I'd Like To Thank...

All those who had faith in me and given me the opportunity, and all those who will in the future. Ok, that's all.

I read somewhere yesterday that talent is universal but opportunity is not. Never truer words. Having been given tremendous opportunities, two in particular despite the lack of formal training and necessary experience, I have always made sure I pay it forward and do the same for others who deserve it. I certainly hope I have done enough.

And opportunity is really what we all need a little bit more of these days. While we persevere and push forward, I thought we could all do with a little motivation. On a Monday, no less. There are many ways to keep us going -- music, movie, podcast, exercise, food and watching acceptance speeches. Yes, most are self-serving and gloat-filled but then, there are a few that are worthy of replays. Here are some of my most favourites.

Viola Davis at the Emmys 2015

When Viola Davis won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on How To Get Away With Murder, she was the first black woman to do so and the Emmys was already celebrating its 67th anniversary. Let that sink in. She spoke on the importance of opportunity, and watching Taraji P. Henson celebrating her like that was everything.

Angelina Jolie at the Governors Awards 2013

Probably one of the most beautiful acceptance speeches ever. Period. Angelina Jolie was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for all the works she had done and is still doing tirelessly for the betterment of the lives of those who are lesser privileged than we are. My favourite line from the speech: "Nothing would mean anything if I didn't live a life of use to others."

Michelle Williams at the Emmys 2019

We all remember that travesty when Michelle Williams was only paid $1,000 for reshooting her scenes on All The Money In The World while Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million. No discredit to Wahlberg here -- he donated the entire sum to the Time's Up movement. So, when Williams won the Emmy for her role in Fosse/Verdon, she spoke passionately about pay discrepancy and what needs to be done.

Alex Borstein at the Emmys 2019

Alex Borstein is amazingly funny and an even more amazing actress. It's no wonder she won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel consecutively. As with all comic, she began her acceptance speech with jokes but it took on a 180° turn when she spoke about her grandmother and what it means to step out of line.

Viola Davis at the Oscars 2017

You know that if there were an award for giving the best acceptance speech, Viola Davis would win every single year, hands down. And I've saved the best for last. When she won her first Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Fences, the world listened intently to her passionate sermon on telling the stories of the ordinary people and celebrating what it means to live a life. Preach.

The number of times I have watched all these acceptance speeches? Let's not go there, shall we? I hope you'll find them worthy of your time and perhaps lift you up even the slightest bit. Remember that no matter how small you feel sometimes, you matter and you are enough. Have a fabulous week ahead, you, glorious you! Ok, that's all.