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More Of My Favourite Things

OK, so my list of favourite things the other day had to do with my favourite posts which I've written. This list will focus on other things which I love! For more of my favourite things you can also check out my post Awesome Things.


Dairy Queen Chocolate Blizzard Extreme Ice Cream Cake: My birthday is fast approaching and as I'm getting older, I'm also getting wiser. The DQ cake has now become the most exciting thing about my birthday. It is perfection for anyone out there who is a chocolate lover or for anyone who is looking to add some extra weight on their hips.


Starbucks! I love the great customer service, coffee, treats and that they have enabled me to use the word "barista!" more frequently.

The new Taylor Swift CD: Now if you don't like Taylor Swift, you may not like this album.

Festivus! I love booking a Festivus Celebration at my office at the same time as the social committee's Christmas party. We'll see if the airing of grievances can entice more employees to my event than the promise of chips & dip.

Life Lessons

I like to control things. I tend to feel frustrated if I can't control people or circumstances. This can lead me to feel frustrated at work because there's a whole bunch of situations and people I can't control.

Have you ever noticed the more you try to control people or situations, the more irritated you get? For some reason they don't seem to get it that you know better...you know everything...you're perfect and they aren't. Or at least that's what you think.

Work can be challenging if we make it challenging. It depends on the attitude we approach it with. Either it can make us better or reveal the areas we need to develop. People we encounter in our work day or even on the roads as we drive to and from work are our teachers. Until we learn the lessons, we will continue to repeat the situations until we get it right.

So what are these lessons we're to learn? Maybe it's refraining from judging someone or some situation in a negative way. Maybe someone in your workplace has the opposite personality or viewpoint as you and you can't for the life you of you fathom how they can't see that your way of doing things or your opinions are "right" and theirs is "wrong."

Could the lesson be allowing that person to be who they are and accepting they do things differently or see things differently? Sometimes the lesson is compassion. Sometimes it's openess and non-resistance. Sometimes it's forgiveness and extending grace even though the person may not deserve it.

Whatever you give you get. If you give negativity even through your thoughts, it comes back to you like a boomerang. It may not come back to you through the person you're thinking negatively about, but it will come back to you in some way. It's a law of life.

So, if you want more out of life, out of your job, out of your relationships, it's simple: give more. Stop trying to control, let it go and focus on giving. Give more enthusiasm. Give more kindness. Give more love and positive energy with no thought of being recognized. Give more even when you don't feel like it.

I challenge you to try this for a day, a week, or a month and see how this changes your world.

My Favourite Things!

Who said my friend Oprah is the only one who can have a "My Favourite Things" show? Since I can't buy all my readers cool things like O, I will instead give you my list of favourite blog posts for you to check out if you haven't already (note: I realize this borders on being incredibly vain):

How to Jazz Up a Day at Work

My Resume

DCW Launches Clothing & Fragarance Line

The Love Boat

"Sorry For Your Life" Greeting Cards

Does Your Desk Need a Make Over?

Beautiful and Practical Desk Organization Strategies

Motivational Quote of the Day

How to Endure a Dull Conference

I have been at a conference for work this week. Fortunately it turned around but the first day I attended some thoroughly dull seminars. If you're ever in the same situation, try out some of the following techniques:

Continuously whisper to the person next to you and be shushed by a person 3 rows ahead of you. Then try to avoid the shusher for the remainder of the conference.

Remind yourself to always sit by the isle so you can make any easy escape. Never ever sit in the middle of the row (this is the most unsafe conference position because you are trapped).

Weigh the pros and cons of playing Brick Breaker on your BlackBerry in this scenario. Will others around you see what you're doing? Does it matter if they do?

Wonder if everyone else who appears to be listening is really faking it like you.

Contemplate why they decided to give us oatmeal and raisin cookies at lunch. It makes no sense when a chocolate chip cookie could be given instead. Raisins are so controversial but who can resist a cookie overflowing with chocolate chips?.

Tell people you are from Santiago, Chile even though you’re from Canada. See if anyone will challenge you because you are fair skinned with blond hair, blue eyes and you don’t speak Spanish.

Steal a ribbon that says “Award Winner” and place it on your name badge. If people ask what award you've one, make something up.

Pretend to be taking notes but write a blog post.

Travel Challenges in the Life of an Insurance Diva

I have been travelling for work lately which in theory sounds fantabulous. Don't get me wrong, it's great, however, there are some challenges I've faced over the past few days:

• Watching four episodes of Modern Family on an airplane without laughing out loud...or snorting when I laugh. One of the most difficult things EVER.

