October Book Review
I LIKE BIG BOOKS AND I CANNOT LIE
Your cheat sheet to learning from books without having to read them.
‘Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person’ by Shonda Rhimes
Success isn’t just about career achievements – sometimes, it’s about redefining what success even means. Year of Yes is Shonda Rhimes’ journey of saying yes to life, breaking out of her comfort zone, and discovering what true success looks like for her. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about work.
Here are 6 lessons to help you redefine success for yourself:
Say yes to what scares you. Success often means pushing past fear. Shonda embraced opportunities that terrified her – public speaking, saying no to things that drained her, and embracing her own voice. Facing fear head-on opened doors she never expected.
Success isn’t about burnout. Redefining success means learning to say yes to yourself. Shonda realized that saying yes to self-care, downtime, and her own happiness was just as important as saying yes to work. True success includes balance.
Turn down the self-doubt. Many of us think success means always being perfect. Shonda’s journey teaches that real success comes from silencing that inner critic and embracing your worth, flaws and all.
Celebrate the wins along the way. In her Year of Yes, Shonda redefined success by recognizing the importance of celebrating achievements. Don’t just race to the next goal – savor your wins, no matter how big or small.
Be authentically you. Shonda stopped trying to fit into everyone else’s definition of success. Instead, she embraced her quirks, imperfections, and true self. When you’re authentically you, success becomes something personal, not what society tells you it should be.
Surround yourself with the right people. Redefining success also means finding your tribe – the people who lift you up and support you. Shonda realized that success is better when shared with the right people who push you to be your best.
Book review by
Salme Tran
Operations and Customer Service Leader, Career Club DK Advisory Board Member
Connect with me on LinkedIn
