When people enter my office I often find them looking at the memorabilia in my shelves or reading the word cloud on my desk. My office says a lot about me, it’s full of memories from my career that keep me inspired. Since I have to be here the majority of my day, I consider my workspace an extension of my home. Some could think this is a bad thing, but I love my work, so doing it in a space that makes me feel comfortable is important.

I have the obvious things, a picture of me with my parents, my husband, my friends, but I also have some things that remind me of the fun times or accomplishments. These are the things that inspire me when I’m “stuck” with a problem. I can simply push back my chair, look up into my shelves and remember those times, and those items help me figure out a solution to the problem I’m trying to solve.

Some of the fun things that inspire me –

My word cloud – Last year at our agency retreat, one of the gifts we received from Millie and Larry was a word cloud. Everyone in the agency submitted an adjective to describe their co-workers. I have mine on my desk and I often find myself looking at it when I need to remind myself that people do take notice of how you act in the workplace or how they see you and what they expect from you.

My miniature Razorback helmet and Arkansas flag rubix cube– I mean come on, you had to know that I would have something in my office that screamed Arkansas. Always remember where you come from.

 

The Alltel Racing team picture – when Alltel won our first race with Ryan Newman. What an awesome day and fun memory. Who knew we’d win nine races that year.

I won’t bore you by going through everything, but each item represents a memory. Some people don’t need those things around them, but for me, having memories around me keeps me going by knowing I’ll be adding new ones.