10 Tips We Learned About "Power" & Success From La La Anthony
I'll show you how to do this hun!
From her role as Lakeisha in Starz's hit show Power, to her Motives Cosmetics line - La La is making major moves in the game and it's all well deserved. Starting from the bottom working for free, she credits her experiences as an intern for helping her get her foot through the door and successfully working her way up the entertainment ladder.
Over the years she's dished on some important and "powerful" tips for women hoping to reach a certain level of success that we want to share. Grab a paper and pen!
1. The Power of Distractions: Be Careful!
A lot of times with the people I talk to, we let our circumstances- how we grew up, our families, the guys in our lives, the girls in our lives- dictate where our life goes instead of finding our own power.
I don't think there is one blueprint that anyone could follow but I do think everyone has to figure out what their path is. We all have the power to be great and most of us just don't know it and don't know how to access it.
[Tweet "We all have the power to be great and most of us just don't know it - @lala"]
2. The Power of Having Your Own
(Not Every Successful Woman with a Baller is "Sponsored" (She Didn't Even Want to Date Carmelo at First)
DJ Clue introduced [me and Carmelo]. He was like, 'Yo, my mans been watching you on TV and this and that. Yeah, Carmelo Anthony.' And I was just like- what? Nah. I'm not going to mess around with a basketball player.
But I just felt like they just come with such a stigma and I didn't want that.
My life didn't start like that (with money). My life started from having nothing and just building from there. I didn't come from a family with money, I didn't come from a family in the entertainment business. Nobody knew, my mom was like 'Wait, what? You're going to do what on the radio?' Nobody knew what that was. I worked my way up.
I think I have a different respect for [success] now because I literally had to work radio, then TV, then acting and each thing just to become great at it.
3. The Power in Working for Opportunity (AKA for free!):
[Interning was] very powerful for myself and Ludacris. We started as intern (in radio) s and we worked for free and had to do every and anything and it just helped us be disciplined from where we're at now in life. So if you look at me and Luda, we're always on time because we learned that from being interns that we apply now in our careers and stuff.
In the beginning, I was like, 'You're really going to give this radio career up to be a rapper?' It's not that I didn't think his raps weren't good but it's like, we had a good thing going [as radio hosts]. And he was literally saying he is getting in his car and selling his CDs out the trunk of his car. And I was like, 'Yo, you're going to give this job up to do [rapping]?' But I think he made the right decision."
I think power is finding something you love and going after it. [That's] powerful. I don't think money or status is powerful. Getting up and doing something you love every day is powerful. Doing something for others is powerful. It's not about having the most money and cars- I don't equate that
with power.
[Tweet "I don't think money or status is powerful. Power is finding something you love and going after it."]
Related Post:La La Anthony's Friendship With An 11-Year Old Battling A Brain Injury Is Inspiring
4. The Power in Failing: "It's OK. I fail a lot."
I don't have the perfect life... In the acting world, I fail a lot because I go on auditions and I don't get the job but I work so hard. For a lot of people, acting comes naturally. For me, I had to learn acting and learn how to be good at it. It wasn't just a natural thing for me. So auditioning, not getting the job, yeah, that's a sense of failure. You're going out there, you're putting yourself out there and then you are getting told no, you're not right for whatever reason. It's a letdown but I just gotta keep pushing forward and trying.
Last night, while everyone was chilling, I was in an acting workshop from 5pm until 9:30pm. Working, learning and people don't know that, that is what I'm doing in my spare time. I'm just trying to continue to grow.
I went out for Barbershop 3 and I really wanted that one because it felt like it could've been a great movie. I love Malcolm Lee and I always wanted to work with him. I got really close and when I didn't get that, you're disappointed. But you wish everybody the best and you have to believe what is for you is for you, and what's for somebody else is for somebody else. I was doing weaves and stuff. I liked it. I liked the role. But I'm sure the movie is going to be great [still].
5. The Power of Submission
She Learned the Hard Way To Submit to A Man
It is hard but I had to teach myself that you have to do that sometimes.
There is such thing as being "too independent" and I see that with a lot of women that I'm around that are successful and have careers, like you want to wear the pants in a sense and you can't take that from your man or take that from whoever you're dating and I had to learn that.
I think you should be submissive at times to any man that you respect. If you respect him, then you have to let him 'be the man' at different times. Now if you don't respect him, you can [play] him all day. That's a whole different thing. But if you respect him then you kind of have to know when to fall back.
[Tweet "You should be submissive at times to any man that you respect. You have to let him 'be the man'."]
6. The Power of Pacing: You Have to be Careful Not to Overwork- "I almost had a breakdown"
Sometimes I overdo it and I don't think about myself and I just think about my family...I started to feel like I was about to break down. I have to remind myself that I have to take care of me too. Because if I'm not good, I'm not going to be good for work, for Kiyan for Mel. So I have to keep it in perspective because I'm such a workaholic that sometimes I go overboard.
7.The Natural Born Power: All Women Have It!
P***y is power. I'm just saying. I wrote a book called 'The Power Playbook.' It's just unfortunate that most women don't understand that and don't know how to use it to get the power.
8. The Power of Self-Esteem
That is women in general. It's a constant struggle to try and keep everything together and I think all women go through that in different ways.
I just want to feel good about myself. I know when I'm falling off. I fell off the bandwagon for a little while so I'm starting a new program. I'm a chocolate fanatic and I like cheap chocolate like Kit Kats and Nestle Crunch.
So many gems!! Check out the full interview.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Rihanna Talks Shedding Expectations And Finding Balance As A Mother
Since becoming a mother in 2022, Rihanna has defined parenthood by her terms and hopes to pass that sense of autonomy on to her children.
For Vogue China’s April cover story, Rihanna shared her perspective on raising her two sons with A$AP Rocky, and how she hopes to preserve her children’s uniqueness, devoid of societal expectations.
"The most beautiful thing...is that [children] come into the world with their own individuality and sincerity, without any logic or conformity,” she told the publication. “Which usually makes you feel that you must fit into a certain group."
The “Work” artist, known for her trendsetting style and captivating persona, expressed her desire to support children in fully embracing their individuality and encouraging them to be whoever they want to be. "It's really beautiful to see and I want to continue to help them navigate that and make sure that they know they can be whoever they want to be,” she says.
She continues, “They should embrace it completely, because it's beautiful, and it's unique. I love them just that way."
From shattering music charts to shaking up the beauty industry, Rihanna has forged a path that has since created the “dream” life we see today. One that she says has made her parents proud of.
“I’m living my dream,” she continued. “My parents were very proud of that because they just wanted me to be happy and successful. So, I think the key thing is to find some kind of balance. Yes, balance is important. Do this and you get the best of both worlds. You can write your own life the way you want, and it will be beautiful. Sometimes, you just need to let go of everyone’s expectations and start living your own story.”
Rihanna, who shares sons, RZA, 23 months, and Riot, 8 months, with rapper A$AP Rocky, recently shared her vision for expanding her family in the future in Interview Magazine.
When stylist Mel Ottenberg asked about the number of additional children she hoped to have, Rihanna replied, "As many as God wants me to have.”
"I don't know what God wants, but I would go for more than two. I would try for my girl,” she adds. “But of course, if it's another boy, it's another boy."
Featured image by Neil MockfordWireImage