I don’t know about you, but I had been looking forward to the Oscars all week.  It was the 89th annual and the list of movies and actors nominated were a few of my faves.

The bolder sisters of Hollywood were rocking the red carpet and giving me life. There’s nothing more inspiring than a woman who owns her craft and is confident in her skin. All of the women looked amazing. They were fierce and fabulous.  Not only did they slay on the carpet, the speeches were also something to talk about.

Viola Davis was definitely my pick for best supporting actress for an emotion-stirring performance in Fences. I was rooting for her because with every role she always brings 110%. From Antwone Fisher, where she barely said 3 words, to her role in Fences where she gave us something we could feel every time she was on screen.

So her win was well deserved and her speech spoke to my inner bold. Here are 5 reasons why Viola’s speech encouraged bold girl magic.

Reason #1 “There is one place where all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place. And that’s the graveyard.” Viola reminded us all of why it’s so important to live a life that honors your gifts and talents and your fullest potential. I certainly don’t want to be in a graveyard with any unused potential. I want to use every ounce of talent God has poured into me. “What is your gift?”

Reason #2 “Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition.” Dreams are everything. The bigger the better. What I am learning is that usually the limits on our dreams are the ones we ourselves add to them. We can truly make anything a reality if we invest into it. It’s true, some things may require a little more elbow grease than others, but it’s really about how bad you want that thing. “What are your big dreams?”

Reason #3 “I became an artist, and thank God I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.” There was something so moving to me about this line in Viola’s speech. Whenever the words celebrate and live life are in the same sentence it’s always an excellent reminder of how limited our time is. Life is once and celebrating and living should be every bolder sister’s goal. “How are you celebrating life?”

Reason #4 “Oh Captain, my captain Denzel Washington, thank you for putting two entities in the driving seat, August and God.” This line had me thinking about who’s in my driver’s seat. And the truth is Í can’t do it solo. I also need God as the driver. When I take the wheel I sometimes steer us right off the road. Who is in your driver’s seat?

Reason #5 “And to Dan and May Alice Davis, who are the center of my universe, the people who taught me good or bad how to fail, how to love, how to hold an award, how to lose, my parents. I’m so thankful God chose you to bring me into this world… And to my husband and my daughter, my heart. You teach me everyday how to live, how to love. I’m so glad that you are the foundation of my life.” Viola’s closing was as inspiring as her opening because our support system, that foundation is everything. I really couldn’t imagine staying motivated to chase my dreams if I didn’t have people in my life who believed in me and support my vision. Who is your foundation?

Viola, thank you for being a Bolder Sister we can all admire and congrats on your Oscar win! In case you missed it, view it here

Bolder Sisters, what was your favorite part of the 2017 Oscars?