I try to tune into signs around me that there are things to which I need to pay attention. Lately I have noticed that I need to listen to and create stories.

Several years ago my sister took a series of personal growth courses. She invited me to attend one of their open house evenings and the two things that struck me most were when people shared their stories and the lesson that the problem with assumptions about why people behave the way they do or how they react to us is that often we don't know the other person's story. We tend to fill in the blanks based on our own stories.

The video Britt Bravo shared in her 29-Day Giving Challenge Takeaway post reminded me of the notion of often not knowing other people's stories and that we can develop and practice empathy by seeking to hear them. And though we cannot tell someone else's story we can tell our own.

Today I spoke with a colleague about a business proposal we are developing and she described the story we need to create about the project: that it is easy, without stress and allows us to connect with those we can help the most. It is a true story I look forward to telling in the future.

I'm not the only blogger creating stories:

Christine Kane discovered the power of creating stories for your pets:

Our stories about Gracie cracked us up. At that time, she often stayed out all night. This worried me, but I came up with the perfect explanation. I told my husband that Gracie had opened a nightclub along the river where we live. “It’s called Lolita’s by the River,” I said. I described it for him - a ramshackle hut, hammered together with rusty nails and pieces of scrap wood that came down the river. And all animals - be they predator or prey - go to Lolita’s by the River. They set aside their differences beneath the twinkle lights (there are lots of twinkle lights) and they listen to music. Gracie would serve drinks laden with fruits, long swirlie straws, and little paper umbrellas.

Click here to read the entire story of Gracie, how stories about her came to be and the fascinating twist they took.

Belinda at Ninja Poodles decided to see her checking account as half full by changing her story about it:

I'm trying to remind myself to have a good attitude about these unexpected blips on life's radar. Wow, that was a terrible metaphor. Anyway, what I mean is that while I could be saying to myself, "MAN, just when I had a little money coming in to catch up on expenses, THIS happens!" what I'm TRYING to say to myself is, "MAN, it sure is fortunate that just when these bad things happened, I had the money to help pay for them!"

Alyssa at Big Girl Panties writes about storytelling:

Everyone has a story, or at least everyone should have one. I think the problems start when you stop following the story line and entrust the “plot” into the hands of fate. But life is a bit too important to leave it all up to chance, don’t you think?

We often get terribly engrossed in other peoples stories, but rarely create one of our own. We read many books and watch a lot of TV shows. Mostly it’s being done for the sake of having a storyline to follow, because if there is a void or dissatisfaction inside, a good story can do the trick and save us from unwanted thoughts and feelings. The downside of this mood booster is that it’s not our story that takes so much attention.

Gretchen Rubin at The Happiness Project interviews Gina Trapani of Lifehacker who shares some words of wisdom about the stories we tell ourselves:

Gina: I think words are more powerful than we realize. Our lives are the stories we tell ourselves, so saying self-defeating things turns into negative experiences. You know what things I'm talking about: "I can't do it. That's too hard. I'll never be that successful/get out of debt/resolve this problem/impress my boss. Everyone else gets everything they want but I always get the short end of the stick."

On the opposite side of the coin, I love hearing people cast a positive spell over themselves and say things like "This is going to be great. I am so lucky. What a beautiful day. I'm so looking forward to this. I'm ready to kick ass on this project. Look at how cool this is!"

Do you have any good stories to tell? Even if you are not ready to share, I hope you'll think about the stories you create and the ones those around you have to offer.