Ditch the dream and be a doer

Shonda Rhimes

Commencement Speech at Dartmouth University

Shonda Lynn Rhimes is a screenwriter, director and

producer. Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer,

executive producer and showrunner of the medical drama

television series Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice and

political thriller series Scandal.

Having majored in English and Film Studies from

Dartmouth College herself in 1991, she was

called by the college President, Mr Hanlon to

deliver the commencement speech to the

graduating class of 2014!!

Though she admitted that she is no

great public speaker, she still agreed

to do it because she likes challenges

IInspiring Quotes from Shonda Rhimes’ Commencement Speech

Stop dreaming Already

"Dreams are lovely. But they are just

dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty.

But dreams do not come true just

because you dream them. It's hard

work that makes things happen. It's

hard work that creates change."

…And Start Doing

"You want to be a writer? A writer is

someone who writes every day, so

start writing. You don't have a job?

Get one. Any job. Don't sit at home

waiting for the magical opportunity.

Who are you? Prince William? No. Get

a job. Go to work. Do something until you

can do something else."

Don't Let Hashtags Replace Activism 

"A hashtag does not make you Dr. King. A hashtag

does not change anything. It's a hashtag. It's you,

sitting on your butt, typing on your computer and

then going back to binge-watching your favorite

show. Volunteer some hours. Focus

on something outside yourself.

Devote a slice of your energies

towards making the world suck less

every week.”

Forget About "Having It All" Because Perfection is Impossible

"If I am succeeding at one, I am inevitably failing at the

other. That is the tradeoff. You never feel a hundred percent

OK; you never get your sea legs; you are always a little

nauseous. Something is always lost."

Stop Trying to Be Someone Else, and Focus On Being Yourself

“You know what I wanted to be? I wanted to be

Nobel Prize Winning Author Toni Morrison. Guess

what? Years later, I had dinner with Toni Morrison.

All she wanted to talk about was Grey's Anatomy.

That never would have happened if I

hadn’t stopped dreaming of becoming

her and gotten busy becoming myself."

Count Your Blessings

"Yes, it is hard out here. But hard is relative. Elsewhere in the world, girls are harmed simply because they want to get an education. Slavery still exists. Children still die from malnutrition. ... So yes, tomorrow may suck for you—as it did for me. But as you stare at the lint in your navel, have some perspective. We are incredibly lucky. We have been given a gift."

All of us have a responsibility to become a person

worthy of joining and contributing to society.

Because who we are today ... that's who we are!!

So be brave

Be amazing

Be worthyAnd every single time you get a

chanceStand up in front of people

Let them see you. Speak. Be heard

A Recap of the 6 Pearls of WisdomStop Dreaming Already…And Start DoingDon't Let Hashtags Replace Activism Forget About "Having It All" Because Perfection

is ImpossibleStop Trying to Be Someone Else, and Focus On

Being YourselfCount Your Blessings

These slides were created by Pragna.S.P, IIM Lucknow as a part of the Personal Branding course taught by Prof. Sameer Mathur.

References

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~commence/news/speeches/2014/rhimes-address.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuHQ6TH60_I