How do we focus our energies from home to work? What keeps us going over 35 years? Why do clients keep coming back?

Our politics are all over the board. Our life-sustaining beliefs are in line with each other. Architecture is a passion for all. Our organization's aspirational slogan is “Your Dreams, Our Vision”.

As I look back on my life I now see a pattern in all my actions. 

From a kid in elementary school up and including today I always plan to free up my time in the future. In the planning, I am seeing the opportunity to be involved in anything that comes up. I want to make space for the opportunity. By starting and finishing homework as soon as it was given freed me up to being with friends later in the week. Studying drafting in my early years of school provided me the ability to get a drafting job right out of high school, beating college graduates for the same job. By developing my imagination especially in the design of communities as part of my childhood games or designing homes from first grade on my abilities were being honed. By working for Robert Marks, Architect right out of high school and doing that for over 10 years made my vision of what architecture could be blossom. He had worked for Rudolph Schindler and Frank Lloyd Wright, keeping all designs in the organic format and thinking out all opportunities. That has inspired and assisted me in my path. The exploring I have done with my wife all over the earth from nature to cities and buildings has expanded my vision and experience.

Architects are known for their high level of Ego. It’s their way or not. We need to have confidence but not be delusional. We need a true understanding of what we can do and we need to be realistic. If we lose touch with ourselves how can we help others in their endeavors?

It is said a leader should not give reasons for their thoughts or actions until one must. The power of following through with an idea takes courage and fortitude. Knowing what’s in my head and what direction I need to take for me and my clients has a reason. Usually, it would take longer to explain than just doing it. Almost all my clients end up doing what my first concepts are. So why go through the process of explaining, testing actions when they just revert to my gut. Am I that good? No! But I do have great intuition. That has worked for me on the thousands of projects I have been involved with. It works for my life just as well. That is my talent. It does not make me feel any better than others. It does however make me, personally, very effective with my time management and achieving whatever goals are set before me.

I have finished reading multiple books on Stoics going back over 2000 years. I have some thoughts that might apply to others. If you believe in shared purpose and shared missions for those living on earth these thoughts might apply to you. They are just thoughts of the ages.

Be active in life. Prepare for the future. This relates to your career, your job, and your personal future. Prepare for setbacks.

Be prepared to face adverse situations. Endure the uncomfortable. Craft your spirit with mental practice. Love new opportunities with a smile.

With adversity comes opportunity. Embrace it. Everything is a teachable moment. Conquer the chance at something new that lifts you up. Make the world a better place.

Follow your moral compass in all choices. Everything experienced in life is an opportunity. Be part of the civic backbone. Deal in honesty. Keep others in your thought and strive to help them. You have it good. There is a right way to live.