebook are changing the way we perceive the word “news.” I find myself instinctively gravitating toward these posts because I'm looking for the stories that restore my pride in the way humans carry out their lives. I want to be reminded of the small acts of kindness that are performed each day and all of the goodness in humanity that still remains despite the horrors that seem to have all but swallowed up the world.

We all need to embody the morality and altruism we wish to see. Change starts with ideas and is completed through actions. We cannot just think about the way we wish the world was -- we need to take actions that will make the world a stronger and safer place.

Below are just some of the featured stories of this week from Good News Network, UpWorthy and Love What Matters. They will undoubtedly make you smile and hopefully help you to realize that the world is still a beautiful place.

• Program Helps Sick Kids in Hospital and After, Regardless of Ability to Pay
• They Survived Together, Now Watch 2 Dogs Reunite a Year After Their Rescue
• A Man Who Helped Design an Ingenious Car Feature Reads a Letter From A Guy It Saved
• American Girl is Taking Steps to Create Dolls That Resemble Children Fighting Cancer

* To share your own stories and pictures of positivity, use the hashtag #hopeinpositivity.