...And the winner for the Best Actor 2015 at the 88th Academy Awards is... wait for it... Leonardo DiCaprio! The actor and producer FINALLY won his first Oscar few days ago for his role in "The Revenant"; portraying Hugh Glass, a frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the wilderness of the Northern Plains. DiCaprio picked up his award amidst a standing ovation from the crowd.

It is worthy to note that this win came after FIVE acting nominations and another nomination as a producer. His first nomination came for his role in the 1993 film ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’. At some point he became one of the most trolled celebrities at the Oscars for his "near-misses". [s]Maybe his village people were on his case 24/7[/s]. This 25 years journey can be a lesson for entrepreneurs especially when we consider these 5 quotes from the man himself, and his movie portrayals.

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“What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient, highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate.” –Inception (2010)
An idea is one of the most powerful endowments of the human mind. Once conceived there is nothing that can stop you from achieving it. As an entrepreneur, you need to come up with an idea that is fully formed and understood. It should be something that you constantly engage with. Doing this will make it almost impossible for you to be easily discouraged.

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“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullsh*t story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
You have to stay focused and stop giving yourself excuses. Yes it may take time and energy but it will be achieved. Set reasonable goals and give all your strength to achieve it. Set short term milestones that leads to your ultimately aim. Achieving each milestone will certainly boost your morale. A clear mission and purpose is what will drive you when times are tough and motivate you to maintain it when the going’s good.

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“The wind cannot defeat a tree with strong roots.” – The Revenant (2015)
Don't get it twisted, there will be some knock-backs and disappointments along your entrepreneurial journey. However, you will overcome the setbacks if your roots are deeply established by having strong a idea, a reliable team and a dependable infrastructure in place — important for innovation and long term success. Remember, no matter how good you are, you’ll never be successful if you try to do it all on your own.

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“Be Thankful for the hard times, for they have made you.” – Man in Iron Mask (1998)
Becoming an entrepreneur is a risky venture. Business owners have to look after all aspects of the business in order to establish the business. You will face rejection and failures. Take out lessons from them and be proud of the fact that you have learnt to deal with difficulties and have come out stronger. However, always have your eyes set on the ultimate prize.

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“Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.” — Catch me if you Can (2002)
You don't achieve success by giving up. Through your entrepreneurship journey you’ll inevitably experience setbacks but never give up. DiCaprio’s Oscar Award struggle is a perfect example of resilience. Rather than quitting, he works harder every time, delivering blockbuster performance with each movie. This shows the importance of great work ethic.

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When you finally achieve success, it is essential to have fun and pay yourself. In Leo’s words, “if you can do what you do best, and be happy, you are further along in life than most people.”

Learn from these tips and it’ll be a matter of time before I see you at the top, my old sport.

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