If I Were 22

"It's miserable and magical, oh yea" 

-Taylor Swift, "22"

Only a few years removed from this lovely, scary, enlightening age, I have found this catchy tune to ring eerily true. It's a wonderful age in so many ways: you get to decide for probably the first time ever, what you actually want your life to look like. But as any double edged sword goes, that means it's you who have to decide where and what your life will look like... which is completely terrifying.

I recently found this series and fell in love. I'm a sucker for advice and am always curious to learn more and what if? This series does just that. It takes nearly a hundred "influencers" in various fields and asks them, "If I Were 22..."

It's incredibly insightful, and I find myself diving down the rabbit hole of knowledge. A few of my favorites include Naomi Simson's, Julia Boorstin's, and Arianna Huffington's. 

From Naomi:

"I worked hard, I was focused, determined and disciplined. But I did not necessarily allow myself the space and time for creativity and self-expression.

I did what was expected of me, not really knowing what I wanted for myself. I had no conscious, mindful inquiry into why I did what I did. But getting me to listen to these ideas would have been a challenge. (I was not famous for my listening in those days.)"

Julia Boorstin at 22, via LinkedIn

From Julia: 

"You never really know what you’ll enjoy doing, or what you’re good at, until you actually do it. In other words, try opportunities that come along, no matter how distant they seem from your plan.

I was dabbling in magazines and within the magazine world I was dabbling in the area of business journalism. And then one day my boss asked me to talk on CNN about an article I'd written, so I began dabbling in television. A few years later, that fun little side gig yielded a job offer from CNBC to be an on-air correspondent."

Arianna Huffington at 22, via LinkedIn

 From Arianna:

"Surely getting by on less sleep and constant-multi-tasking are an express elevator to the top, right?

This couldn’t be less true. And for far too long, we have been operating under a collective delusion – that burning out is the necessary price for achieving success.

I wish I had known this when I was 22. I’m convinced I would have achieved all I have achieved with less stress, worry and anxiety. In college, just before I embarked on a career as a writer, I wish I had known that there would be no trade-off between living a well-rounded life and my ability to do good work. I wish I could go back and tell myself, “Arianna, your performance will actually improve if you can commit to not only working hard, but also unplugging, recharging and renewing yourself.” That would have saved me a lot of unnecessary stress, burnout and exhaustion."

Like my girl Giuliana says:

"Everything will be okay in the end, if it's not okay, it's not the end yet."

Word to the Wise

Our new office remodel has left me with a larger-than-usual cubby in which to decorate, and being that I'm a pinterest freak, I've found these words of wisdom that I would hang all over my cube if it didn't make me look like a total freak.

League of Extraordinary Women

In an attempt to stay relevant in the workings of career-pathing and general networking benefits, I try to read articles and books (my latest is Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook-- a gift from my equally fierce and career-minded mama and so far, so good). I stumbled upon a great article earlier this week on a website called Levo League, and have since noticed that the site is full of useful nuggets for those interested in reading about careers/job advice/or just pure curiosity.

A few that I've found today include the following:

 1)  Article: "Working With a Sibling Can Be Crazy, But Also Crazy Wonderful" By Meredith Lepore

Topic: (in case the title didn't tip you off) Sisters who work together professionally:  aka Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Venus and Serena Williams, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, all seven of the Kardashians, etc.

More about Author: "Meredith Lepore is the former editor of the women's career site, The Grindstone. Before that she was on staff at Wall Street Letter and Business Insider and was a contributing writer for Learnvest. She earned her Masters in Magazine, Newspaper and Online journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University after graduating with a degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester. Meredith resides in New York full time and enjoys reading, jogging, shopping and playing with her puppy, Otis." 

2) Article:  "7 Ways Busy, Young Professionals Can Volunteer"

By Candace Faber

Topic: (again, in case it isn't obvious) "Studies show that volunteering makes people happier and healthier, but contributing to a cause you believe in has other benefits as well, from expanding your professional network to providing leadership opportunities you might not get in the workplace for years to come."

More about the Author: "Candace Faber is a foreign policy and gender issues expert who has worked for the U.S. Department of State in Afghanistan, Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Washington, DC. Before becoming a diplomat, she served as editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and co-edited the 8th edition of Careers in International Affairs. She holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and bachelor's degrees in political science and Russian from the University of Washington. Candace currently lives in Seattle, Washington, where she enjoys racing triathlons, writing short stories, and working on her latest book project, a compilation of interviews with trailblazing women."

