What I Learned from an Evening with Shonda Rhimes

 By Felicia Zhu

Photo courtesy of LA Times

Last Monday on November 16, 2015, Shonda Rhimes came to USC and spoke about her book Year of Yes. Her book describes how she changed her life for the better by saying yes to opportunities that she would normally turn down. Here’s what I learned from her at the Q&A.

Accept people’s compliments.

Shonda said that when you deny people of their compliment to you, you’re insulting their taste. A solid “Thank you” shows that you appreciate their effort to compliment you. Say yes to the people who admire you for being you.

Overcoming one fear makes it easier to overcome another.

Shonda said that she would start going to parties to overcome her anxiety of meeting new people. When she overcame one fear, it made her feel a little more powerful to face the next one.

If small talk makes you uncomfortable, don’t do it. Instead, get to know the person you’re talking to.

Shonda said that she would get nervous meeting new people and not know what to say to them. If making small talk gets you nervous, focus the attention on the person you’re talking to. Get to know who they are and hear their stories.

You can’t change the past, so focus on the present and the future.

Word.

When you say “yes” to everything, you’re saying “no” to yourself.

When you spend time on other people, you lose time for yourself. When you’re helping other people with projects, remember to not put your own projects on the back burner. Remember to treat yourself well too.

Follow your dreams and do what you love

Shonda says that part of why she loves writing so much is because she can spend time in her own imagination. Do what makes you happy and say yes to yourself!