TED2011
Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed
Ric Elias: 3 ting jeg lærte mens mit fly styrtede
Filmed:
Readability: 2.8
7,721,543 views
Ric Elias havde et sæde på forreste række af Flight 1549, det fly som nødlandede i Hudson floden i New York i januar 2009. Hvad foregik der i hans hoved mens det dødsdømte fly gik ned? Hos TED fortæller han sin historie for første gang for offentligheden.
Ric Elias - Entrepreneur
Ric Elias is the CEO of Red Ventures, a marketing services company that grew out of Elias' long experience in business. Full bio
Ric Elias is the CEO of Red Ventures, a marketing services company that grew out of Elias' long experience in business. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
Imagine a big explosion
0
0
3000
Forestil dig en stor eksplosion
00:18
as you climb through 3,000 ft.
1
3000
3000
mens du stiger over 3,000 fod.
00:21
Imagine a plane full of smoke.
2
6000
4000
Forestil dig et fly fyldt med røg.
00:25
Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack,
3
10000
2000
Forestil dig en motor, der siger "clack, clack, clack",
00:27
clack, clack, clack, clack.
4
12000
2000
"clack, clack, clack, clack"
00:29
It sounds scary.
5
14000
2000
Det lyder skræmmende.
00:31
Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.
6
16000
3000
Jeg havde et unikt sæde den dag. Jeg sad på 1D.
00:34
I was the only one who could talk to the flight attendants.
7
19000
3000
Jeg var den eneste som kunne tale med flypersonalet.
00:37
So I looked at them right away,
8
22000
2000
Så jeg kiggede på dem med det samme,
00:39
and they said, "No problem. We probably hit some birds."
9
24000
3000
og de sagde: "Ingen alarm. Vi har sikkert bare ramt et par fugle"
00:42
The pilot had already turned the plane around,
10
27000
2000
Piloten havde allerede vendt flyet om,
00:44
and we weren't that far.
11
29000
2000
og vi var ikke nået særlig langt.
00:46
You could see Manhattan.
12
31000
2000
Man kunne stadig se Manhattan.
00:48
Two minutes later,
13
33000
2000
To minutter senere
00:50
three things happened at the same time.
14
35000
3000
skete tre ting på én gang.
00:53
The pilot lines up the plane with the Hudson River.
15
38000
4000
Piloten retter flyet mod Hudson floden.
00:57
That's usually not the route.
16
42000
2000
Og det er altså ikke den sædvanlige rute.
00:59
(Laughter)
17
44000
2000
(Latter)
01:01
He turns off the engines.
18
46000
3000
Han slukker for motorerne.
01:04
Now imagine being in a plane with no sound.
19
49000
3000
Forestil dig et fly uden lyd.
01:07
And then he says three words --
20
52000
2000
Og så siger han tre ord --
01:09
the most unemotional three words I've ever heard.
21
54000
3000
de mest følelsesforladte tre ord jeg nogensinde har hørt.
01:12
He says, "Brace for impact."
22
57000
3000
"Forbered jer på nedslag" sagde han.
01:16
I didn't have to talk to the flight attendant anymore.
23
61000
2000
Det var ikke nødvendigt at tale med personalet længere.
01:18
(Laughter)
24
63000
3000
(Latter)
01:21
I could see in her eyes,
25
66000
2000
Jeg kunne se det i hendes øjne,
01:23
it was terror. Life was over.
26
68000
3000
det var frygt. Livet var slut.
01:26
Now I want to share with you three things I learned about myself that day.
27
71000
3000
Nu vil jeg dele de tre ting, jeg lærte den dag med jer.
01:31
I learned that it all changes in an instant.
28
76000
3000
Jeg lærte at alt kan ændre sig på et øjeblik.
01:34
We have this bucket list,
29
79000
2000
Vi har den her ønskeliste,
01:36
we have these things we want to do in life,
30
81000
2000
alle disse ting vi vil nå at gøre i vores liv,
01:38
and I thought about all the people I wanted to reach out to that I didn't,
31
83000
3000
og jeg tænkte på alle de mennesker jeg ville nå ud til, men ikke gjorde,
01:41
all the fences I wanted to mend,
32
86000
3000
alle de fejl jeg ville rette op på,
01:44
all the experiences I wanted to have and I never did.
33
89000
3000
alle de oplevelser jeg ville have men aldrig fik.
