Lessons from Sheryl Sandberg

I was able to watch a video of Sheryl Sandberg’s inspiring speech to the 2016 graduating class at University of Berkeley.

Sheryl Sandberg's best- selling
 book, Lean In

Source;  amazon.com

Sheryl Sandberg is the COO(Chief Operating Officer) of Facebook and the author of Lean In, the best-selling book that encourages women to be empowered, take risks and pursue their goals.

During her speech, she shared how she learned from death and shared the struggles she went through when her husband Dave died due to a heart-related cause last year.

Below are two messages she shared that resonated with me. These messages truly show both her vulnerability and her strength as a person.

“I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again.”  - Sheryl Sandberg

“It is the hard days—the times that challenge you to your very core—that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.” –Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg also mentioned about the 3Ps that she learned from author Martin Seligman and these are:

Personalization – the belief that we are at fault

Pervasiveness – the belief that events affect all areas of our life

Permanence – the belief that the sorrow will last forever

She said that 3Ps are common reactions when we experience grief in our lives  She also emphasized on the importance of Gratitude since it helps overtake grief and it is the key to Resilience.

Personally, I was able to relate to her key messages since at a certain points in my life I too have experienced loss and grief. These past experiences also made me more grateful and see the importance of focusing on the positive things in life.

To express gratitude in life, Sheryl encourages everyone to write 3 moments of joy before going to bed. I have actually been doing this after learning about it from Oprah before and honestly I even end up writing more than 3 moments of joy at times and I feel happy before I sleep.

Sheryl Sandberg encourages us to build “resilience” since it is like a muscle that you can build up and to focus on each day’s moments of joy. She also said that it is important to build resilient organizations that can make this world a better place. Apart from this, she also reminded the audience that it is important to be there for your family and friends.

Her speech was sincere and an honest disclosure that touches people’s hearts. She was able to share learnings that people can relate to and fully embrace. No wonder it is now going viral on the internet.

Below is the link to the video from youtube.com on Sheryl Sandberg’s inspiring speech at Berkeley: