About<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ric Elias does not impart business lessons, but rather provides insight into what lessons may be learned from his near-death experience<\/a>. In this recent TED<\/a> presentation, he describes the events leading up to the historic accident. Discover how those few minutes influenced Ric to make a significant decision: “I make the decision to be happy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if this narrative wasn’t incredible enough, here’s a strange coincidence detail from Tony Hsieh<\/a>‘s files: Ric had visited Zappos<\/a> the week before the disaster and was carrying a Zappos catalog on the fated flight. Following that, he returned the water-damaged book to Zappos. What a great reminder that life is full of unexpected twists and turns!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Works<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Elias began his work at GE<\/a> but later earned his MBA<\/a> from Harvard Business School<\/a>. After graduation, he founded Red Ventures<\/a>, which he transformed from a firm that narrowly survived the dot-com boom to the number four spot on the Inc. 500 list<\/a>. Elias was on Flight 1549 when it unexpectedly landed unhurt on the Hudson River<\/a> in 2009, an event he claims transformed his life. He was so moved that he created a book titled ‘How Facing Death Changed My Life<\/a>‘ (And My Business). As a determined businessman who was previously frustrated by the constant quest for work-life balance<\/a>, Ric Elias’ keynotes encourage people to surround themselves with good energy and \u201clive in the present.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ric Elias at Instagram<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ric Elias at Facebook<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ric Elias<\/strong> at Twitter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n