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I’ve said it so many times, maybe under my breath, maybe only in my mind. Frustrated with myself for not getting more done. Frustrated with the traffic on the road or with the dogs when they won’t do what I want them to do or with not being able to find what I’m looking for. Or maybe I’m frustrated with other people because they’re not doing what I want them to do or expect them to do. Sound familiar?

How do we deal with the daily frustrations of our lives, on the job or at home or out in the community? What do we do when we feel anxious, angry, or afraid? We can feel the blood pressure climbing or the stomach churning or the shoulders and neck tense up. We know we’ll probably say or do something we’ll regret if we don’t turn it around. But how do we do that?

At Life Listening Resources, we are learning to engage in daily practices that empower us to change the energy of our lives. Instead of giving in to anxiety and frustration or to anger and fear, we are learning together how to create positive energy that creates safe places for us all to live and work. We call them LifeListening Practices because they help us listen to life so we know how to change our world in small, but important, ways. As you engage in all ten practices consistently from day to day, your life will change, your “world” will feel safer, and you will be empowered.

Centering: Live from the center of our authentic selves, staying balanced and empowered.

Self-awareness: Know who we are in ourselves and in relationship.

Empathy: Listen with compassion and generosity, cultivating awareness of what it might be like to be the other person.

Assertiveness: Engage others with confidence and respect.

Emotional maturity: Speak and act appropriately in all situations, being aware of our feelings and choosing helpful responses.

Connecting: Develop an ability to see the interdependence of all things and to live with an attitude of cooperation, seeking mutual benefit in what we do.

Story-telling: Learn to listen and tell our stories so we develop a shared narrative that enables us to transform our world.

Reframing: Speak out of our own values and perspectives, offering alternative ways of seeing the world.

Creative imagination: Expand our ability to see the world from different perspectives, creating new perspectives to old problems.

Nonviolent engagement: Choose the way of love rather than fear, responding to threats with creative confidence in the future.

These practices challenge us to become who we were meant to be, to learn how to live authentically. Many people live as they think other people want them to live-as their parents or spouses or friends or co-workers tell them they “ought” to live, or just reacting to what people do or say without thinking or without knowing their own feelings or desires. We are afraid to tell other people what we are feeling or what we want, if we do know it, because of what we think they will do. We are anxious and frustrated and often angry at ourselves and the world. These lifelistening practices can change your life and empower you to change your world.