What Would You Say in Your Award Speech?

I love awards season: the Grammys, Academy Awards, People’s Choice, the Oscars, and so on; I truly love watching them. I love seeing what everyone is wearing and being my own Joan Rivers about it, judging the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s also my favorite way to learn about movies, shows, songs, and artists I’ve never heard of because half the time I don’t know who these people are. But one of my favorite things about watching award shows is seeing the look on the nominee’s faces when they win and hearing their speeches. I always choke up a little on the good ones. So of course, I’ve replayed those winning moments in my head as if it were my own and found this to be a great exercise to practice gratitude and self-love.

If you won an award and had to go up on stage to give a thank you speech, what would you say to inspire others, and who would you thank?

For me, I would, of course, thank my family and significant other for believing in me and motivating me. That’s a given. But I also think about the real people in my life (because most of us don’t have agents, producers, or managers to thank in the same sense) whom I truly feel grateful for and who have helped sculpt me into who I am right here and right now.

I’d thank my bosses, teachers, and mentors for showing me the ropes and guiding me. I would give a shout-out to my counselor for giving me the right tools to manage my stress. I’d like to thank my dance teachers and friends for being such a great group to exercise with. Big thank you to my hairstylist for being on this crazy journey of brunette vs. balayage. Thank you to my pedicurist, who always has an opening for me and is so good to my feet. And shoutout to my friends back home for never letting me forget where I came from.

Please don’t give up on your dreams. Work hard, stay humble, and be good to people because we all need each other right now. Thank you so much! Goodnight! (exit stage)

So that might not be my EXACT speech (now I see why one would want to prepare for such a thing), but doing this in my head made me realize that I have so many people and resources in my life to be grateful for that help me in so many ways to become a better version of myself.

So I challenge you to sit with yourself or in front of a mirror and practice your award speech.