Shonda Rhimes delivers TED Talk about the joy of work, play

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Shonda Rhimes, screenwriter and showrunner behind television shows Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder, delivered a TED Talk discussing the different joys of work and play.

Recorded Tuesday, Rhimes' speech stems from her latest nonfiction book, The Year of Yes, in which she describes her experiences saying "yes" to what scared her for an entire year after losing the key to her inspiration.

Rhimes explained she loves to work, the act of working having a profound affect on her happiness and joy. "When I am hard at work -- when I am deep in it -- there is no other feeling," she said. "I love working...and what makes it all so good is the hum."

"The hum is more than writing, the hum is action and activity...the hum is God's whisper right in my ear," she continued. "And when you have a hum like that, you can't help but strive for greatness."

The PGA Lifetime Achievement Award winning television producer and writer went on to juxtapose the hum of work from the joy of play and being in the moment. She discussed her three children, how they taught her to be present, to discover a fresh understanding of what she calls the hum, and to rekindle her inspiration for life.

"My tiny humans show me how to live and the hum of the universe fills me up," she said. "I play and I play until I play until I begin to wonder why we stop playing in the first place."