3) Article: "Beyond the Pencil (skirt): Meet Sarah, Teen Vogue " By: Kathryn Worsham

Topic: Behind the scenes at work with Teen Vogue Assistant Fashion Market Editor Sarah Pillai

More About the Author: "Kathryn is a Communications Associate at Levo League and the writer and photographer of Beyond the Pencil (Skirt). Follow her on Twitter @kaworsha"

So, if you fancy this type of networking/reading, join, or simply read up on things that interest you (there are tons to choose from).

For Example: 

 

{click here for above article}

{click here for Two Jobs are Better Than One}

And a personal favorite:

{click here for The Golden Rules of Happy Hour}

 

{New} Partners

Getting back to a series you might have thought I'd forgotten about, Bachelor Beauties and Their Real-Life Day Jobs. (Okay, so it's a working title, but you get the point.) Back to a few of my fav Bachelor contestants' enviable jobs. The first was Sarah Herron, who works for the famous ad agency, 72 and Sunny. Today, I'm turning my head toward Capitol Hill, and the campaigning efforts of Lesley Murphy.

The blonde bombshell originating from my neighbor state of Arkansas (woo pig sooie) is a successful political consultant at the D.C. office of {New} Partners communications group (hence the post title--and shout out to my favorite politically-minded comms-lover located in good ole District of Columbia, Jessica Carroll.)

 Not only do I find knowing about politics enviable, Lesley knows enough to consult. I'd say that's pretty darn impressive. She also managed to keep her distinct Southern drawl and congenial hospitality among our Yankee friends above the Mason-Dixion line. For that, she deserves some credit.  

 

{Wore her fab Bachelor dress to the inaugural ball... holla}

And then of course there's her adorable style and the fact that she's also a Bachelor "sister wife" (like Sarah Herron).

 

{"CellfieSunday" with her friends = we would totes be friends}

Whether your red or blue when you head to the polls, we can all agree Lesley is equal parts precious and fierce.

*most photos from Lesley's instagram or google.

Cheetah is the New Black

Found another style/life soul-mate today in the freelance writer and stylist, Alicia Lund. If the post title didn't tip you off, we have more than a few loves in common.

For starters, she loves cheetah and leopard 

(as the post and her blog title suggest), lives in NYC with her precious hubby, and is a freelance stylist for a living 

(hello, dream life).

 

{Their wedding shoes. presh}

 

She also has fabulous red locks, 

a topic most know I'm tempted to try.

 

Her loves also include coffee and brunch which, in my 

humble opinion, should be offered 

at every establishment, at all times of day.

Did I mention she's a freelaner stylist and writer? 

Follow her, tweet her, and repin her.

Because she's fabulous.

*photos from Alicia's instagram

When I Grow Up

If you're anything like me, the title of this post made you start singing the Pussycat Dolls song in your head, if not out loud. My crazy, wacky brain tends to move at warp speed, and today I stumbled across a few images that inspired this post: the many things that sound fascinating to me as a potential career. As I'm sure you're well aware, my lifelong dream has always been to do this:

 

And now that I am, I'm seriously happy as a lark. And to put the icing on the cake, I work for a magazine/magazines that I actually believe in (somewhat of a rarity among possible career paths for a journalist that actually enjoys a roof over her head and food on the table). 

Nevertheless, my fast-paced mind has wandered to the world of fantasy (as it often does) and I just wanted to share a few of the other things I think I'd enjoy.

First up,

 

I've actually told several people that this would be a dream job of mine. To most, I sound like even more of a loon than I already am, but in fact, this does exist. Don't believe me? Check it out.

 Next, my obsession with Sephora/Ulta/Drug Stores/Beauty products has always made me intrigued by a career in the beauty industry, and lo and behold, this one exists too.

 {click here to take part one the beauty industry test (then take part two, then three). I'm a beauty blogger, nail technician, and product developer go figure}

Lately I've had a freakish desire to learn to bake. Maybe it's talking to EZ about our mythical start-up magazine that would include recipes or maybe it's being around all of these cookbooks and foodie events, but either way I now want to own 

Georgetown Cupcakes.

 {If I'm honest, I've been obsessed with the idea since the show premiered}

Last, but certainly not least, I've always thought

 it would be fun to write a novel.

 I have no idea what it'd be about or anything like that, but just entertaining the idea until something clicks and I'm newly inspired. Of course, if I ever did, I wouldn't hate for it to be a best-seller...

A gal can dream, right?