Log onto any Social Media site. Turn on the TV. Open the Newspaper. Everywhere you look, listen, or read is hate. There's stories on biased related crimes, people killing one another due to anger, police brutality, hunger, sexual crimes, riots, offensive graffiti, poverty, issues in government, and fights stemmed from differences over political views. This list grows by the minute. People around the world of every age, gender, educational level, religious belief, and physical ability are being fed this hate.

Depending on each person's place in this world and experiences, the way this hate is processed and viewed varies. My own reaction to a situation would vary from anyone else who views it, even if we have the same beliefs and values. Among all this hate are the stories we haven't been shown. These are the everyday acts of kindness that no one hears about, the feel-good stories that remind us love is around us.

I have been making it my mission to show extra love, compassion, kindness and happiness with all of the people I come into contact with. It is as simple as holding the door for the person behind me or as helpful as making a cup of tea for a sick neighbor. I pride myself on being someone that shows that no matter what may be going on in my personal life or in the world outside my own, that being kind does not require a lot of effort. I have been told that taking the time to smile at the person in passing, knocking on a friend's door and offering them a treat, or taking out the garbage for my roommate can make a difference.

YOU have the power to change the stories that you see and hear. YOU have the opportunity to wake up every morning and do something for someone else. I don't do it for the reward or the recognition but I do it to feel good about myself. I do it with the hope that someone else will 'pay it forward' and that the chain of hate can be broken down. Giving to Soldiers at Christmas time, providing a low-income family with help for Christmas presents, and donating clothes to the Salvation Army are small things I do to help people in the community around me. Each of these are small differences that I make in other people's lives.

Whether you choose to donate loose change to the man outside Wal-Mart ringing the bell, volunteer at a local food bank, buy your friend a coffee because their having a bad day or slip a note with a motivational quote under your neighbor's door- you are feeding those around you love, and reducing the hate around them.

If you need any motivation or reasons to show love, a listen to The Black Eyed Peas' song "Where Is The Love?" will do good for your heart, good for your soul, and good for your mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc

Let's stop asking "Where is the love?" and start asking "How can I end hate?"