Fun & Famous

Sheryl Sandberg

Yes yes, this video went viral in May. So if you've already seen it, just click away. This post is specially for the people who haven't seen it yet. And there must be many, because otherwise I would be the only one who doesn't always catch everything from the Internet and that just doesn't exist. Anyways, make sure you've seen this inspiring speech before you get back to work after the vacation/summer.

A year ago, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, unexpectedly lost her husband Dave Goldberg. He suffered a heart attack while exercising – in the gym of the hotel where they were staying at that time.

“You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.”

In May, Sheryl gave a commencement speech at Berkeley. She tells the graduates of that year – for the first time – about this heavy period and especially about what she learned from death: a beautiful, educational, empowering, but above all impressive and inspiring speech. One that you should really only watch with some tissues at the ready.

Sheryl talks about what she learned from great sorrow, from great loss. About how you can completely drown, all the way to the bottom, but then still find the strength to swim back to the surface. She states: life is not about the easy days. About how you are then. It's about how you manage to stay standing in difficult times. Only then does it show who you are. How you are made. “You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.”