Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Life Conference NYC 2014

As I have stated in previous posts, it is important to take advantage of networking opportunities and professional events if they become available to you. Her Campus's President and Co-founder, Windsor Hanger Western was invited to speak on a panel for this fun-filled weekend and offered me a discounted ticket so I happily accepted! I have been to several similar, worthwhile events over the past few months, but Cosmo's Fun Fearless Life was by far the most exciting and beneficial.

Cosmo intended to hold a 2-day conference with amazing speakers, but in my opinion, they basically brought the magazine to life! Topics spoken about included career advice, following your dreams, creating goals, the importance of power posing, building your personal brand, fitness, health, beauty, style, financial tips and expressing yourself. Some of the amazing speakers included Cosmo Editor-In-Chief Joanna Coles, Kelly Osbourne, Chrissy Teigen, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Megyn Kelly, Jillian Michaels, Gabrielle Union and Nasty Gal's Sophia Amoruso. Along with these amazing speakers and panels there were makeup tutorials and free makeovers from Maybelline and a super cute shop with Cosmo goodies like sweatshirts, emergency kits and tanks. We also received a few freebies from Maybelline and Express who helped power the weekend!

I had so much fun meeting new people and learning new things. Here are the 4 completely life-changing lessons I learned:

Drive and Attitude are Key to Success
The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, told us the story of how she began Spanx with no relevant experience, no knowledge of the business, no financial help and no encouragement. However, she was able to be so successful because she believed that her product could have an enormous impact on women's lives and self-esteem. With her drive and positive attitude she was able to create this multi-million dollar worldwide brand. She encouraged us to prioritize our goals, stay focused and fake it till you make it.

Weak Ties are Actually Quite Strong
Weak ties are all of the people you have ever met. Strong ties are the people that are close to you. Although the stronger ties care more about you and know you better, weak ties can often be significant down the road in life when a favor is needed or you need a new job. Every connection you make is unique. Your best friends cannot open new door for you, so this is when a persons weak ties come in handy.

Surprising Women's Health Facts 
Dr. Meg Jay educated the woman-dominated audience on ways to reduce your risk of cancer.  I was surprised to learn - along with everyone else - that the #1 cause of breast cancer that can be prevented is alcohol. She recommended that every woman intake no more than 3 glasses of wine per week. She also told us that taking a birth control pill reduces your risk of ovarian cancer later in life.

50-20-30 Rule for Budgeting in Your Twenties
One of my favorite speakers was LearnVest's founder Alexa von Tobel because she offered practical, smart tips for cutting costs, growing savings and learning how to have money for everything that matters most to you. She suggests following the 50-20-30 rule each month. 50 percent of your monthly income should be for essentials such as food, bills and gas, 20 percent should be put into a retirement fund of savings for the future and 30 percent should be used for fun like shopping or events. She also encourages those in their twenties to live below their means and to save for potential emergencies.

Here are a few other tidbits I'll share from this weekend:

• Have 10 outfits in your closet that make you feel awesome
• "You can't be what you can't see"
• "Helping other people helps you find yourself"
• Work backwards to achieve your goals by completing small tasks one at a time
• "Don't underestimate what you can bring to the table"
• "No job is too small, no job is too big"
• "Do one nice thing for yourself every day" 
• "Who you know is what you know"

I was lucky enough to receive a special invitation to Cosmo's VIP Cocktail Party at the Hearst Tower with several notable people. I got to mingle with other attendees, panelists, speakers, celebrities and Cosmo editors while enjoying a beautiful view of NYC. I met my absolute favorite blogger, Perez Hilton and Kelly Osbourne. Such an incredible experience! 

One of my favorite recaps: https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/best-career-advice-from-cosmos-fun-fearless-life-conference