Having a Yes mindset can be the key to changing your mindset and behaviour towards success, better health, job satisfaction, and happiness. This article explores one of the most successful women in global media of the past ten years and continuing today, and how she learned to change her mindset to appreciate what she had already, and develop herself to become her best self. She discovered her Yes mindset.

Have you heard of Shonda Rhimes? If not, you’ve almost certainly watched one of her hit shows — Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, or Bridgerton. Shonda is known as a Titan of US television. Around 2013, she was producing three different prime-time dramas each week, filling the Thursday evening schedules. From the outside, she looked like a woman who had it all — career success, creative power, and global influence. Yet behind the scenes, she was deeply unhappy.

When Success Doesn’t Guarantee Happiness

At Thanksgiving in 2013, Shonda was looking through a stack of invitations she had received. Her sister Delorse, watching her shuffle the papers aside, said: “Who cares? You’re just going to say no anyway.”

The words stung because they were true. Shonda suffered from social anxiety and unhappiness with her weight, and she had developed a pattern of declining anything outside her comfort zone. As a natural introvert who dreaded public speaking and social events, she hid away in her scripts.

This was the paradox: here was one of the most powerful storytellers in the world, yet her own story was shrinking.

The Turning Point — Saying Yes

Shonda decided something had to change. She made a pact with herself that for one whole year, she would say “Yes” to everything she feared, everything that caused her anxiety, and everything she had avoided in the past. It was her version of Susan Jeffers’ classic mantra: “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

This was not about reckless decisions. It was about recognising that a positive attitude towards challenges could unlock motivation and growth.

Her Year of Yes started with small steps: accepting invitations to give speeches, speaking her honest opinions rather than staying silent, and making time to play with her daughters. But those small yeses built into something much bigger. She began to eat more healthily, delegate more effectively, and invest in relationships with family and friends.

Building a Positive Attitude Through Action

One of the most powerful lessons in Shonda’s story is that a positive attitude isn’t something we are simply born with. It grows through action. Each time she said “Yes” to something that scared her, she chipped away at the barriers holding her back.

Shonda says: “Every ‘yes’ changes something in me. Every ‘yes’ is a bit more transformative. Every ‘yes’ sparks some new phase of revolution.”

Psychologists often note that motivation doesn’t always come first — sometimes action comes first, and motivation follows. Shonda proved this in practice. By acting as if she were confident and open, she began to feel more confident and open.

She even noticed how others’ attitudes towards her changed. By saying yes, she stopped being seen as the person who always declined and became someone approachable, engaged, and willing to grow. She became, as Charles Swindoll once described, a person with a positive “Yes face.”

How a Yes Mindset Fuels Motivation

The connection between a positive attitude and motivation is clear in Shonda’s journey. Each “Yes” gave her momentum. That momentum became motivation, driving her to keep going even when it was uncomfortable.

Motivation often falters when fear gets in the way. By committing to “Yes,” Shonda removed fear from the decision-making process. She didn’t wait until she felt ready; she acted, and readiness came afterwards.

The Yes Mindset Lessons for Your Own Life

Shonda Rhimes has since said that saying “Yes” saved her career, boosted her self-esteem, improved her health, made her happier, and strengthened her relationships. Her TED Talk and her book Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person explore this in even more detail.

But the lessons are not just hers. They are ours too. Each of us faces opportunities we quietly decline out of fear, habit, or self-doubt. The Power of Yes is an invitation to challenge that pattern.

Here are three ways you can apply her approach:

• Choose authenticity over avoidance. A positive attitude doesn’t mean pretending everything is easy; it means facing challenges honestly and openly.
• Start small to build motivation. Say yes to one thing this week that feels uncomfortable — a networking event, a new responsibility, or sharing your opinion.
• Turn momentum into habit. Each yes builds confidence. Over time, those small choices reshape your identity and create a more motivated, positive you.

Bringing It Back to You

At Advance Performance, we believe motivation and a positive attitude are not just nice extras — they are essential tools for growth and leadership. Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes shows what happens when we choose courage over comfort, and action over avoidance.

So ask yourself: Where am I saying no out of fear, and how could a yes move me forward?

Remember, motivation grows when we act, and a positive attitude can change not just how others see us, but how we see ourselves. The Power of Yes might just be the spark you need to unlock the next chapter of your story.

You can change your mindset and your behaviours today to become the best version of you. And it’s not just about you as an individual, you can become a high performance leader by changing your mindset. If you want to develop goal-setting strategies that inspire, motivate, and deliver results for your people, we can help you. Contact us at +44 1772 813969 or inspiration@advance-performance.co.uk to find out more about bespoke leadership, motivational and peak performance programmes.