I went to the Chamber’s $30 Power of Women networking event. Here are my 5 takeaways.

Just thinking of the word networking makes me want to crawl under a rock with Netflix.

In an effort to push myself in my “vision board areas of development” I registered for the Power of Women series that’s hosted by the Charlotte Chamber. It cost $30.

Part networking event and part speaker series, the POW events are apparently the place to be for mostly-young professional women who are looking to propel themselves forward in an intentional way.

I came for the food…typical me. Here’s what I learned:

(1) There are so many women in Charlotte.

Fellas, if you complain about not being able to find a successful and smart young woman to date in this city, you must live under a rock. I thought it was important to lead with this. There was a very strong sense of camaraderie in the room, like every woman in there could potentially be your new best friend. There was no office politics standing in the way of genuine conversation between these ladies…it was beautiful.

(2) It felt like the speaker, Jill Flynn, knew my life story.

Jill, a native Charlottean, is one of the founding partners of Flynn Heath Holt Leadership and co-author of Break Your Own Rules a NYT Bestseller. Flynn Heath Holt provides leadership coaching and services to women across the nation.

Despite it being hundreds of other women in the room, Jill presented in a way that made me feel as if she was speaking directly to me.

“You can’t be busy all the time!” really hit home.

Most days if I don’t fall into bed in a lump of exhaustion and laundry I don’t feel accomplished. I think we all could benefit from telling ourselves to CHILL OUT every day at 1:45 p.m.

(3) Take the risk, ask the question.

It’s time for us to start working smarter, and playing to our strengths. It’s okay to do a little self promotion and talk about the awesome work that you do. It’s not bragging it’s branding.

Ladies, go after your goals fiercely and without seeking validation from others. You can totally validate yourself!

(4) Less is more.

It’s important that we focus on our company’s goals but also focus on ourselves. Here’s a little alliteration (straight from my “new BFF” Jill) to help you get started.

Delete: Get rid of things that are draining the time away from your day. Unsubscribe from all of those random emails that you spend time scrolling through mindlessly, limit your Instagram time, do less of the things you know are time wasters (ahem… online shopping). Remove the people and things from your life that are not pushing you forward.

Delay: Hold off on things that may overload your plate. You don’t need to be on every advisory board and committee at work. They will be OKAY without you.

Delegate: Outsource the things that don’t feed your passion. Hate cleaning? Sign up for HUX and they’ll send someone to do that for you. Does the concept of grocery shopping annoy you? I tried Instacart for the first time last weekend and I don’t plan on ever shopping at Harris Teeter in person ever again.

There are so many ways you can de-clutter your life so that you can focus on what really matters.

(5) Get some girlfriends!

Find women that will not only be fun to grab a glass of wine with but will also tell you the truth when needed. Focus your energy on building strong relationships with a core group of women that will serve as your support system. While you’re building those relationships, be sure to hone in on a sponsor. Not a mentor… a SPONSOR.. someone that not only helps you to navigate but can connect you with your next BIG opportunity.

We need more women in leadership, things will never change until we step up to the plate and own it. Check out the Chamber’s website to get registered for the next POW event. I’ll be there…come find me, I’ll be near the food.