We recently connected with Alexandria Clemons and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandria, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Never Let Your Crown Tip!!!!
Confidence is a cheat code to personal growth. It is necessary to always think of yourself with the highest value. You have to wake up everyday and prove to yourself that nothing can come between you and your goals. As an African-American woman living in a Eurocentric world, I am not expected to roam the earth with such high self-esteem and self-worth. I am expected to be small….safe to say I often ruffle feathers when I walk into a room. I was taught at a very young age by my parents that my head should always be held high. Although we are influenced everyday but outside factors like social media and old generational curses, your mind is solely controlled by YOU. I try my best to surround myself with things and people that make a positive impact in my life.
As an attorney, imposter syndrome is real and in my first 2 years I often worried about being good enough to continuing practicing law. If I continued to challenge my own self-esteem by placing doubt on myself, then I would not be where I am today. I would not still be practicing law. I would not be a successful attorney.
You are presented with a new challenge everyday and it is up to you to decide if you’re going to overcome it or not. If you feel you lack confidence, have a talk with yourself. Write down the things you love about yourself and write down the things you want to work on. Make promises to yourself and don’t break them. As your confidence develops, you’ll discover your triggers and you will then know how to put them to bed.
BE FIERCE, BE BOLD!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Hi!
My name is Alexandria Clemons and I am a 26 year-old attorney from Los Angeles, CA. The media shows LA as this place full of glitz and glam but I did not grow up in that part. I grew up in the part where I had to take the Metro city bus to school at 6am. I grew up in the part where our textbooks were falling apart and we had to glue them back together. This area is called “inner city LA.” My family struggled my entire childhood and I knew the only way to help them was to leave and get an education. I left LA at 18 and I did not come back until 7 years later.
I was nervous to come back home. I had a new perception of life and felt that going back to a place of sorrow would force me into the same environment that I desperately wanted to escape from. I went back anyway. Now, I am practicing law at the largest labor and employment firm in the world and I am recognized as a positive role-model in my community. I often talk to the youth and influence them to chase their goals. I am showing them that everything you want to achieve is possible!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Ingenuity, Charisma, Resilience.
Ingenuity: You are going to be challenged everyday whether it is from work, family, or relationships. You have to find creative ways to come up with effective solutions. You’ll find joy in creating your own answers. My advice, give yourself time to always think things through.
Charisma: This is my favorite quality to possess because this is what inspires devotion in others. This quality can only be achieved through confidence and high-self esteem. My advice, gain the confidence in yourself first and the charisma will follow.
Resilience: Life is harder on some more than others. You cannot let life defeat you. Resilience is such a difficult quality to possess because often times we think of our life challenges to be “unfair.” This “unfairness” influences the way we interact with people and the way we view ourselves. In reality, majority of the time we cannot control what comes our way, but we can control how we react to them and how we rise up above them. My advice, never cry over spilled milk.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Growing up as an only child, all I had was my mom and dad to lean on. My mother is the most selfless and courageous woman I know. She provides me with an unconditional love that I cherish everyday. My mother is so proud of me and I am proud of her. She is my lifeline. My father is the most intelligent man I know. I get my ambition and drive from my father. He pushed me to a level of success that I did not believe was possible for a girl like me. He is my entire support system. My parents play different roles in my life but both are appreciated and loved by me.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
