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August 17, 2026

Hey, Architect.

Today, I have one simple question. What really matters to you?

This past week, I found out my friend Rob Szudzik passed away suddenly at 42 years old.

He was a respected Architect here in Buffalo, a past AIA Chapter President and Board Member, and someone who spent years working to make the profession better for the people coming up behind him.

Rob and I ran in the same circles on and off for most of my career.

I first met Rob through the AIA in the early 2010s. We were both interested in helping other emerging professionals like us succeed in the profession of Architecture. For years, we created ARE Exam Study groups, meetups, and mentoring events together for the local AIA Chapter’s EPs.

At some point, Rob moved to NYC, but he eventually made his way back to Buffalo. In 2021, I started at the firm I still work at today. Rob started working at the same firm about a year and a half later.

I always had a great professional respect for Rob. He was the person in the office everyone went to with a Revit question or a detailing problem. And he always made time to help.

Personally, Rob and I connected over music. Bands that make other people in my life shrug their shoulders, say “meh.” But not Rob.

Chevelle.
Breaking Benjamin.
Bring Me the Horizon.

Rob and I talked about them all.

It’s a small thing. But I suppose it’s the small things that can connect people in unexpected ways.

What I’ll remember most about Rob though is how he took a genuine interest in people. Not the polite version of asking, “How’s it going?” then immediately walking away. He actually wanted to know. He listened. He followed up. He checked in.

When I went through ups and downs in my personal life, Rob always made time to chat. When he was dealing with some issues of his own, I had no problem doing the same for him.

Memento Mori

Rob was 42. A year older than I am as I write this now. His passing was sudden and unexpected. One day he was here, working, mentoring, showing up for people. Then another, he wasn’t.

Since I found out about Rob, I keep coming back to a Stoic idea called “Memento Mori.” It means, “Remember, you will die.”

Back in 2017, I was in a very dark place, burnt out from work, relationships, hobbies, life.⠀

In my soul-searching, I found Ryan Holiday. Ryan is the best-selling author of “The Obstacle is the Way” and Founder of The Daily Stoic. Ryan’s work reminded me that our time is limited and I needed to fundamentally change the destructive direction I was on.

I’ve carried this coin, which reads “Memento Mori,” with me (sometimes in my pocket and other times in my backpack) for the past 8 years as a tangible reminder to make better choices. To live life to the fullest extent I can.⠀

Most people might look at this coin, this message, and immediately start to squirm or turn away, shrugging off the inevitable fate none of us can avoid.⠀

It doesn’t matter who you know, how much money you have, or how much you’ve done to prevent it.

Death is a universal truth.
And we will all die someday.

That doesn’t mean that you have to fear it either. But it does mean your awareness of it should motivate you to make good choices. Better choices every day. Choices that align with the person you want to be, the world you hope to live in, and the people you care to share your time with.

The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius once said, “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”⠀

It’s not perfect, and sometimes I forget about the coin and Memento Mori and all the things. But I try my best every day to live as though it’s my last.

What really matters to you?

This is the question I think of most days.

How you spend your time is how you spend your life.

We often lose sight, as busy creative professionals, just how much we may be spending worrying about trivial deadlines, working late nights, and pushing ourselves to the brink of burnout.

Your time is the only asset you can’t get back

You can rebuild a client relationship.
You can recover a missed deadline.
You can’t get back a year you spent burned out, disengaged, or waiting for the right moment to make a change.

If something in your career or your life is draining you and you know it, this is your reminder to act. Not someday. Now.
​

You decide how to spend it

When you begin to realize how finite your time actually is, you can take back the power that comes with how you spend it.

You get to choose. And that choice may seem like a stressful power to have.

But consider this.
Time passes either way.

By recognizing that your time is limited (and most importantly not shying away from it), you will naturally make choices that better serve who you are and want to become.
​

Living in the moment is everything

As I get older, the one thing I find that centers me most is remembering that every moment, good and bad, will pass.

By living in the moment as much as possible, you have the opportunity to make better memories and savor the experiences as you go.

We live in a hyper-fixated world where “busy” is celebrated and everything has to be “recorded” on social media for it to be real. I say the real flex comes from reminding yourself that the moment you’re in right now will never happen again. You might as well enjoy it while it’s here.

None of us are promised a tomorrow.
But we do have right now.

Will you build something worthwhile?
Or will you let time pass you by?

Final Thoughts

Rob Szudzik was a good Architect and an even better person. His death was sudden. And it reminded me how precious our time truly is.

You can’t recover lost time, so stop waiting to protect it.

I’ll leave you with this. As I was writing this today, I found a quote of Rob’s that speaks to who he was as an Architect. Between the lines, you’ll see who he was as a thoughtful human we can all look up to.

I’d like to think that, in his own way, Rob improved the lives of everyone he met.

To me, that alone is something worth striving for.

Your Resilient Next Step​
​(One Small Way to Build Resilience in Your Archi-Life Right Now 🧱)

Pick one person you've been meaning to reconnect with.

Send them a message today.

Not "we should catch up sometime." A genuine message that explains why you're thinking of them.

That's all for now.
​
Stay resilient, my friend.

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