Let’s Get Deep…
If you died tomorrow, would you be happy with the way you’ve lived your life? Are you living every day like it could be your last? It’s easy to get stuck going through the motions, especially in our careers, without considering whether our work is actually making us happy or fulfilling us.
That was certainly the case for William Wang...until he had a near-death experience that changed everything.
On Oct. 31, 2000, Wang was on Singapore Airlines Flight 006 when the 747 accidentally took off on a runway full of construction equipment.
“The captain took the wrong runway. Instead of 5-L, he took 5-R,” Wang recalled. “The runway was under construction. So we took off and half the plane was in the air, 180 miles per hour, and on its way to lifting off when it hit some of the construction equipment and the plane blew up.”
That accident killed 83 of the 179 people on board. Wang survived.
At that time, Wang was struggling as the leader of a tech startup. He was flying home to Los Angeles after meeting with creditors about his cash flow problems. His business was collapsing, but that doomed flight changed everything.
“Several things went through my mind when the plane blew up,” he said. “One thing was my family. The second thing was that all my headaches were suddenly gone. I thought, ‘We’re all going to die someday; I might as well enjoy the process of living.’”
After the accident, Wang shut down his startup. He reassessed his life and started a new company, Vizio, selling flat-screen TVs.
“I borrowed some money from my parents, mortgaged my house, and had a couple of friends who helped me,” he said.
This time around, Wang ran his business it exactly how he wanted so he could live a life he loved.
“I'm so fortunate that I've been able to do this one more time,” Wang said. “When I started, I worked 14 hours a day. I've cut down on that. I work eight hours a day. The company is not me, it's many people's efforts. And it's not just all about work - it’s being able to appreciate one another.”
Shifting his focus worked. Vizio grew over the next 16 years into the largest manufacturer of LCD and plasma TVs. Wang recently sold Vizio to LeEco, a leading Chinese technology company, for $2 billion.
Luckily, most of us will never have a near-death experience. But let Wang’s story serve as a wake-up call. What would you like to change about your life or work? Why are you waiting?