Moving at the Speed of Life (and missing things along the way)

Monday, July 12, 2010 | 10:48 a.m.

There is no doubt that we have been experiencing the greatest recession of our lives. Even so, I see many opportunities, and much good has come from the past few years. I flash back to most of my career and it is a blur. When I was young and rising in my profession, it was not uncommon to work 70-80 hours per week. I once took a job because of the opportunity to work seven days a week for four months to fast-track a project and garner overtime pay.

The 1990s and early 2000s in Las Vegas were boom times. Many people made fortunes, but at what cost? The recession has emphasized that during that boom we did indeed move at the speed of light. But we also missed many things along the way. Here are some areas on which I’m focusing:

Reconnecting with family and friends. Many people involved in the real estate, construction, and development industries woke up in 2008 and found their children grown up, their prior friendships lacking, and their relationship with their spouse or significant other dwindling. This wake up call, provided by the recession, is a good thing. The recession has put into perspective how much we missed, and I know for me, it has put into place new plans for the future.

I’ve been able to spend more time at home and with my kids and wife. I’ve been able to rekindle other relationships that did not exist for years. Have you been able to use this slower time to reconnect with the people that matter?

Reconnecting with co-workers. I had forgotten over the years how much I enjoyed the company of my co-workers. During the times when I was overly busy, I lost touch with the personal side of many of my co-workers. Sure, we talked about work and the projects on which we were working, but we missed the interpersonal connections that bonded us together. I only saw those who were moving as fast as me.

My wife recently had a surprise party for me for my 50th birthday. I was astonished and humbled at how many of my co-workers attended. I vowed that day not to let these important relationships slip. Have you been able to reconnect with your co-workers?

Reevaluating what is important. I’ve preached over the years that the journey is more important than the destination, but now, in retrospect, it seems that I wasn’t living that philosophy to the fullest. I was just moving too fast. The recession has allowed me to slow down enough to experience the journey once again and to reevaluate how important it is to enjoy the little moments along the way. I’ve always been able to create great experiences for my clients, but I did not take stock of the importance of these experiences for me as well.

Assessing what we created. During the boom years in Las Vegas, we created some amazing places, but we also created many places devoid of meaning, context and community. I’ve asked myself, and I think it is worth you asking yourself: during our heyday, did we create enduring places that will foster the type of community we want or did we just expedite the development process? It is critically important that we assess what we did during the boom and put plans in place to foster the good and rethink the areas where we failed.

The recession has forced many to leave our community. Those of us who remain are the ones who have chosen to make this place our home and to raise our children and grandchildren here. It is important that we remember our choices as development begins again.

The recession has taught us many lessons. Hopefully we will learn from these lessons and position ourselves to keep the things we hold important at the forefront of our next boom.

Until next time…

Craig