[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ast year The Revenant star Leonardo DiCaprio opened up about the sacrifices he made for a performance that earned him his first Oscar in an acting career spanning nearly forty years.

Talk about patience…

He slept in animal carcasses, plunged in and out of icy rivers, suffered through viral infections and ate raw bison liver (DiCaprio’s a vegetarian mind you). All in temperatures that were rarely above -30C.

It’s safe to say he made some extreme sacrifices in order to deliver the most believable and compelling performance the actor was capable of. At least the Academy thought so. In return he was rewarded with a Golden Globe Award and a Best Actor Oscar.

He didn’t have to go full ‘Method‘ and demand to only be addressed as his character 19th-century frontiersman Hugh Glass on set. He didn’t refuse to break character in between takes. He was simply willing to make the necessary sacrifices and through meticulous preparation he showed up as the best version of himself.

“If we ended up [using] green screen with coffee and everybody having a good time, everybody will be happy, but most likely the film would be a piece of s—.”

– González Iñárritu, Director, The Revenant

A true commitment to excellence.

This year a new group of talented performers will be rewarded for their sacrifice, preparation and their ability to perform at peak state. After the awards I’m sure we’ll hear many stories of what these performers put themselves through for their achievements. The big takeaway is that if you really want to awaken the best version of yourself – then you have to do something to get its attention.

It’s a principle of equivalent exchange. Nothing can be gained without first giving something of equal value in return. There is no ‘free lunch’. You get out what you put in.

Your life only gets better when you get better. There is no set limit on how better you can get at anything, therefore there is no set limit on how much better your life can get.

• The next time you receive a Facebook invite to a party or social event, politely decline. Stay home and read a book or article related to a topic or goal you’ve currently set.
• When you’re tempted to put something in your body that although will temporarily make you feel good but is detrimental to your health – put it down and make a healthy snack.
• Take a freezing cold shower. It increases alertness, circulation and eases stress with numerous other benefits.
• Train a part of your body or mind in a way you never have before.
• Sit down with an old fashioned pen and pad and flesh out that idea you’ve been procrastinating on. Then act on it!

Develop habits of sacrifice, planning, preparation and executing at your very best. If you can discipline yourself to do what you need to do, when you need to do it, whether you want to do it or not, your reward is essentially guaranteed.

You can learn alot from a statue.

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[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he 2017 Oscar Awards will air LIVE! SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th, 7pm Eastern|4pm Pacific on ABC. Here is a list of every nominee across every category. Subscribe for updates detailing my reaction(s) to the results. Who’s performance most impressed you? Leave your predictions and reactions in the comments below.

Don’t forget to download our handy printable Oscar Nominee ballot at the bottom of this page to cast your vote.

Download the Nominee Ballot

Not attending the Oscars? Relax, I got you. I’ve provided a handy printable version of the Nominee Ballot in PDF format so you can cast your vote at your own Oscar party at home. Just click the graphic below. Enjoy!