Do you believe that a story can change your life? That it can inspire you to be more happy, more confident and more caring? That it can lift your mood, clear your head and give you perspective? Now what about 101 of the most uplifting stories you've ever read about people reaching out, stepping up and transforming their lives and the world around them?

At Chicken Soup for the Soul, we know that a story can change your heart. It can touch your mind. It can free your soul. The moment might be as simple as a small child giving water to a dog on a hot day or as heart-wrenching as a parent responding with love to the murder of their child. It might be as common as a class of poor immigrants giving their young instructor a new coat she needed but couldn't afford; as life changing as an unruly student learning to love math because of a dedicated teacher; as satisfying as someone apologizing for a hurtful action of several years before; or as monumental as the international work of Jimmy Carter and Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica. As these stories so wonderful illustrate, the power to change starts with you, but it doesn't end there. When we change one heart at a time-our own and then those around us-we create a better world. We hope these stories will touch and change your heart today.