Year of Yes Book Summary

Book Summary

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Brief Summary

"Year of Yes" is a memoir written by Shonda Rhimes, the renowned television producer and creator of hit shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal." The book chronicles Rhimes' personal journey of saying "yes" to new experiences and opportunities that pushed her out of her comfort zone.

In "Year of Yes," Rhimes shares her realization that she had been living in a state of fear and self-imposed limitations. Inspired by a simple challenge from her sister to say "yes" to everything for a year, Rhimes embarks on a transformative journey of personal growth and empowerment.

Throughout the book, Rhimes recounts the various situations and events she said "yes" to, including public speaking engagements, accepting compliments, and even appearing on talk shows. She shares the impact these experiences had on her confidence, relationships, and overall happiness.

"Year of Yes" is not just a memoir but also an inspiring call to action for readers to examine their own lives and consider the possibilities that open up when they embrace new opportunities. Rhimes' story encourages readers to step out of their comfort zones, challenge self-doubt, and live a more authentic and fulfilling life.

About the Author

Shonda Rhimes is an American television producer, television and film writer, and author. She is the creator, head writer, and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal. She has also served as the executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder, The Catch, and Off the Map. In 2015, Rhimes published her first book, a memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person. In 2017, she signed a multi-year development deal with Netflix to produce a series of Netflix Originals.

Topics

Self Development Biography & Memoir

Year of Yes Book Summary Preview

“You never say yes to anything.”

These are the six words said by her sister that led to Shonda Rhimes spending the entire next year saying yes to any and every opportunity that she feared or resisted. Saying no got her in her present situation: wildly successful yet authentically miserable. She therefore reasoned that saying yes to anything and everything might be a way to get to a better place within herself. If saying yes did not get her somewhere better, it would get her somewhere different.

Key Insights

When continuing to say no is leading to nowhere and standing still is no longer an option, say yes...to everything.

If we lack within ourselves what it takes to take chances, we need someone else to give us a push. It took having her sister tell her she never says yes to anything to give Rhimes the push she needed to do something different.

As a self-professed liar and storyteller, Rhimes found grave difficulty in getting honest with herself about her fear of saying yes to new opportunities.

Saying no meant there was nothing new to fear.

Saying yes also meant accepting compliments. Prior to her year of yes, Rhimes would modestly downplay the compliments of others. Her year of saying yes led her to realize it’s alright to enjoy the praise of others.

Success and accolades do not equal self-acceptance and fulfillment.

Feeling beautiful comes with loving your body and making a commitment to saying yes to doing what is best for it. Rhimes was able to lose over 120lbs by saying yes to exercise and clean eating.

Sometimes saying yes means saying ‘no’: making difficult decisions and having tough conversations is important for healthy relationships. Say no to those who are depleting you.

Yes means engaging in authentic friendships by ending ties with toxic people in our lives.

The year of yes taught Rhimes how to love and trust her own authentic self by embracing challenges.

Tools for Saying Yes

Say YES to Play: become comfortable with choosing relaxation and leisure over work.

Say YES to prioritizing your personal and professional boundaries. For Rhimes, this meant adding a statement to her email signature letting recipients know she will not engage in work emails after 7pm or on weekends. The clause also encouraged her employees to put down their phones (and do the same).

Say YES to joining the club: this may mean partaking in activities as a minority or as a woman, that are opportunities to break through barriers of perceived exclusivity in order to be an agent of impact on that organization.

Saying YES to asserting yourself in difficult conversations by saying NO.

Saying YES to seeing people not how you want them to appear, but as they are in their own authenticity. Weed out people from your inner circle if they don’t live up to your standards and values.

“Dance it out” is a reference to the final scene of Shonda’s television show Grey’s Anatomy Season 10, where characters Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina (Sandra Oh) prepare for Cristina’s move to Zurich (and Oh’s exit from...