Author: Shonda Rhimes
Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help, Autobiography
Pages: 352
Publisher: October 20th, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Ltd
Review: 4.5/5
Main Points Of The Book:
1- You do not have to lose weight to feel beautiful
2- Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to.
3- Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be
4- Saying yes, saying yes is courage. Saying yes is the sun. Saying yes is life.
5- DITCH THE DREAM. BE A DOER, NOT A DREAMER.
6- When you negate someone’s compliment, you are telling them they are wrong. You’re telling them they wasted their time. You are questioning their taste and judgment. You are insulting them. If someone wants to compliment you, let them.
Introduction:
This book is written by Shonda rhymes. Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She was born in Chicago Illinois, USA. She is an award-winning writer and producer. She is famously known as a creator and executive producer of television medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, Private practice, and thriller series Scandal. She has won a Golden Globe award and was nominated for Emmy Awards. Shonda Rhimes has twice been included in TIME magazine’s 100 lists of the most influential people.
Summary:
The idea of saying yes came to her mind when her sister Delorse told her these six words while cooking their Thanksgiving dinner: “You never say yes to anything”. Rhymes is a hardworking lady and being busy and occupied in work most of the time she used to say “no” to the many invitations she received to attend events, to be a speaker, and for being interviewed.
Her sister’s words changed her mind and made her realize that she needed to change. That’s where the idea came into her mind to start the year of yes- where she will say yes to those things that she was saying ‘no’ previously. She realized that she was saying ‘no’ to such things, and offers because those circumstances were challenging and scary to her and would take her out of her comfort zone.
In her first book, she tells how her entire life changed when she committed to saying “yes” to everything for one year. Every person on this earth matters and so does his/her experience. Whether you raise your voice through social media, facing your fears, or by standing for what is right. We never know how our voice can change another person’s life.
She tells how she felt embarrassed about her weight and judged herself harshly. But when she decided to lose weight, she lost over 120 pounds. She was determined to be healthier and started to eat nutritious foods. She advises that one should not have to lose weight to feel beautiful. We have to love ourselves the way we are. We should say yes to loving our bodies.
It’s not a bad thing to say “no” to someone. She shares how she found the courage to say ‘no’ to toxic people in her life. Many times we avoid difficult conversations, and we fear these conversations and confronting others or those who are harsh to us and we suffer in silence. But once we come to know that these difficult conversations are important for us and our personal growth and saying no to the things and people who are rude to us can make things much easier for us, we start to gain confidence within and start making better life choices.
In this book, she also shares her decision to break off an engagement. She says she accepted that marriage was not something she ever wanted. Saying ‘yes’ to love means being honest with yourself and your partner. She has shared how she overcame her fears and faced the challenges that changed her life as a result.
Conclusion:
This book helps to build and guide about leadership skills, and improve our self-esteem and motivation. This book is a great guide to say ‘yes’ and confront those difficult and challenging things and people to which we most often fear. This book helps you feel much better.
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