The world can be a tough place. This is why I am so optimistic.

Some days, it’s hard to hear the news. I find myself avoiding the television, radio and even Facebook, simply because there is too much bad news. With the advent of global communication, news travels at the blink of an eye. It pervades our days whether we want it to or not. I just feel like my body was not built to absorb this much grief. Does that sound familiar to you?

While all of that is true, we have choices. I am not saying that we should pretend that bad news never happens. What I am suggesting is this: [spp-tweet tweet=”We can choose to become mired in bad news, or we can be inspired to take action, to do something positive in the face of tragedy.”]

This week on the Social Entrepreneur podcast, I interviewed changemakers who are making an impact. These social entrepreneurs are optimistic. They are staring down the world’s greatest challenges and they are turning them into grand opportunities.

For example, just this week, I talked to Yoav Lurie of Simple Energy. He is taking on climate change by changing how millions of people save energy.

I spoke with Nathan Chan of Foundr Magazine. Though Nathan is not a social entrepreneur in the strictest sense of the term, he generously shared his inspiring story of moving from mediocrity to being a tireless advocate for young entrepreneurs.

If you listened to the Social Entrepreneur podcast this week, you probably heard Luni Libes of Fledge, the conscious company accelerator. At the time of our conversation, Fledge had 39 graduates from ten countries, one-third of whom are in Africa. Just this past week, Fledge hatched another batch of “fledglings.” Each company is making an impact on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.

I had a great conversation with Azalea Ayuningtyas, Founder & CEO of Du’Anyam. She is such an incredibly kind human being. She had many career choices when she graduated from Harvard School of Public Health with an advanced degree in Epidemiology. She chose to return to the poorest region of her native Indonesia and to work with rural women who were facing maternal health challenges. The creative solution that she and her coworkers came up with with inspire you.

Finally, this week I spoke with Rick Hooper of Barefoot Power. He first saw the power of business to do good as a Vice President of Philips Electronics through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Eventually, Rick left Philips and found his way to Barefoot Power, a for-profit social enterprise that assists people in developing countries to access affordable renewable energy while reducing poverty and creating new markets.

If you want to hear good news about real changemakers who are staring down adversity and making an impact, come join me in the conversation. Subscribe to the Social Entrepreneur podcast, where business has never been so good. You can find it on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud or your favorite podcast app. Once you’ve listened to a couple of episodes, let me know what you think. I would love to hear what action you are taking to make the world a better place.