In January 2009, shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York, a plane was rocked by a loud explosion. It had collided with a flock of birds, damaging both engines. As the aircraft began to descend rapidly, Rick Elias, a startup entrepreneur onboard, heard the pilot instruct passengers to brace for impact. In that moment, he believed his life was over. Yet within those few short minutes, he had three profound realizations.
First, he regretted all the things he had put off.
Second, although he believed he had lived a decent life, he realized he had wasted precious time with loved ones because of his own selfishness and stubbornness.
And third, the most urgent feeling of all: he wasn’t afraid of dying, but he desperately wanted to see his children grow up.
Thankfully, thanks to the pilot’s skillful handling, the plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River near the airport, and all 155 passengers were safely rescued. The event became known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” Reflecting on that moment, Rick Elias says it gave him a new lease on life—and he leaves us with this question:
“If something like that happened on the flight you’re on today, how would you choose to live differently?”