I no longer want to postpone anything in life. That urgency, that purpose, has really changed my life.

Ric Elias, co-founder and CEO of Red Ventures, is widely quoted reflecting on the life-altering impact of surviving US Airways Flight 1549—the “Miracle on the Hudson”—which ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. In talks and interviews about the aftermath, he describes how the near-death experience clarified his priorities and intensified his sense of urgency. The line about no longer postponing anything is typically presented as part of his broader message about living deliberately, acting on what matters, and not deferring meaningful goals or relationships until an imagined “later.”

The quote frames urgency not as panic but as moral and existential clarity: the recognition that time is finite and that delay can become a form of self-betrayal. Elias suggests that purpose is not merely discovered but enacted through prompt commitment—choosing to do the difficult, loving, or significant thing now rather than waiting for perfect conditions. Its significance lies in how it converts trauma into a practical ethic: prioritize relationships, values, and meaningful work, and treat procrastination as a hidden cost. The “changed my life” claim underscores urgency as a durable orientation, not a momentary resolution.