• Not understanding what they mean at the front desk when they tell me the room I reserved with the king bed is not available because the hotel is fully booked? Do I need to show them the Sienfeld episode about what a reservation means????

• Getting out of the back of the elevator with all my luggage when there's 6 other people in front of me who don't seem to understand they have to move so I can get out.

• Trying to open the plastic wrap on the soap in my hotel bathroom...who makes this indestructible plastic material and what goes on in their head? Is this some sort of national security issue? Do they really think some crazy person is going to tamper with these little soap bars???? And why is all the weight lifting I've been doing for the past twenty years not giving me the strength to open this?

• Trying for the life of me to understand how the hotel room coffee can taste so bad. Once again, we can put people into space but we can't have decent coffee in a hotel room???

• Trying to understand why I continue to drink the hotel room coffee.

• Trying to understand why I'm frequently chosen for a full body search at airport security. Do I really look that threatening? Are they reading my blog?

• Getting the roll of toilet paper to actually roll at some public washrooms so I have enough to use. Note: I am a diva, therefore, toilet paper is essential to me.

Top 10 Airport Pastimes

The Dull Co-worker has found herself once again travelling for work. As I sit here at the Vancouver airport at 6am and have almost two hours until my flight, I thought I'd write this blog on how to jazz up an otherwise dull wait at the gate besides the obvious texting/emailing.

1. Sing along to the Hall & Oates song they are playing at the nearby restaurant.


2. Listen to other people's conversations while pretending to read. You will hear fascinating bits of information being exchanged (e.g. "he said he's working on a speech on disarmament theories"...."I heard Miley Cyrus is a terrible live singer").


3. Figure out what is meant by "disarmament theory".


4. Contemplate whether it makes sense to get a Starbucks before the flight or not. Do I want to be totally hyper while sitting on a plane for five hours or would I rather fall asleep and drool on the person sitting next to me. I choose to drool.


5. Make friends. It reminds me of one of the lines in a Mitch Ablom book (I think it's from The Five People You Meet in Heaven): "Strangers are friends you haven't met yet."


6. People watch. Note: you must master the "quickly look away" manoveur because you don't want them to know you're watching them. That would just be creepy and wrong.


7. Clean out your purse (men, perhaps you have a man purse or a wallet to clean out?). Try to figure out if you really need the 6 pens, 4 napkins, and 3 different flavours of tea you never intend on drinking that you find at the bottom of your purse.


8. Visit the airport stores and try to determine how they can get away with charging so much for a bottle of water. Then purchase the water.


9. Read magazines at the airport stores.


10. Try to figure out what you'll do now that security has taken away your bear/dog spray.

How to Make Enemies at Work - The Saga Continues

A real life (I swear I do not make these up) conversation which occurred recently at my dear friend's work.

Co-worker 1 (female) to Co-worker 2 (female):
"Wow have you ever gained alot of weight on your holidays."

Are you starting to see that working with women can be dangerous?

Motivational Quote of the Day

I love to be inspired. Especially on those days where I just feel blah. I also love to be inspired on those days where I'm giving a big presentation to a large group of people and I want to make sure I really "wow" them (or when I'm instructed by my Vice President to really "wow" them...that's another thing I enjoy...being told that I have to give an amazing presentation because there are really "important" people who will be listening....no pressure).

Anyways, the other day before my big presentation, I wrote on a Post-it note a saying from a favourite singer of mine which helped me get in the right frame of mind.

This is what I wrote: "I cannot text you with a drink in my hand, eh" which is a line from Lady Gaga's hit song "Telephone".

Now this to you may not seem like a typical motivational or inspirational quote but for me it did the trick. It made me smile. I put the Post-it in between my presentation material so that when I was reviewing it before I did my big show, I saw it and it helped me stay calm. I remembered there's more important things in life than my work life. There's Lady Gaga.

Whether or not you like Lady Gaga or the song Telephone is irrelevant. What matters is finding something that resonates with you...something that will remind you that there's life beyond work, beyond your career. There are things in your life which you are passionate about. For me one of those things is music so looking at the quote reminds me not to take what I'm doing too seriously even though the world tells me to. It reminds me to be my authentic self even when work is pressuring me to try to woo insurance brokers.

In addition to this, this lyric is incredibly deep and a message to all those people who are trying to text and drink. Who knew you couldn't do both?! Clearly, Lady Gaga is onto something. Oh yes, and one other thing....don't try to wear a Lady Gaga inspired meat dress to your work's Halloween party...that doesn't go over so well either.

Question of the Day

What is up with people who "write" work emails and use "unnecessary" quotation "marks"?

