Shonda Rhimes has achieved great success by society’s standards — she has built a remarkable career as a showrunner and screenwriter for such well-known TV series as *Grey’s Anatomy* and *Scandal*. However, did this outward success reflect her level of fulfillment? Shonda began to reflect on this question after a talk with her sister.

It was Thanksgiving of 2013, and during their conversation that morning, her sister said, “You never say yes to anything.” At first, Shonda was indignant, since she had plenty of reasons to turn down many offers. First, Shonda was convinced she was a deep introvert and that the idea of going out or traveling anywhere stressed her out. Beyond that, she also had a demanding career and was raising three children on her own, which took up almost all her time.

However, her sister dismissed her excuses, pointing out that her family had been helping Shonda with her career and raising her children. It was hard not to agree. That was the exact moment when Shonda realized that all these years, despite her rapid career growth, she had driven herself into a comfort zone from which she hadn’t wanted to step out. For several weeks, she did nothing about it, but this thought was like a time bomb about to explode, dividing her life into a “before” and an “after.”

It happened on January 13th, Shonda’s birthday. Instead of her usual wishes, which she repeated year after year, she closed her eyes and set herself a very ambitious goal: to say “yes” to every opportunity and offer that came her way throughout the year. No excuses or avoidance. She would try to be open to everything life had to offer. And so began her exciting journey.