Friday Forward - Instant Clarity (#512)

A story I first shared nearly a decade ago, with a message that’s never been more vital

As we head into the holiday season, many of us will find ourselves spending more time with family (for better and for worse) and absorbing an endless stream of consumption-driven messages. While we often hope to take a moment to reflect as the year comes to a close, distractions and commitments pull us away from that crucial self-examination.

This familiar pattern is why I often think back to a story I first shared nearly a decade ago, with a message that’s never been more vital.

On January 15, 2009, Ric Elias was flying out of New York on US Airways Flight 1549 when the plane struck a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. As the plane descended toward the Hudson River and Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger calmly told the cabin, “brace for impact,” Ric and the 154 other passengers believed they were living their final moments.

You probably know this story has a happy ending. Sullenberger safely landed the plane in the river, a remarkable landing known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” Everyone survived largely unscathed.

However, Ric’s experience of those tense, uncertain minutes changed his outlook on life from that day forward.

Ric shared his reflections in a powerful five-minute TED Talk that I have watched many times since. It’s an emotional, but not overly dramatic, reminder of what really matters.

Here are the three lessons he took from that day:

• Life can change in an instant. Don’t wait for the “right” moment to start doing what matters. You don’t always get that moment, and people always regret the things they didn’t do, not the things they did.

• Let go of negative energy. Being right isn’t worth it. Being kind, present, and at peace with yourself and others is. Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die, and being judgmental says more about you than it does about others.

• Clarity comes in crisis. Ric’s biggest realization was that his most important goal in life was to be a great dad. Not just a successful provider, but a present, deeply connected husband and father.

It shouldn’t take a near-death experience to come to these realizations. But the truth is, unless an event forces us to think deeply on our priorities, many of us live life on autopilot. We get caught up in busyness, worry about things that don’t matter long-term, and delay the essential things until later.

That important conversation you need to have. That goal you swore you’d accomplish. The relationship that you promised yourself you’d strengthen. We tell ourselves we can do these things later, but sometimes later never comes. It would not have for Ric had Sully not worked his miracle.

The holidays, with all their messiness and meaning, are actually the perfect time to take an opportunity to reset and ask deeper questions. Am I showing up for the people who matter most? What am I holding onto that I should let go of? If I were suddenly out of time, what would I regret most?

Those are uncomfortable questions, but they’re also important and clarifying. And your answers come just in time to make changes in the approaching new year.

So before you head out for Black Friday deal hunting, take five minutes to watch Ric tell his story. When you do, think about what it might look like if you acted on the thing you have been putting off, gave up the negativity and had real clarity on what mattered most.

Watch here - Ric Elias: 3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed – TED

Quote of The Week

“You don’t need a near-death experience to truly start living.” – Ric Elias

Have a great weekend!

-Bob
robertglazer.com