So many times in my life I’ve committed the sin of thinking too far ahead.  Telling myself that life will begin when I get to where I’m going.  It isn’t always easy, but I’m learning to put my energy into where I am instead of where I hope to be.

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1) It’s holiday party season, so here’s some advice from Huff Post on how to conduct yourself during the revelry.  The best advice?  Just because it’s a party, don’t forget that it’s also a work event.  Conduct yourself accordingly.

2) Looking for handbags under-$50?  JCPenney has a surprisingly good selection.  I especially like this Liz Claiborne Inception satchel.

3) Harper’s Bazaar has “21 Genius Hacks for Fixing Ruined Clothes.“

4) Kim France, former editor of Lucky and co-author of the incredible Lucky Shopping Manual, loves this necklace from Steven Alan.  It’s simple, modern, and perfectly subtle.

5) Remember Blackberry Thumb?  NPR covers the newest tech-related malady, Text Neck.  You won’t believe how much weight looking down while texting places on your spine.

6) It’s been a while since I’ve checked into the new arrivals at Ann Taylor.  I love this wrap sweater with a chiffon tie.  This ribbed sweater dress is perfect for casual Friday or a relaxed dinner.  Still looking for holiday party attire?  This icy blue drop waist dress is sublime.  I also love this draped skirt with a satin bow at the waist.

 7) Forbes has six pieces of career advice from big names like Buffett and Branson.  I appreciated the final point: focusing on what to start doing is important, but sometimes thinking about what you need to stop doing is equally valuable.

8) Bloomingdale’s has some lovely under-$200 pieces.  This Velvet dress in teal is a great staple.  This Bailey 44 party dress has a sheer, embellished neckline.  Need shoes?  These Steve Madden heels in grey and snakeskin are phenomenal (also in black).

9) Mika Brzezinski is up on LinkedIn with an interesting post about how being fired from CBS changed her career for the better.  It reminded me of this Lifehacker article on how to recover from five career mistakes (firing, demotion, stagnation, etc.).

At 25, the trade association I was working for broke into pieces and I lost my job.  It was, without question, the best thing that could have happened to my career.  It was a boring job that I would have stayed in out of fear, losing it forced me to put myself out there.

10) Banana Republic has 30%-off dresses through 12/4, making their popular Gemma wrap dress just $68.

11) What? Microsoft Word is doing away with Clip Art? How will I decorate my Power Point presentations and book reports without it? Ombre, rainbow font for life!

12) The semi-annual Net-a-Porter sale is on, and it is glorious.  There are plenty of gorgeous work dresses to fawn over.

image found here.