The Power of Oscar Speeches
The Oscars always inspire me to write a newsletter. Every year, someone blows me away with their words and this year, TWO powerful women made me stand up and applaud right there in my living room.
Lady Gaga (Best Original Song) and Olivia Colman (Best Actress).
These two women each gave a memorable and inspiring speech, not to mention Lady Gaga’s riveting performance of Shallow with Bradley Cooper.
Lady Gaga said, “It’s not about winning. It’s about not giving up.”
She talked about hard work and fighting for your dreams. She talked about standing up and being brave. You could see how grateful she was and thankful to those around her.
Not giving up is such a simple piece of advice, yet one so easily forgotten. When things get tough or don’t go our way, we start to disconnect. We start to shut down. We get discouraged. The solution is to always remember to take action. For many people, including myself, I have wanted to give up, even quit. Take that pause and then get up and go!
Olivia Colman was so genuinely surprised when she won, even saying it was hilarious and wouldn’t happen again. Her speech was heartfelt, funny and vulnerable. You could see everyone in the audience just looking at her with love. She called Glenn Close (also nominated in this category) her idol. What a beautiful moment. Women supporting women.
Lessons learned:
We must remember to support one another, to cheer for one another, to celebrate each other’s successes. We can admire those around us, doing the same thing as we are and learn from their brilliance. International Women’s Day is Friday the 8th, what a perfect time to celebrate the women in our lives and around the world making a difference. We all have our own unique identity and brand. Be your authentic self and allow yourself to shine in the spotlight.
While most of us won’t ever get to experience winning an Oscar, we can all experience wins that make us feel the same way. We can inspire the audience sitting in front of us with our words, our books, our products, our performances.
At your next team meeting, go over the facts, but throw some inspiring words in there. At SSC we start every team meeting with sharing our weekend events and keeping our human connection alive. At your next speaking gig, share something personal. Be authentic. Be you.
Channel your inner strength, appreciate and thank the support around you, believe in yourself, take action and watch the magic happen.