On this 20th anniversary of 9/11, Americans and likely others around the world will pause and remember the 2,977 precious and innocent lives that were taken and the thousands of others who were injured but survived. 

At a 2002 memorial, Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, said, "If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” Her words were poignant then and oh how we need to be reminded of them now.

I was honored to interview 9/11 survivor, Michelle Cruz. In my interview with her, she describes her journey during that horrific day, as well as how that day led her to finding her purpose. 

As an eager and driven 28-year-old professional at Fidelity Trust, Michelle arrived early to work on the 95th floor of Tower Two that day at her manager's request to put the finishing touches on that morning's presentation. Before she had a chance to unpack her briefcase, she heard the roar of the first plane's engine as it flew by Tower Two and into Tower One. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, she ran for the elevator. 

When she reached the ground floor, she ran outside only to see the second plane crash into Tower Two. Her co-worker, Andrew, encouraged her to keep going. After nearly 40 blocks, she and Andrew parted ways as he took the ferry to New Jersey and Michelle took a taxi to her mother's house. 

Michelle describes how she's certain the sudden appearance of the taxi driver and his powerful words to her were that of an angel. Over the next few weeks, Michelle processed the events of that day and began making plans to move forward with her life.

Michelle and I discussed the book she co-authored titled "Pursuing Your Destiny: How to Overcome Adversity and Achieve Your Dreams." Her book gives a full account of her journey on 9/11, as well as the many experiences she's had since then. 

Follow Michelle on Instagram @mikaila_nyc or on Facebook at mikaila_cruz_nyc

Michelle is working on her second book, which will dive deeper into her philosophy about finding empowerment within and pursuing your purpose.