01:47
As I thought about that later on,
34
92000
3000
Da jeg tænkte på det senere hen
01:50
I came up with a saying,
35
95000
2000
fandt jeg på et lille ordsprog,
01:52
which is, "I collect bad wines."
36
97000
3000
som lyder: "Jeg samler dårlige vine".
01:55
Because if the wine is ready and the person is there, I'm opening it.
37
100000
3000
For hvis vinen er klar og personen er der, så åbner jeg vinen.
01:58
I no longer want to postpone anything in life.
38
103000
3000
Jeg vil ikke længere udskyde noget i mit liv.
02:01
And that urgency, that purpose,
39
106000
2000
Og den hast, det formål
02:03
has really changed my life.
40
108000
3000
har virkelig ændret mit liv.
02:06
The second thing I learned that day --
41
111000
2000
Den anden ting jeg lærte den dag --
02:08
and this is as we clear the George Washington Bridge,
42
113000
3000
og dette er, mens vi passerer George Washington Bridge,
02:11
which was by not a lot --
43
116000
3000
hvilket ikke er med nogen stor margin --
02:14
I thought about, wow,
44
119000
2000
Jeg tænkte på at, wow
02:16
I really feel one real regret.
45
121000
2000
der er alligevel én ting, jeg virkelig fortryder.
02:18
I've lived a good life.
46
123000
2000
Jeg har levet et godt liv.
02:20
In my own humanity and mistakes,
47
125000
2000
Gennem min egen menneskelighed og min fejl
02:22
I've tried to get better at everything I tried.
48
127000
2000
har jeg prøvet at blive bedre til alt jeg har prøvet.
02:24
But in my humanity,
49
129000
2000
Men i min menneskelighed
02:26
I also allow my ego to get in.
50
131000
2000
har jeg også ladet mit ego slippe ind.
02:28
And I regretted the time I wasted
51
133000
3000
Og jeg fortrød den tid jeg havde spildt
02:31
on things that did not matter
52
136000
2000
på ting som ikke betød noget
02:33
with people that matter.
53
138000
2000
med mennesker som betød noget.
02:35
And I thought about my relationship with my wife,
54
140000
3000
Og jeg tænkte på mit forhold tll min kone,
02:38
with my friends, with people.
55
143000
2000
med mine venner, med folk.
02:40
And after, as I reflected on that,
56
145000
2000
Og bagefter, mens jeg reflekterede over det,
02:42
I decided to eliminate negative energy from my life.
57
147000
3000
bestemte jeg mig for at eliminere negativ energi fra mit liv.
02:45
It's not perfect, but it's a lot better.
58
150000
2000
Det er ikke perfekt, men det er meget bedre.
02:47
I've not had a fight with my wife in two years.
59
152000
2000
Jeg har ikke haft et skænderi med min kone i to år.
02:49
It feels great.
60
154000
2000
Det føles fantastisk.
02:51
I no longer try to be right;
61
156000
2000
Jeg prøver ikke længere på at få ret;
02:53
I choose to be happy.
62
158000
3000
jeg vælger at være lykkelig.
02:56
The third thing I learned --
63
161000
2000
Den tredje ting jeg lærte --
02:58
and this is as your mental clock
64
163000
2000
og dette er mens ens mentale ur
03:00
starts going, "15, 14, 13."
65
165000
2000
begynder at tælle ned "15, 14, 13".
03:02
You can see the water coming.
66
167000
2000
Man kan se vandet nærme sig.
03:04
I'm saying, "Please blow up."
67
169000
2000
Jeg siger "Spræng i luften, tak"
03:06
I don't want this thing to break in 20 pieces
68
171000
2000
Jeg vil ikke have, at denne ting skal brække i 20 stykker
03:08
like you've seen in those documentaries.
69
173000
3000
som man ser i dokumentarerne.
03:11
And as we're coming down,
70
176000
2000
Og mens vi var på vej ned
03:13
I had a sense of, wow,
71
178000
2000
havde jeg en følelse af at, wow,
03:15
dying is not scary.
72
180000
3000
det er ikke skræmmende at dø.
03:18
It's almost like we've been preparing for it our whole lives.
73
183000
3000
Det er næsten, som om vi har forberedt os på det hele livet.
03:21
But it was very sad.
74
186000
2000
Men det var meget trist.
03:23
I didn't want to go; I love my life.
75
188000
3000
Jeg ville ikke have, at det var slut; jeg elskede mit liv.
