Lately, it’s hard to stay positive. It seems everywhere I look I see pain and hatred, whether it be on the news or on my Facebook newsfeed. Sometimes it’s hard not to let this all get to me and drag me down.

In my life, I’ve had to battle depression and anxiety, so having a negative look on things is something I can’t control sometimes. But over the years, I’ve learned how to control it and come out the victor over my mindset. And all of this has to do with one thing: the power of myself.

Each morning I wake up and choose to look at the world in a positive light. I personally believe that there is good in everything, but we as individuals have to look for that good, no matter how deep it is.

A lot of the hatred right now in the world is being spread by a small number of people. But these people, through their hatred acts, have sent a domino effect around the world. People are becoming fearful and are turning on one another, spewing hateful words and poisonous vibes towards innocent people. We see this even in our own country with the presidential race. So many candidates turn on one another, making us turn on each other for having different beliefs. No one has the decency to have a civil argument anymore.

But imagine what would happen if we, as individuals, chose not to let the power of a few hateful people affect us, but instead chose to spread love and peace? I truly believe that this would change the world.

The power of few is strong. We see that in those few hatred-ridden people, but we also see the power of a few good people working throughout history. Jesus and his disciples, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks. I could, of course, name even more. All of these people, in their times, were minority groups of peaceful people, aiming to create a better world. And look at the impact they’ve had in our own lives today.

In my family, my mother raised my sisters and me with this belief. Often she is accused of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but I couldn’t be more grateful for this. Because of her positivity, I’ve been able to apply it in my own life and learn how to act peacefully and find the good in others. She can look at anything and turn it around into a wonderful light.

It’s definitely a thing in our family — take my birthday. I was born on Friday the 13th. Normally, this is considered a very unlucky day; it definitely was this year. But my family views it in a more positive light. It was the start of my life, something I’m extremely lucky and blessed to have. Naturally, 13 is my own personal lucky number. Friday the 13th of a different month is also my mom and stepdad’s anniversary — something that my family has been blessed from.

In light of this past Friday the 13th, I want to challenge everyone to do the same for this unlucky day as my family has done in our own dynamic. Remember that day for the lives lost and the tragedies that rung through the world, but do not let that day spur hate in you. Do not focus on the sorrow. Instead, turn it around.

Let that be the day we all decide to think about when we reach out to each other with open arms. Let that be the day that we remember and decide to care for one another as fellow human beings. Let that be the day where instead of letting the hateful power of few turn us against each other, we decided to love on one another and spread peace throughout the world. Let that be a day where we, individually yet collectively, decided to change the world.