This Week with Introspective

The definition of Bounceback from the Strengths Profile:

• Whatever setback or disappointment you come up against, it just makes you more determined to succeed.

• You love to pick yourself up very quickly from setbacks, using them as a springboard to spur you on.

• You go on to achieve more than you would have done otherwise, proving your success to yourself and others.

Questions to help you bring this strength to life:

• What is a setback you've experienced that ended up leading you somewhere better?

• What does a setback usually teach you about yourself?

• What strength do you lean on most when things don't go as planned?

Resources of the Week

Article‍ ‍

The Benefits of Failure

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Failure can increase resilience and spur creativity, among other advantages.

By Nigel Barber Ph.D.

Book

Option B

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Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant combine stories, research, and practical advice to help you build strength for life’s challenges—and help your family and community do the same.

By Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Podcast

How to Bounce Back from Life’s Curveballs

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Life has a way of upending even our best-laid plans. Breakups, job losses, scary health diagnoses — these unexpected changes can leave us feeling stuck and uncertain about what comes next.

By Dr. Maya Shankar and Dr. Laurie Santos

Strength Story: Staci

The Strength of Bounceback

Staci's Bounceback strength turns setbacks into stepping stones. When things don't go as planned, her instinct is to ask what the experience is teaching her and where it might lead next — not to dwell on the disappointment. That mindset showed up early, when missing out on varsity soccer redirected her to basketball and eventually became the story she wrote about in her college application essay that got her into Santa Clara. She also recognizes that Bounceback rarely works alone — for her, gratitude and perspective are the strengths that support it. Her advice to others: lean into whatever strengths already feel natural to you, because those are what help you regain your footing and move forward.

Fact of the Week

A study of over 700,000 professionals found that those who failed early but kept going were more likely to achieve long-term success.

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