My Thoughts On Being a Superstar

As you may recall, in my post from August 25th, Choosing Not To Become Famous, I clearly indicated I have made the important decision that everyone who works in insurance must make at some point: Fame versus Anonymity. I articulated all the reasons why I have chosen to reject the superstardom that threatens to entrap many in the insurance industry.

However, I must admit to you, the other day I got to thinking what life would be like if I was the Celine Dion, the Oprah Winfrey, the Sidney Crosby of the insurance industry.

Just imagine waking up in the morning, thinking of how weather patterns have wrecked havoc with the company’s profits, wondering what industry regulations could be coming down the pipe, contemplating rates, coverages, and combined ratios (I don’t know what that means but I hear the term a lot so I believe it has some sort of significance and thought I should throw it in). Pretty heady stuff. It’s intoxicating. I think it must be similar to Angelina Jolie’s life waking up next to Brad Pitt every morning.

The statement I’m making is obvious: who needs a hottie husband when you have this type of career?

Why aren’t more people clamouring to be in insurance and trying to attain superstardom in this industry? I often wonder. The intrigue, the mystery… the monotony. It’s everything a person could want in a full-time career. I think the average person must think it’s unobtainable and that they would never have the good fortune of being that “lucky” to work in insurance AND be an insurance star....it’s similar to winning the lottery.

Only this lottery is better...you don’t win millions of dollars and get to retire, but instead you get to work at a desk every day for 40 hours a week, attend meetings and read about specified perils (note: I do not expect you to know what “specified perils” means; I am simply using the term to dazzle you with my insurance acumen…and I wanted to use the word “acumen” after reading it in the airline magazine that was on the plane today).

Did you know that if you are a megastar in the insurance industry, there’s the possibility you might actually have an entourage? Who doesn’t want an entourage? Just the word “entourage” is scintillating. And it wouldn’t be just any entourage.... it would be an insurance entourage...filled with accountants, analysts and actuaries.

Insurance Superstar - if it sounds cool, that’s because it is.

How to Make Enemies at Work - Part 2

In October, I posted "How to Make Enemies at Work" which involved a real-life conversation between two of my co-workers.

Here is another work conversation. This one is from 1999 and involves "co-worker #1" from the other scenario.

Co-worker #1 (woman) to Co-Worker #2 (male):
"I see you're going bald. I once knew a guy who was going bald...he used to be good looking."

Work Idea of the Week

DCW's Work Idea of the Week: Record the song "What Do You Want From Me?" by Adam Lambert as the greeting for your voice mail at work.

So Last Week: Using a Justin Bieber haircut to woo the girls in the mail room.

Office Pranks to Pass the Time

Today’s post is taken from the book “Pranks and Pastimes for The Workplace” from Loncraine Broxton.

Suggestion #1 – Four Little Words

If your co-worker is called away from their desk and leaves a word processing or email document open, saunter over and change just a couple of words – four maximum. The changes are your co-worker won’t notice such small changes and will send the document out with your evil amendments intact!

Suggestion #2 - The Coffee Mugger

Switch the coffee in your office coffee-maker to decaf. Watch everyone become increasingly irritable as the day wears on, then switch back to espresso and make a quick getaway!

Sign Me Up For More Sinus Cold Medication

Sinus cold medication is my new friend. Let me tell you why. It makes work seem awesome.

Last week I made the important realization that when I am on non-drowsy, generic, sinus cold medication, I actually enjoy being at work. It feels like being slightly tipsy. It’s a feeling of serenity and calm. Maybe this is what all those people who meditate experience.

Normal work irritants seem trivial and are certainly not worth getting upset about. I appreciate my co-workers in a whole new way…I love them all! I am funnier and can easily laugh at my own “jokes” (when I say “jokes” I mean anything that I consider funny which can be just about anything; as I mentioned in other posts, I have a predisposition towards laughing at my own “jokes” but the cold medicine just enhances this characteristic).

Also, creative thoughts seem to flow out of me. I came up with brilliant slogans for some of our insurance products even though this has nothing to do with my job. Clearly, I am a blessing to my company when I am on this type of cold medication.

The moral of the story is the next time you feel you’re getting sick and you’re all bummed out because your body feels like crap, take some non-drowsy, cheap, no-name brand of cold relief medicine and experience the wonderment of these drugs. See how they mix beautifully with your work. Although I have to admit, it might be a good idea to have a colleague read all emails you send while on these drugs.

Coming Soon: the DCW ponders profound questions such as why can we put people into space but we can’t make a cough syrup that doesn’t taste awful? What does this say about us a species? What is wrong with us???? And how can you really describe it as “cherry” flavoured? Isn’t that an insult to cherries everywhere?

Alert! These are not the same!