Though winning an Oscar is an incredibly amazing acknowledgment and is deserved for ones hard work, but in Leonardo DiCaprio's case, there is more to the little gold statue. It’s a lesson.
After decades of being in the business, Leonardo has taken us through the halls of the Titanic, inside the structures of dreams, down the streets of Wall Street, and into the parties of the 1920s. He taught us how to love, behave, and learn; but most importantly he taught us the meaning of passion, devotion, and perseverance.
Leo’s journey to winning an Oscar – with five different nominations, twenty-three years from the first – was a long one, but a good one. Motivation in his work for such an award, in Leo’s case, is minimal; his driving power is his passion. It is a passion not just for acting, but also for movies, films, his audience, and life. He shows us the reality in achieving success and what it really means.
Some of the most important lessons from Leo’s iconic career- from playing simple roles to walking the Oscar stage- teach us that recognition is provided when deserved, but the road has its bumps.
First and for most, he emphasizes that success requires dedication and patience.
Success most definitely does not happen over night and this is reflected in Leo’s long acting career from roles in Titanic to Wolf on Wall Street to the most recent, The Revenant. His dedication works hand in hand with patience through the hours of work, early mornings, late nights, and sacrifices that distinguish the successful from failures. Yes, patience and commitment don’t come easy; but success won't come with quitting.
And while quitting may be the easy way out, especially when we meet with failure, it is not the most successful way out.
There will always be ups and downs (or in Leo’s case five rough downs) but once you get back up (his first Oscar) it is worth all the hard work and dedication that you put in to get there.
There is so much more to success than just working hard, there is community, humility, and self-awareness.
Leo once said “Brothers don’t necessarily have to say anything to each other – they can sit in a room and be together an just be completely comfortable with each other.” He understands that friendship, community, and relationships are to be valued, because he needed them to get his success. Without his crew, directors, friends, audience, etc. he would have no career or success. As a professional, there are no enemies or grudges; he was even a close friend with fellow actors Tobey McGuire, who he competed with for certain roles. His value of life and opportunities are greater than his value of an Oscar and he definitely does not let this one award define who his is or his success.
Leo’s first Oscar is not just a gold statue, it is a symbol of triumph and his journey. Failing to win an Oscar in the past has not diminished Leo’s skills and love for acting. He still gets roles, still does an amazing job, and still builds his success/career. He shows us that we should not label success on how many awards one receives and failure is not the end. Get back up and go get your own Oscar (well, reach your own goals) -- from Leo’s perspective it will definitely be worth it.
Above all,
...because losing an Oscar never discouraged Leo from taking on another role, even if it was a hard one, it only made him stronger and the better person he is today.
