Build Resilience Like Muscle: Sheryl Sandberg Writes In ‘Option B’

The Facebook Chief Operating Officer’s new book explores a personal topic, the death of her husband Dave Goldberg.

Sheryl Sandberg (left) with late Husband Dave Goldberg (right). (Photo Courtesy: Facebook)

Sheryl Sandberg has an enviable resume. The Facebook Chief Operating Officer is the first woman to be elevated to the social network’s executive board. During her time at Google, she overhauled the search giant’s philanthropic endeavours, among leading the team to a number of other milestones.

Sandberg’s journey, from the US government’s treasury department to Silicon Valley, has also earned her a spot on a number of World’s Most Powerful and Influential lists.

In 2013, Sandberg authored Lean in: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, a book that highlighted the lack of women in private and public leadership positions. Her latest book, Option B: Tackling Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy explores a far more personal topic – the death of her husband, Dave Goldberg.

Goldberg, the founder of SurveyMonkey, died of a cardiac arrhythmia (a group of conditions of irregular heartbeats) in 2015.

In a Facebook post on 21 March, Sandberg opened up about how the book was inspired by her struggle to come to terms with his death.

‘We All Live Some Form of Option B’

The book, co-authored by Wharton professor and psychologist Adam Grant, is a mix of Sandberg’s experience with grief and literature from psychologists on the power of resilience.

We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. Like a muscle, we can build it.

The book also includes stories about people who have braved adversity.

These stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit not only to persevere... but to rediscover joy.

‘Kick Against the Bottom, Break the Surface’

It is easy to be impressed by everything Sandberg has achieved in her life so far; and it is inspiring to learn about the obstacles she has overcome in order to reach the top. However, it is heartbreaking to realise that none of this can prepare you enough to deal with tragedy.

Sandberg says she hopes her book will help people who are struggling to find meaning in despair.

When life pulls you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again.