Resilience

When It Rains It Pours, and then there is Sunshine

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On March 10, my employer, silicon valley bank, collapsed overnight.  I was dealing with it okay, but I guess the universe thought I could take on more.   There is a common saying, “trust that the universe will only give you what you can handle.”  I hope so, but I am not as sure as I go through this next wave of personal challenges on top of the work ones. ...  read more

My Employer, Silicon Valley Bank, Collapsed Overnight – Now What?

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A week ago, everything fell apart for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) – the 16th largest bank in the US, and my employer for two and a half year.  I was busy planning our team offsite a week ago.  Now we are in a whole new reality for all 8500 employees – the threat of permanent extinction.

  • I had to cancel the team offsite of course.
  • SVB no longer exists and the parent company filed for bankruptcy
  • Our office locations are all closed ‘temporarily’ but may actually be permanent.  who knows?
  • We are now employed by the bridge bank SVBB, Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, with a new CEO and we have been working like mad helping our clients access their money.
  • We are faced with 3 options that are from okay to ugly – stay independent as a much smaller bank, get acquired by a big players, or close our doors forever.

Only time can tell what will happen next! ...  read more

How to Improve Your Life and Work Today? Try OACS

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improve your life and work

I have been interviewing therapists to see if I can find one that is a good fit.   This post is not about recommending you to get a therapist.  That’s totally up to you.   It’s about sharing a useful tip one therapist shared with me that immediately improve my perspective and thus my life and work.   Apply OCAS!  What is OCAS?  I will get to that in a few paragraph. ...  read more

The Gift of Covid was More than I Expected – Five Unexpected Gifts

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Am I being sarcastic?  Partly.  While there were definitely aspects of Covid that has been a huge pain to my family, there were truly also unexpected gifts.   Covid finally visited our household about 3 weeks ago.  First my husband and nanny got it and were quarantined and then a week later, my older daughter and I got it and switched places with them. ...  read more

My Failures in My 20s and What I Learned from Them

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I have never shared these stories before.  Perhaps it’s because it took me 20+ years to realize that I do not need to be ashamed of my “failures.”  Each one taught me something and in reality ended up working out better for me.  🙂  When they happened however, they were devastating to me and especially to my ego. ...  read more

I Have Always Been “Lucky” – Here is How You Can Be Too

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As I look back on 2021, I told Hubby we have been very lucky in our life and at my work.   He said “Lei, we make our luck.”  I said “I know, but what does that really mean?”  I always believed in it but had trouble explaining it to others.   Luck is after all based on random chance, right? ...  read more

I am Enough and So are You

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I debated whether to tell you this, as I don’t want to be imperfect in your eyes. I realized however it’s my imperfection that you can relate to. And being imperfect is what make us human and what make me, Me :-)! It’s my trials and tribulations that can help you avoid the mistakes that I have made. It’s the stories about how I learned to overcome challenges that may also inspire you. It’s my imperfections that can help you also accepts yours.  ...  read more