03:26
And that sadness
76
191000
2000
Og al den sorg
03:28
really framed in one thought,
77
193000
2000
samlede sig virkelig i én tanke
03:30
which is, I only wish for one thing.
78
195000
3000
som er, at jeg ønsker mig kun én ting.
03:33
I only wish I could see my kids grow up.
79
198000
4000
Jeg ønsker kun, at kunne se mine børn vokse op.
03:37
About a month later, I was at a performance by my daughter --
80
202000
3000
Omkring en måned senere var jeg til en af min datters forestillinger --
03:40
first-grader, not much artistic talent ...
81
205000
3000
første klasse, ikke meget kunstnerisk talent...
03:43
... yet.
82
208000
2000
... endnu.
03:45
(Laughter)
83
210000
2000
(Latter)
03:47
And I'm bawling, I'm crying,
84
212000
2000
Og jeg bryder sammen, jeg græder
03:49
like a little kid.
85
214000
3000
som et lille barn.
03:52
And it made all the sense in the world to me.
86
217000
3000
Og intet i verden gav mere mening end det for mig.
03:55
I realized at that point,
87
220000
2000
På det tidspunkt gik det op for mig,
03:57
by connecting those two dots,
88
222000
2000
ved at forbinde de to punkter,
03:59
that the only thing that matters in my life
89
224000
2000
at den eneste ting, der betyder noget i mit liv
04:01
is being a great dad.
90
226000
2000
er at være en fantastisk far.
04:03
Above all, above all,
91
228000
3000
Over alt andet, alt andet,
04:06
the only goal I have in life
92
231000
2000
er det eneste mål, jeg har i livet
04:08
is to be a good dad.
93
233000
2000
at være en god far.
04:10
I was given the gift of a miracle,
94
235000
2000
Jeg fik gaven i form af et mirakel,
04:12
of not dying that day.
95
237000
2000
ved ikke at dø den dag.
04:14
I was given another gift,
96
239000
2000
Jeg fik en anden gave,
04:16
which was to be able to see into the future
97
241000
2000
som var at kunne se ind i fremtiden
04:18
and come back
98
243000
2000
og komme tilbage
04:20
and live differently.
99
245000
2000
og leve anderledes.
04:22
I challenge you guys that are flying today,
100
247000
3000
Jeg udfordrer alle jer, der flyver i dag,
04:25
imagine the same thing happens on your plane --
101
250000
3000
forestil jeg de samme ting sker på jeres fly --
04:28
and please don't --
102
253000
2000
og så alligevel ikke --
04:30
but imagine, and how would you change?
103
255000
2000
men forestil jer det, og hvad ville du ændre?
04:32
What would you get done that you're waiting to get done
104
257000
3000
Hvad ville du få gjort, som du ellers venter med at få gjort
04:35
because you think you'll be here forever?
105
260000
2000
fordi du tror, du er her for evigt?
04:37
How would you change your relationships
106
262000
2000
Hvordan ville du ændre dine forhold
04:39
and the negative energy in them?
107
264000
2000
og den negative energi i dem?
04:41
And more than anything, are you being the best parent you can?
108
266000
3000
Og mere end alt andet, er du den bedste forælder, du kan være?
04:44
Thank you.
109
269000
2000
Mange tak.
04:46
(Applause)
110
271000
10000
(Klapsalver)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ric Elias - EntrepreneurRic Elias is the CEO of Red Ventures, a marketing services company that grew out of Elias' long experience in business.
Why you should listen
Born in Puerto Rico, Ric Elias came to the United States for college knowing little English, as he writes in his online bio . So what did he do? "I adjusted my schedule and took only classes that dealt with numbers my entire first year," he says. "I'd always been decent at math, and things like calculus and accounting were non-lingual. I was able to buy some time to improve my English skills." His facility with numbers has led to a wide-ranging career in business and finance.
Elias is the CEO and co-founder of Red Ventures, a firm that helps large service companies acquire new customers online. He began his career in General Electric Co.'s Aerospace Division, then worked at the marketing services company CUC International (later known as Cendant). Prior to founding Red Ventures, Ric served as president of Spark Network Services, a promotion and data company held by Cendant.
"I'm a frustrated athlete," says Elias. "To me, business is the Olympics for non-athletes. It comes down to loving competition; figuring out whom we should compete against and how to beat them."
Ric Elias | Speaker | TED.com