Sheryl Sandberg's New Year's Resolution Is to "Choose Life and Meaning Over Tragedy" Almost 8 Months After Husband's Death

Facebook COO will "focus on trying to find joy in the mundane"

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg is opening up on Facebook about the friends who have gotten her through the ups and downs of her life, including the hardest moment—her husband's death.

Sandberg's husband, Dave Goldberg, died in May while on a trip to Mexico after suddenly collapsing while exercising. He was 47. After nearing the end of an incredibly difficult year, Sandberg turned to Facebook to reflect on her husband's passing and come up with a New Year's resolution with the help of her friends from Lean In.

"When my husband, Dave, passed away last spring, my whole notion of plans crumpled. I stopped trying to meditate, but my connection to this group of friends was one of the things that helped pull me through. They checked in daily," she wrote late Tuesday. "Even though they live across the country, they showed up early and often. They did not just hold me as I cried—they cried with me. One day when I was feeling particularly alone and down, a card from one of them arrived in the mail. It said, 'One day she woke up and understood we're all in this together.' It has hung above my desk ever since."

Even though circumstances kept her from following through with last year's resolution—it was to meditate for 10 minutes every day—Sandberg realized that with the help of her friends anything is possible, including writing down three positive moments every day, even when all she can come up with is "made a cup of tea." In 2016, Sandberg will be focusing on the positive.

"...so my New Year's resolution is to write down three joyful moments each day. To quote my favorite singer, Bono, joy is the ultimate act of defiance. I want to choose life and meaning over death and tragedy...So I will try to focus on finding joy in the mundane and the profound—joy in the small things that make my children smile, joy in the moments of friendship that might otherwise pass by unnoticed, joy in the ability to appreciate the gift of life in a way I never did before."

Sandberg also encouraged others to join Lean In Circles so they, too, can have a support system as great as hers. "My Lean In Circle will help me stick to my resolution and I will help them stick to theirs," she wrote.

"Together, we are stronger than we are individually. And because of them, I know I am never alone."

To hear what other stars are committing to in 2016, watch the video.