Life lessons to learn from Oscar 2023 winners, Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser

Apart from the annual YouTubing of the opening monologue at the Oscars and scrolling through red carpet fashion this year we found ourselves watching not only the acceptance speech of two incredible wins but also their backstage press room interviews On this feat alone Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser stole hearts with their conviction towards their work for the second time the first time was through their stellar performances in Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Whale respectively Picking defining moments from their life and career we invited experts to wrap their experiences up as lessons to walk away withNo role too smallJaimini Pathak Pic CourtesyUmesh SuryawanshiSpeaking about how Yeoh began her acting career after being spotted by a startup production company in a commercial opposite Jackie Chan actor and theatre person Jaimini Pathak redefines our thought about no role being too small ldquoThere are small and big roles but everyone has to start somewhere Itrsquos after you get noticed that you start to choose your roles wiselyrdquo We shared an instance with Pathak when a nowthespian classmate illustrated how at a collegian theatre festival mdash a tree character without lines mdash stood still for the entirety of the play without so much as batting an eyelid as the legend goes and won the praise of the audience and judges Replying to this anecdote Pathak says ldquoIt goes without saying that whatever you do do it well Itrsquos this work ethic that separates brilliant actors from the ones moving from one job to the next The audience will be glued to watching their singular presence even without lines because theyrsquove brought it together in their performance Once you choose a role and say yes it should be an unconditional yesrdquoMaking the most of itA spinal injury shelved Malaysian Yeohrsquos dreams of dancing ballet but the training undergone for the art form proved beneficial when she took up her own stunt work in action films In an interview she mentioned this as being a shift in energy remarking how similar the choreography and rhythm between the two were Wersquore looking at this less in a lsquoone door closes another opensrsquo sort of way and more as Yeoh carving her own path Lizanne Dsouza recruitment expert and podcast host agrees ldquoItrsquos essential to recognise that skills and experiences garnered from past endeavours can be transferable to new and diverse fields Stagnancy in one position can hinder growth and the realisation of potential in this everevolving worldrdquo Dsouza notes that identifying such skills and determining the industries where they can be utilised is the first step towards achieving a successful transitionArouba Kabir and Lizanne DsouzaThis lesson from Yeohrsquos life is further reiterated when despite being pushed to the fringe roles and facing ageism and racism Yeoh rose as a goddess of action films almost always performing her own stunts Dsouza reflects on how perseverance can propel aspirations towards achievement Dare to dream big is what this expert suggests adding ldquoAcknowledging that previous generations encountered various impediments that are not relevant to its former extent in todayrsquos society provides hope for the unlimited possibilities of tomorrowrdquo Her tips to build such a mindset include a reading of Atomic Habits by James Clear and establishing achievable goals bearing in mind that as humans limitations do existSelfworth mattersA survivor of sexual harassment facing a divorce as well as objectification and fatshaming at different points in his career it is said that Fraserrsquos movie choices and stepping away from the public eye seemed to have been a reflection of his selfworth Arouba Kabir a mental health professional and founder of Enso Wellness reflects on the importance of selfperception and internal dialogue in building our selfimage advising us to pay attention to the little voice in our head ldquoWhen you make a mistake are you ridiculing or being kind to yourself Learning can come from the latter This voice develops from our surroundings we model what we hear from parents teachers and others when we are younger But as an adult you have the power to change thisrdquo Her tips on building a clear selfimage includegtgt Maintain a journal to monitor how you talk to yourself when stressed or when facing yourself in the mirrorgtgt Scrap perfection What might be perfect for you might not be perfect for another and vice versa Giving your best is enoughgtgt Take care of your health mdash physical mental sexual financial and social Working on yourself gently will help you connect better with others Whereas not taking care of ourselves in these areas may lead to a search for validation from outsideSet boundariesIn a 2018 interview Fraser said he felt like George Orwellrsquos Animal Farm character Boxer a horse who ldquoworked for the good of the whole he didnrsquot ask questions he didnrsquot make trouble until it killed himrdquo The talk about the dangers of an overly positive toxic positivity approach in overlooking the need for change and rerouting has been gaining momentum in the last few years along with the topic of setting boundaries Kabir states that such a mindset disregards righting the wrong and the process of healing As much as we want to be realistic in life by being positive denial of issues and slapping on a smile arenrsquot realistic She adds that many things can be important to us but learn methods to prioritise and handle conflicts instead of pleasing allAge no barCarolyn PereiraYeoh and Fraser by winning an Oscar at 60 and 54 respectively are not the first to prove that the yardstick of success we hold on to at the start of our careers is baseless and inaccurate And Yeoh did not fail to include this in her acceptance speech proclaiming ldquoLadies donrsquot let anybody tell you that you are ever past your primerdquo Breaking the concept of hitting all milestones in your 20s Mumbaibased Carolyn Pereira founded her food venture Treatfully Yours at 38 She shares ldquoThings align when the time is right In my 20s I was busy being a mum I had a fire within me and I dedicated it to my kids Then I couldnrsquot ignore it any longer and given the dream I had The concept of Treatfully Yours came to her in a dream I knew that I had to make it come true Success doesnrsquot have a defined age It can come at 20 30 40 or 60 You canrsquot put a timeline on when you encounter success or appreciationrdquo