If you celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving! Even if you don't, Angelina Jolie's gratitude-filled acceptance speech for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is worth a few moments of your time.
The speech celebrates her mother and powerfully reframes how small most "problems" are. We're oblivious to how lucky we are to avoid life's most savage situations. Her speech gently reminds us. The speech is so gracious, I used HubSpot's COS to build a tool that customizes it for you. First, though, let's watch:
Someone Else's Shoes
Jolie evokes the idea of a woman with all of her acting abilities, but in a refugee camp without a voice, sufficient food, safety, or any idea when her family can go home:
“I have never understood why some people are lucky enough to be born with the chance that I had to have this path in life and why, across the world, there’s a woman just like me, the same abilities, the same desires, the same work ethic and love for her family, who would most likely make better films than me... Only she sits in a refugee camp. I don’t know why this is my life and that’s hers.”
That hit me so hard -"I don't know why this is my life and that's hers" - there but for the grace go I.
We're usually clueless how privileged we are. Jealousy isn't the only thing you get spending too much time counting other people's blessings, I'd argue most of our painful emotions come from that.
So, Could YOU Be #AngelinaGrateful?
Feeling more gratitude and awe for what you do have is a sure path to more happiness. Try repeating this striking, humble, and inspiring speech like a daily mantra. First, let's rewrite it, just for you, right now:
Click and customize so that you can be #AngelinaGrateful. Go ahead and you'll have your custom script in a moment...
Whatever today means to you, I hope you feel really great after taking a moment to reframe your life and to reflect on how how different it could have been.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Originally published Nov 28, 2013 8:04:00 AM, updated January 18 2023