Shonda Rhimes has become a household name over the years. With four shows on ABC Thursday nights and one spinoff show a few years ago, Shonda is full of success.
The single mother of three is the brainiac behind some of our favorite television shows. Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and the new hit, The Catch are all on Shonda’s resume. Shonda has also helped written the movies Crossroads and The Princess Diaries.
Rhimes has created shows that people of all ages can relate to. She’s created incredibly strong and powerful female characters that girls can look up to. Meredith Grey, Christina Yang, Olivia Pope, Annalise Keating and now Alice Vaughan.
Rhimes wrote a book in 2015 called Year of Yes. This book was about a journey that Rhimes decided to take; her journey to yes. For an entire year, Rhimes said yes to everything. She said yes to all of the things that scared her, that took her out of her comfort zone and that allowed her to spend more time with her children.
This book is an inspiration. It gives a private look into Rhimes’ life and makes her more relatable to her readers. It is living proof that we can change our lives one step at a time.
Having a year of yes and writing about it pushed Shonda to give the commencement speech at her alma mater, Dartmouth College. She was terrified because she hated public speaking, but because she promised herself to say yes to all the things that scared her, she went for it. And she killed it–watch it here to see for yourself!
Rhimes has created an incredibly successful empire!
So, if you’re ever doubting if you can do something or questioning your success, take a cue from Shonda.
Say yes.