Award Season

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I love award show season….

What do the winners have that allowed them to believe and persevere when others quit?

I love awards show season.  I mean, annoyingly, obsess about finding the schedule for all award shows and setting my DVR to ensure I don’t miss a moment.  This is my Super Bowl, and the entire day is mine. I get comfortable, pour a glass of wine, change in comfortable clothes, and settle in for the evening ceremonies.  I watch the pre-show coverage on the E Channel, as well as the coverage on whatever network is airing the show.  I don’t remember when I became obsessed, but I can’t remember not watching the Golden Globes, SAG awards, or the Oscars.

While I enjoy watching to see what people are wearing, what really moves me is watching the winners hear their names being called.  Years of auditions, rejections, hard work, and sacrifices culminate in that moment as the winner walks to the stage – many times in disbelief.  Some shake, some cry, some manically talk quickly.  But almost all of the winners begin to thank an army of people who they say helped them get to that stage, holding their award. They praise their fellow nominees, acknowledge their work, and are vulnerable in those few minutes.

Many thank their parents for believing in them, their partners and children for supporting them, and their teams for never giving up on them.  Those things are undeniably true, but what I want to know is what has allowed them to dream so big and believe so deeply in themselves.  And, when things weren’t easy, and the road was hard, how did they hold onto their dreams?  What do they have that allowed them to believe and persevere when others quit?

One factor for those who pursue their dreams and those who settle for something else is their support system.  Children who have supportive parents, teachers, or other loved ones who don’t discourage or try to re-direct their big, bold dreams have a fighting chance of actually believing their dreams are worthy of being pursued.  Merely believing in big dreams doesn’t guarantee that they will actually come to fruition, however, giving up on our dreams is a sure way of ensuring that they never will.

I believe that it’s possible to re-wire our brain and let go of fear, anxieties and lies that have kept us “stuck”.  Even if we’ve spent more than half of our lives playing it safe, there is still time.  

How to dream again:

  • Lean on your support system and tribe to remind you of who you are

  • Invest in self-care activities that help you recharge and bring you joy

  • Spend time documenting your big, bold, audacious dreams

  • Sow seeds in others who are pursing their dreams or passions

  • Take action daily that keeps you on your path

I am choosing to believe that this will be my best decade ever. I don’t know what my life will look like in 1 year, 5 years, or in 10 years or beyond.  But, I do know that taking action every day in this new direction has brought new people into my life, and new creative ideas to pursue. So, I may not have an Academy award, or thousands of fans in a stadium shouting my name, but I have more hope and joy and peace than I’ve had in years.  And that is my reward.